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silent_frosty
Junior Member
USA
178 Posts |
 Posted - 04 November 2004 : 22:05:50
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Having a little problem with my XP activation.
Here it is- when I start up my computer (windows XP SP1) and try to login it says that windows isnt activated and needs to be done now. so I click ok and it takes me to a screen that says windows has already been activatedk, click ok to exit. so I click ok and it takes me back to the login where I get the error once again! and its an ongoing cycle.
The computer was fine a while back, but something got seriously messed up and it wouldnt boot at all, couldnt do anything, so a friend told me that I should format it. So, I did, and didn't have a disk to reinstall XP, so he gave me a copy of his...bad mistake right there, I know (which is probably giving me all the grief). I've been searching microsoft for a while (and google) but can't find any fixes (just alot of information about activation, and how to do it all). Oh, when I installed XP, it never asked for a serial, or product key, or activation code or anything like that either...any ideas? Do I need to go out and buy XP? (which I really wouldn't like to have to do since I don't have the funds for it).
ANY help is appreciated , thanks :) |
Life is a waste of time. Time is a waste of life. So get wasted all of the time and have the time of your life. |
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Da_Stimulator
DEV Team Forum Moderator
USA
3373 Posts |
Posted - 04 November 2004 : 22:20:33
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| if the copy you got from your friend is pirated, then chances are thats your reason. If its not asking for a product key (all ms programs do, ALL of them), then its probably a hacked copy. Either that or he just copied his xp cd, which is pointless because Any OS installation cd is copy-protected. |
-Stim |
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CPO
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 04 November 2004 : 22:22:24
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Legally, you should go and purchase it. However i have had some issues supporting desktops that have activation and was given this article to look at and it did help... I'm not sure it will in this case, but it might....
http://www.earthv.com/articles.asp?ArticleID=656
Hope it helps!!
-CPO
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CPO
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 04 November 2004 : 22:26:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Da_Stimulator
if the copy you got from your friend is pirated, then chances are thats your reason. If its not asking for a product key (all ms programs do, ALL of them), then its probably a hacked copy. Either that or he just copied his xp cd, which is pointless because Any OS installation cd is copy-protected.
Not all corporate os installs require product keys, most do now, but they didn't always when xp first came out. also the corporate ones can be copied in a regular cd-writer without problems with copy-protection. Just so you know...  |
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silent_frosty
Junior Member
USA
178 Posts |
Posted - 04 November 2004 : 22:34:16
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da_Stimulator - yes I think what he did was copy his XP Home edition cd that he had.
CPO- thanks for that site, I read through it all (3/4 of the page people asking for cd keys :P ) and will try to deactivate it then reactivate it later. Hope it works.. |
Life is a waste of time. Time is a waste of life. So get wasted all of the time and have the time of your life. |
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Dave.
Senior Member
USA
1037 Posts |
Posted - 04 November 2004 : 22:35:24
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quote:
Originally posted by CPO
quote:
Originally posted by Da_Stimulator
if the copy you got from your friend is pirated, then chances are thats your reason. If its not asking for a product key (all ms programs do, ALL of them), then its probably a hacked copy. Either that or he just copied his xp cd, which is pointless because Any OS installation cd is copy-protected.
Not all corporate os installs require product keys, most do now, but they didn't always when xp first came out. also the corporate ones can be copied in a regular cd-writer without problems with copy-protection. Just so you know...
It is more likely that there is a winnt.sif file with the product key on the CD.
Windows XP Corporate edition does require you to enter the key unless you re-create the CD with a winnt.sif file on it (We use VLK licensing at work) |
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CPO
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 04 November 2004 : 22:40:27
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| I'm not sure if there were winnt.sif files on the cd's, they were part of the Microsoft Select agreement we had where i worked... They very well could have had those files (and most likely did). Thanks for the info! |
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pdrg
Support Moderator
United Kingdom
2897 Posts |
Posted - 05 November 2004 : 04:53:37
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Mate - if you bought a new PC with an install of XP, your (hardware, computer) box will have the OEM Product Key sticker on it somewhere. If you bought XP off-the-shelf, that's where your key is. If your friend bought XP off-the-shelf and lent you his disk, you will need your own key, for which you must pay.
Microsoft (in fact all software vendors) are in the business of selling *licenses*, not CD's. Your key is tied to your license, hence trying to stop people sharing keys (licenses). If you want to use XP, you need to get a proper licensed copy (which will have it's own key which will work to activate it). The key you kept trying in your first post was already registered with Microsoft, so it wouyld not let you re-register it (hence you need your own).
There *is* a legally grey area around OEM licensing for MS OS'es only (does not apply in any way to Office etc), where an OEM license may be sold with any piece of non-peripheral hardware (eg a $5 modem card). Some semi-respectable builders and resellers are able to sell you some expansion hardware and an OEM license with it, saving you quite a lot of money, however this is a very dubious area, and at best a legal loophole. Anyone offering to sell you office or anything else on OEM licence is violating that licensing agreement, however, and in fact is probably just selling pirate copies (for instance there is no such thing as Visual Studio.NET 2003 Enterprise Architect Edition OEM - it is not something to be pre-bulk-installed for the masses - it is a 100% for-sure pirate)
hth |
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Roland
Advanced Member
Netherlands
9335 Posts |
Posted - 07 November 2004 : 12:27:56
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Just be glad XP is cheap, especially XP Home. There are much worse situations when it comes to product activation troubles.
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dayve
Forum Moderator
USA
5820 Posts |
Posted - 07 November 2004 : 21:49:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Roland
Just be glad XP is cheap, especially XP Home. There are much worse situations when it comes to product activation troubles.
XP Home blows though...
But you're right about product activation with other products. For example, Citrix MetaFrame!
We still have some software where I work that requires hardware keys. I thought I'd never see the day that some software companies would continue to use this. Seems so old-school! |
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Roland
Advanced Member
Netherlands
9335 Posts |
Posted - 08 November 2004 : 04:32:59
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We just got a "large format printer" at work, the software rip (separate German software with stupid typos) comes with a dongle to prevent you from using the software on multiple computers at the same time. I recently purchased software that set me back some $3500, and that too comes with a dongle. Both are USB dongles, but still, lose it and you're SOL, especially the software I bought for myself as the dongle cost me nearly $200, and getting it replaced means complete re-activation of the software and absolutely no using it until the new dongle has arived. At least Microsoft lets you use Windows for 30 days until they force you to activate XP.
The software I bought could've had a worse type of anti-piracy setup than the dongle though. It was either that or a hardware lock onto my computer. At least now I can move it to a new computer (if I should buy one)...
Anyway, dongles are still used obviously, but activation over the net is more common nowadays. |
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