re-installing

  • Thread starter Thread starter mcbutler
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mcbutler

Will my original activation code work if I reinstall my
copy of XP home SP1 onto the same computer as it was
originally installed to? I am having many silly problems
and think a clean re-install might be a good idea.

Mark
 
mcbutler said:
Will my original activation code work if I reinstall my
copy of XP home SP1 onto the same computer as it was
originally installed to? I am having many silly problems
and think a clean re-install might be a good idea.
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
You can reactivate as many times as you like either over the phone or the internet. However there is an easier way. Simply go into your windows\system32 folder and find wpa.dbl and then if you have a floppy disk handy you can put in the floppy drive and then right click on wpa.dbl and send to your 3-1\2 floppy. Once done remove the disk and mark it Product Activation. Then when you reinstall XP and it asks you if you want to activate now choose no or later or whatever it says, I forget, and then once you are on the desktop go back into windows\system32 put the floppy of your Product Activation back into the floppy drive and copy the wpa.dbl that you saved on the floppy back to the folder. To do this go>start\my computer and double click on the 3-1\2 floppy to open it and then right click on the wpa.dbl and choose copy and then right click in the system32 folder and choose paste and if it says wpa.dbl already exists would you like to overwrite it choose yes. Voila. Instant activation. Don't try to read the wpa.dbl. It is heavily encoded by Microsoft when you first activated and contains your hardware configuration and product code etc. Have fun. {:~)
 
In
mcbutler said:
Will my original activation code work if I reinstall my
copy of XP home SP1 onto the same computer as it was
originally installed to?

Yes.


I am having many silly problems
and think a clean re-install might be a good idea.
Click to expand...


In my view, it's hardly ever a good idea. With a modicum of care,
it should never be necessary to reinstall Windows (XP or any
other version). I've run Windows 3.0, 3.1, WFWG 3.11, Windows 95,
Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, each for the period of
time before the next version came out, and each on two machines
here. I never reinstalled any of them, and I have never had
anything more than an occasional minor problem.

It's my belief that this mistaken notion stems from the technical
support people at many of the larger OEMs. Their solution to
almost any problem they don't quickly know the answer to is
"reformat and reinstall." That's the perfect solution for them.
It gets you off the phone quickly, it almost always works, and it
doesn't require them to do any real troubleshooting (a skill that
most of them obviously don't possess in any great degree).

But it leaves you with all the work and all the problems. You
have to restore all your data backups, you have to reinstall all
your programs, you have to reinstall all the Windows and
application updates,you have to locate and install all the needed
drivers for your system, you have to recustomize Windows and all
your apps to work the way you're comfortable with. Besides all
those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may have
trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs?
Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data
backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations
and tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way
you like?

Occasionally there are problems that are so difficult to solve
that Windows should be reinstalled cleanly. But they are few and
far between; reinstallation should not be a substitute for
troubleshooting; it should be a last resort, to be done only
after all other attempts at troubleshooting by a qualified person
have failed.
 
A Repair Install is generally easy to do. XP actually builds in a process
for doing this. Check here for "How To Run A Repair Installation"
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm Be aware that running a Repair
Install will require that you reinstall all Critical Updates again so ensure
you turn your firewall on immediately after you've Repaired to avoid getting
hit with the Blaster Worm. You should also look at Alex Nichol's page on
Windows Product Activation http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm
 
Greetings --

Certainly.

There's no limit to the number of times you can reinstall and
activate the same WinXP license on the same PC. Nor is there ever a
charge. If it's been more than 120 days since you last activated
that specific Product Key, you'll most likely be able to activate via
the Internet without problem. If it's been less, you might have to
make a 5 minute phone call.

Here are the facts pertaining to activation:

Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:




You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Greetings --

That method doesn't work, you know.

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:




You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
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