XP ID number not working

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nico Diemel
  • Start date Start date
N

Nico Diemel

Hello all,
I have an emachine PC that died and needed a new mother board.
Now I can not get the XP home edition that the shop loaded on my PC.
The emachine did not have a separate XP C/D but it was already loaded 2
years ago.
How can I now get this XP Activated???

Nico :o)
 
Nico said:
I have an emachine PC that died and needed a new mother board.
Now I can not get the XP home edition that the shop loaded on my PC.
The emachine did not have a separate XP C/D but it was already
loaded 2 years ago.

How can I now get this XP Activated???
Click to expand...

When *you* say new motherboard - do you actually mean the single component
in the same case with the same hard disk drive and the same memory and the
same CD/DVD drive, etc? Or do you mean 'new box - all of it..."?

When you say 'Activated' - can we assume it is actually up and running and
just not allowing you to activate?

Either way - heck - unless eMachines replaced the motherboard fro you - I am
surprised anything worked at all - even if they did - I am shocked.
Essentially, eMachines usually ships with one of the worst (to me)
restore/recovery methods out there. Usually the restore is partially on CD,
partially on the system itself - although I hear you can do the restore
straight from CD in a pinch. It is *not* a true Windows XP installation
CD - it is essentially like an image or really specific unattended install.
BIOS-locked in many cases.

Also - you say 'the shop' loaded your copy of Windows XP Home... Does the
product key 'the shop' used match the product key that should be located on
a sticker on your computer? (You will have to use something like Belarc
Advisor - http://www.belarc.com - or the Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder -
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml - to obtain the key of the
installed OS.

If they do not match - the shop installed (essentially) an illegitimate
copy. Call and complain. You may be able to fix it and use your key by
using this:

The Genuine Advantage Product Key Update Tool is only valid for
users attempting to change their current non-genuine Product Key
to a genuine COA sticker or genuine Product Key - all without a reinstall!
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50346&clcid=0x409

*Maybe* - the eMachine thing might cause some issues.

Lastly - when you say you cannot 'activate', are you receiving this message?

"According to our records, the number of times you can activate windows with
this product key has been excceeded. Please enter a different product key
then click retry..."

Simply choose to activate by telephone - albeit if the product key the
system is installed with does not match the product key that is on the
sticker of the machine in question... That may fail miserably and you will
become very frustrated at what 'the shop' did to you.
 
Did you reload Windows XP with a different disk and now your trying to
change the key back to the original?
If so, once service pack 2 is on... you will have a difficult time.
However, if you reinstalled from the an older version of Windows XP, the a
downloadable keychanger can change the key for you. But if the key your
trying to change it to is not genuine, then you won't be able to update the
system. Either way, you may be stuck.
 
I also have an emachines desktop pc that came with xp home pre-installed but
when trying to re-install windows from the 'genuine' windows cd that came
with the pc found that the product code on the sticker on the back of the pc
wasn't recognised when the disc was trying to load. I've now got the product
code from my pc using Jellybean and it isn't anything like the one on the
back of the pc!
What happens if my pc dies and I need to re-install windows?
 
Hi Jan:

The install key is on an orange sticker that was attached to the sleeve
holding your install CD.

Earl Grey
 
Back
Top