XP Reactivation

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dave
  • Start date Start date
D

Dave

Hi,

I know this is going to sound weird, but I have a new to me
laptop, and a new copy of windows xp home. My worry is that I have a
history of messing up my computer and fixing it by doing a format c: and
reinstall.

My main computer is an oem type and the reinstalls have never been
a problem, was never asked to activate. But, the laptop with the retail
XP home is different and has already asked for activation.

My consern is the 120 days. As I activated my XP Home copy, than
discovered that I installed a few drivers in the wrong order they would
not uninstall so I had to restart, and activate again.

All in like 2 hours. If Microsoft is going to make me wait 120
day I am going to have a heap of trouble.

Is there anyway to store or backup the activation information so I
do not have to keep bothering Microsoft. I am not trying to install it
on another computer just the computer I bought the XP home for.

But, just to let you know how bad I am at format c: and start
over, my family had kept count. In one day they claim I reinstalled my
main computer from a blank c: drive 5 times. I know I need help, but it
is a hard habit to break.

Thanks
Dave
 
Hi Dave,

You can reactivate and reinstall a retail version on the same system as many
times as you please, there is no 120 day waiting period. At worst, you may
need to phone in activation, but either way you will still be able to.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
All in like 2 hours. If Microsoft is going to make me wait 120
day I am going to have a heap of trouble.
Click to expand...

If I understand this statement, the response is; you do not have to
wait 120 days before you call Microsoft for the activation code. You
*have* 120 days *in which to call them*; after that, the OS cannot be
used and I suppose you have to start all over again. I've never had
to go through this, so I'm not exactly sure of the process.

If you're going to be screwing up your computer on a regular basis (no
comment, no judgement, your words not mine), then you don't seem to be
very computer-savvy. That is not a putdown; what I'm saying is, if
you're not that computer-savvy, then you probably don't *need* all the
stuff that Windows XP does. You may be better off simply
reformatting, then just doing a clean install of Windows 98 SE or
Windows 2000, and use one of *those* as the OS; neither one requires
the Microsoft activation schemata that XP uses. And actually, in your
case, I would reccommend Windows 98SE; read below for caveats.

The only thing in this case you need to consider is whether you want
to run the NTFS file system (Windows 2000), or you are satisfied with
the FAT32 file system (Windows 98 SE does not support NTFS). The
cautions; NTFS has more options for file security and therefore, for
you and what you've described, more opportunities to accidentally deny
yourself access to your own computer. Windows 98 and FAT32 has less
security, but less danger of locking yourself out of your own machine.

In any case, you cannot listen to the consumer hype; when owning a
computer, you are going to have to have *some* level of knowledge
about it apart from the pretty icons and pictures on the screen. The
link previously posted:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/

is a good place to start. Also

http://www.annoyances.com

You do not need to know estorica and core components and arcane
schemata dealing with the actual mechanics of the operating system and
the surrounding components; so these two sites will give you a basic
knowledge that can be digested.

One word of general advice at the level you describe of yourself: if
you don't know what a program is, do *not* double-click on it or
otherwise run it. If you don't know what a certain file is, or what
it's doing on your machine, do *not* delete it; ask someone who knows
more what it is, and whether it should be there, and follow their
advice.

On the above train of thought: if there is a file on your system
called "syskey.exe"....NEVER EVER EVER RUN THIS PROGRAM. This you can
safely delete or rename, to make sure you never use it. I'm not going
to explain why; just never run it. If you have it on your machine,
*get rid of it*. It's not a virus (arguably) or an otherwise
malicious program (arguably); it is simply that if you ever
accidentally run it and click "yes" on everything, at some point in
the future, you may very well be very, very, VERY sorry you ever did.
At this point, you do not need to know why that is.

___________________________________________________

"Black shirted boys in the badlands
play machine-gun rodeo;
the downtown mission's packed too tight,
with folks that got nowhere to go."

--- David Baerwald, "River's Gonna Rise", 1986
 
Ha, I screw up my PC thinking about it.
Click to expand...

Never mind that. Just go to that link.

___________________________________________________

"Black shirted boys in the badlands
play machine-gun rodeo;
the downtown mission's packed too tight,
with folks that got nowhere to go."

--- David Baerwald, "River's Gonna Rise", 1986
 
John Mann said:
If I understand this statement, the response is; you do not have to
wait 120 days before you call Microsoft for the activation code. You
*have* 120 days *in which to call them*; after that, the OS cannot be
used and I suppose you have to start all over again. I've never had
to go through this, so I'm not exactly sure of the process.
Click to expand...

That is not correct.

On a fresh install of Windows XP you have 30 days, not 120, to
activate it otherwise it will cease to function (except for limited
usability in Safe Mode) until it is activate.

The 120 period is the current retention by Microsoft for the
activation data submitted when a computer is activate. After 120 days
this data may be purged.

If you reactivate Windows XP within the 120 days the current hardware
information for the activation will be compared to the hardware
information from the original activation and you may be required to
activate by telephone if there are substantial differences.

If you reactivate after the 120 days the previous activation data is
no longer available for comparison and the new activation will proceed
just as if it was the first time this particular copy had been
activated.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
That is not correct.

On a fresh install of Windows XP you have 30 days, not 120, to
activate it otherwise it will cease to function (except for limited
usability in Safe Mode) until it is activate.
Click to expand...

Ah. Like I said, I've never dealth with activation, and heard some
figure regarding "student" copies of XP which I thought mentioned 120
days. It sounded like he was saying he thought he had to wait 120
days until he could call Microsoft. Sorry.

(Why have I never dealt with activation? I bought the original
machine and drive second-hand from someone else; then bought a new box
when the one in the box I bought failed. New box was also a Compaq
shell/mobo; put old drive into it. Then bought a new drive, and
imaged XP to it. I suppose sooner or later, when I am able to
entirely build a new virgin machine on my own again, I will try
putting the old drive into it. If it's a no-go, I'll just go back to
Windows 2000 Pro.)

___________________________________________________

"Black shirted boys in the badlands
play machine-gun rodeo;
the downtown mission's packed too tight,
with folks that got nowhere to go."

--- David Baerwald, "River's Gonna Rise", 1986
 
Actaully I have been reformating c: and reinstalling when I get bored.
Nothing good on TV, no one else around and no work to do so, clean drive
and start over.
 
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