Help ASAP for Windows XP Home Repair

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:38 pm

I just did a repair to fix some messed up Windows files and everything went well, until I tried to login. I received a message telling me, "this copy of windows must be activated with Microsoft before you can log on" and if I click no logs off and if I click yes it loads n logs off. What is causing this and how can I fix it??

Sava700 · Post by **Sava700** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:00 pm

hit F8 when you go in through Admin account..go in safe mode with networking and activate it.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:02 pm

alright givin that a try now, how would I do this since there no activation icon?

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:04 pm

=/ its giving me a message after entering safe mode w/ networking that says I need to activate Windows but cannot do so in safe mode please login normal mode

YARDofSTUF · Post by **YARDofSTUF** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:07 pm

So why cant you activate it?

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:10 pm

hmm, when searching on this laptop for a fix to this problem for the desktop pc, some peeps say that IE7 doesnt allow you to activate it correctly and to uninstall it? Is that a problem too and if so how do I uninstall it since its not listed in Add/Remove Programs or in my YourUninstaller?

I am so upset that a repair made this a crazy thing

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:12 pm

YARDofSTUF wrote:So why cant you activate it?

everytime I try to logon in normal mode it tells me I need to activate it but once I click yes it goes to the background waits like 5 secs and then logs off and saving settings.

It doesnt allow Windows to load the desktop icons or nothing

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:18 pm

I'm in the process of trying to uninstall IE7 manually from the start > run, to see if this fixes the issue

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:22 pm

damn still after uninstalling IE7 it doesnt continue to load the rest of desktop

Could this be an issue with my Comodo Firewall? Maybe it's blocking the activation from reaching the server?

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:35 pm

Hmm, how wrong would it be to take the 2 activation files from this laptop and load them up on my usb and placed in the desktop pc? Would it work or would that just cause an error and crash? or would it be way illegal?

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:08 pm

I uninstalled my Comodo Firewall and it allowed me to login to activate but once I got into the Activate Windows screen it connected and said Unauthorized product key

Now that means I'm basically screwed?

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:14 am

I called the toll-free number for microsoft asked me to read the installation id which I did and it said that the key came up invalid. Then I got to speak to a guy who asked for the ID as well and said yea it comes up as invalid or unauthorized and gave me another number which I called and it's automated service didnt help but make me search for KB312295 on support.microsoft.com

The guy told me to contact Viscom Technology Group but I cant get in contact with them with any number and when I search for a number I dont find 1. Well I guess this is what I get for letting someone buy me a pc from the home shopping network. So mad, I dont understand why the key doesnt work no more.

Storm90 · Post by **Storm90** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:51 am

Go to the web site if you are able to. Its http://www.v2premier.com Look under tech support for Digital Lifeline. They state they have online support. Or contact them via email. Hope this helps.

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:46 am

The activation files are unique to the PC and based on the hardware in the PC etc, so copying the files from another PC won't let you bypass activation. Its that way by design.

Won't help you now but if you had saved those files before the repair you likely could have used them after the fact to save you from having to activate again. Still, begs the question, how was that PC activated in the first place?

Sava700 · Post by **Sava700** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:06 am

hmm at this point I would have backed up everything I wanted to save and formatted the sucker...but when you did the repair it asked you to type in the prod key again and you did it correctly right?

Storm90 · Post by **Storm90** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:38 am

I am wondering if even restore the computer would help. Beings microsoft is telling him the keys invalid. As THE DUDE said Its still begs the question how the computer was activated in the frist place. He might get the answer from vision primier tech site. Then again if he read the key wrong. This could be problem to. I think contacting the computer manufacter might be his best bet.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:58 pm

Sava700 wrote:hmm at this point I would have backed up everything I wanted to save and formatted the sucker...but when you did the repair it asked you to type in the prod key again and you did it correctly right?

The product key was entered correctly when they asked for it to be entered. The issue is that I think the pc is already active and trying to reactivate it is a no go. The pc was shipped already loaded with all the programs and activation done. It has a Factory Restore feature from Phoenix thing and if I format it that way it would prolly register fine. I believe the Windows Repair corrupted the activation or said it wasnt activated when in truth it's already in use.

I have called the number for them but seems to be a deadline. And when I emailed them they never responded back to me.

Storm90 · Post by **Storm90** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:37 pm

d2fanatic007 wrote:The product key was entered correctly when they asked for it to be entered. The issue is that I think the pc is already active and trying to reactivate it is a no go. The pc was shipped already loaded with all the programs and activation done. It has a Factory Restore feature from Phoenix thing and if I format it that way it would prolly register fine. I believe the Windows Repair corrupted the activation or said it wasnt activated when in truth it's already in use.

I have called the number for them but seems to be a deadline. And when I emailed them they never responded back to me.

Then why not go the route of formating and reinstalling windows? If you think its already activated. If you believe windows repair corrupted the activation. In the long run this might be a better solution. Then trying to repair the activation. Not unless there is something on the computer you can not save or do not want to lose.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:46 pm

Cause I dont have anything to backup the documents and programs I have on it. And I cant burn a cd or use usbs in Safe Mode.

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:33 pm

IF you can logon in safe mode with networking copy the files you want over your network to a folder on your other PC.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:02 pm

yea I tried to do that but once I try safe mode w/ networking it tells me that this Windows needs to be activated.

What's annoying me is that when I talked to a rep from Microsoft Support, they asked if it was a legit cdkey, which the key worked fine before the repair. Then the Viscom people said, "it seems you did a repair with a Windows CD and not a recovery cd." I told them I never had a recovery cd and he said to buy the recovery cd from them for $24.95 processing fee.

I then told him I don't want to recovery Windows, cause I need the stuff thats already on it atm and if I didn't I would have used the Recovery Console that was installed on the pc by pressing F4 or F10 or w/e key it was.

It just seems that the HD is already activated and that when it wants to reactivate it says it's unauthorized. The other number Microsoft told me to call was automated and told me to look at this site: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312295/en-us

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:52 pm

My guess is that PC was never activated with the CD key that is on the sticker. For example my fathers Dell laptop comes with an SLP XP home CD. If the correct BIOS code is read the product code is entered automatically during the install and the WPA files are copied to the hard drive so you don't have to activate windows. If you use that CD on a non Dell PC you get prompted for a product code and you have to activate windows. The product code the CD enters automatically does not match what is on the sticker on the bottom of his PC. They include the same identical CD with every laptop of that model they sell. When you did the repair you de-activated your Windows install. Maybe because the product code didn't match what was originally used to do the initial install, or it's de-activated automatically. It's been a while since I have had to do a repair and I'm using the corporate version of XP so I don't have to activate so I'm not sure how that works. In any case your problem now is that your windows install is not activated and the windows activation server is rejecting your product code. I believe invalid means it was never issued by Microsoft not that it is already in use. Could be that the sticker is fake. Doing a restore will just image the original files back on and windows will be activated like it was originally, legal or not? Unfortunately like you said you will likely loose your data. Flam me if you want but it's been said many many times, backup your data before you do something that may mess up your system. At this point you need to get a legal product code that will pass muster with Microsoft. Other options are to remove the hard drive and install it in your other PC to recover your files.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:06 pm

Yea, I figured it was gonna have to get restored through their software. The only thing that bothers me with it is that they have corrupt things when I Factory Restore, like System Restore doesnt work at all even if I reinstall it and I get like 5 things of spyware pre-loaded.

It's just annoying to have to fix everything all over again and I tried to use Acronis TrueImage 10 that I had on disk but for some reason on that pc it doesnt work at all I get errors all over the place and the only backup that they had on my pc was some NovaStar, which I couldn't install from any name.

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:37 pm

If you do do a factory restore, download something like "The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder" and retrieve the product code. At the very least compare it with what is on the sticker. It would be interesting to see if it matches.

Sava700 · Post by **Sava700** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:57 pm

there is a file you can get from majorgeeks.com called produkey and it will give you the product keys to any MS software you have like XP and Office.

YARDofSTUF · Post by **YARDofSTUF** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:01 pm

Sava700 wrote:there is a file you can get from majorgeeks.com called produkey and it will give you the product keys to any MS software you have like XP and Office.

Dont think thats gonna work in this case.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:02 pm

Noper that's what I did before I did the repair, used Magic Bean thing to check the product key and it was the same as on sticker. It must have been the way they registered the key, so that's prolly why I can't use the Windows activation.

I'll have to look around and see what I can do so that I can do that damn restore, since my Home key will not work to activate.

Sava700 · Post by **Sava700** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:30 pm

just do a full reinstall...back up your stuff and start over.

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » Thu May 01, 2008 7:19 am

YARDofSTUF wrote:Dont think thats gonna work in this case.

Ya, they work, but only on installed software. If you run it now all you will get is the product code he entered during the repair. Looks like he was smart enough to run it before hand but unfortunately it still didn't help him.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Thu May 01, 2008 11:06 am

Nope, wouldn't help. This is what the tech told me,
"Hi,

If you indeed used a retail copy of Windows XP, your product key will not work as the product key is for an OEM copy. The tech you spoke to may not be familiar with the situation.

If you did not use a retail copy of Windows XP to do the repair, then it is possible that the instructions given to you may work as a last ditch effort. There are services available that can copy your personal data off of the drive prior to you running the recovery. I would suggest checking for servicers in your area that do this if you are not familiar with the process.

Thanks,

Janos"

What if I find an older pc that is broken with Windows XP Home and use that product key?

Sava700 · Post by **Sava700** » Thu May 01, 2008 11:17 am

d2fanatic007 wrote:
What if I find an older pc that is broken with Windows XP Home and use that product key?

That prob wont' work since most keys like Dells are installed to the partition of the drive thus will require either the Dell home or pro disk to work.

d2fanatic007 · Post by **d2fanatic007** » Thu May 01, 2008 11:55 am

ah dingleberries, well I'll have to see what I can salvage in Safe Mode and get on with the restore. Is there a way to save my Hellgate London and other game settings, so I dont have to reconfigure them 2?

YARDofSTUF · Post by **YARDofSTUF** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:28 pm

d2fanatic007 wrote:ah dingleberries, well I'll have to see what I can salvage in Safe Mode and get on with the restore. Is there a way to save my Hellgate London and other game settings, so I dont have to reconfigure them 2?

You obviously have another PC working, so does it have a burner? You could make a linux live CD and boot via that, I think they support networking, not sure how easy it would be to connect from it to a windows pc though. But if you have 2 cd rom drives on the pc you could have the live CD in one and burn data via the other.

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » Thu May 01, 2008 6:47 pm

You could connect it to the IDE cable in your desktop PC with an adapter. Then just drag and drop the files you want to your desktops drive. You may have to take ownership or the files and folders to gain access but thats usually not a problem if you log on with admin rights.