Problem Activating XP Pro

I recently had to reinstall Windows XP Professional and have for the first time ever run into a very strange problem.

Keep in mind this is a legitimate version of XP Pro (I know this for a fact), I have re-installed it approx 9 or 10 times since about 2000-2001.

The installation goes absolutely perfect, no problems whatsoever.

Now the problem, once the installation is complete and you get to the screen where it does the final setup and it asks 3 questions that are asking about activating and registering my copy of XP etc., Well now it only gives to options, leaving out the question "Do you want to activate XP now? ".

Normally I skip through those questions and the connection detection setup etc, and just move on to the desktop and I then install any mainboard drivers etc.

Now I shouldn't really need to go through everything else, so I won't.

But the after Windows is completely setup, I would always see a set of "keys" in my system tray that reminds to activate Windows.

Well, I no longer have those keys. They simply are not there. If I click on my start button and go into the Programs, there are no keys there, if I go into the Programs>Accessories>System menu again, no keys.

Although I can install XP Pro with no problems, I cannot activate Windows at all. I can see no possible way to do it.

As I have said, I have had to re-activate XP a few times before, but I can't now.

Does anyone have any idea why it's doing this? And how can I fix the problem.

 

I re-installed Xp 2 or 3 days ago. But even if the keys don't show right away (and they should have by now) there is no where that I am given the option. Even the link to the options to activate over the internet, over the phone etc is not there. There is absolutely nothing I can click on to even try and activate XP, not in the control panel or anywhere.

Also I have been going through the MicroSoft Site, Newsgroups etc., and can find nothing about this.

 

Probably just a fluke that the icon isn't showing. As an alternate method, Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Activate Windows.

If that method isn't available either, count your lucky stars and go get a lottery ticket! We should all have such problems.

 

As I have said, there is no option (icon etc) to enable me to activate XP. I can't even use the activation wizard to telephone MicroSoft to activate it. There is nothing.

This is extremely frustrating, because I have asked this same question in a MicroSoft newsgroup and was told this:

Please follow this simple troubleshooting procedure, courtesy of MS MVP
Carey Frisch:

1. Download and install the WGA Diagnostic Tool
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=56062

2. After running the WGA Diagnostic Tool, click on the "Windows" tab and
then click on "Copy to Clipboard ".

3. Next, visit the following website and create a post in the "WGA
Validation Problems" forum and paste the results of the WGA Diagnostic Data
in a detailed post:
http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/default.aspx?SiteID=25

4. A WGA troubleshooting specialist will analyze the data and recommend an
appropriate solution.


Then another problem came up. When I tried to run this, I then got the message something like "Windows needs to be activated before I can run this program ". Which relly doesn't make sense, since this program tells you if the Windows version you are using is "real" or not.

As for the troubleshooting specialists answer to the problem... he had know idea why XP is not allowing me to activate it. But he did say it will shutdown in 30 days.

 

Go to your Start Button and select Run
Type %systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
Hit OK



note: there is a space between exe and /

 

I tried that while speaking with a Tech on the telephone. The only thing that happened was a "screen Flash "..

It was just as if my desktop refreshed itself, other then that nothing else happened.

 

Hi, uxu.

Perhaps Event Viewer will provide a clue about the "screen flash ".

Please try Rockster's suggestion again and note what time your computer's clock shows.

Instructions About How to Access and Use "Event Viewer ":

• Click Start.
• Right-click My Computer.
• Select "Manage" to open the "Computer Management" window.
  (Event Viewer will be displayed under the "System Tools" directory item.)
• Expand "Event Viewer" and then select "Application ", "Security ", and "System" to view the logs.
• Look for "error" events that occurred around the time your problem occurred. These events will be displayed as icons with either a white X on red background or a black exclamation point on yellow background. In the security section of Event Viewer, events of possible concern are ones that display a padlock icon instead of a key icon.
• Double-click on an individual event to open the "Event Properties" window which shows details about the event.
  • You can use the up/down arrow buttons in the "Event Properties" window to move your focus to other events in the list.
  • Use the button below the up/down arrows to copy the details for an event to your clipboard for pasting elsewhere.
  • Click on the "http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp" link in the "Event Properties" window to view more information from Microsoft about the event.

EDIT: BTW, I noticed your stated your experience level is "Experienced ". Please do not take my detailed instructions as an insult. I included the Event Viewer instructions in case they might benefit someone else with the same or similar problem.

 

Hi mailman and uXu,

That "flash" is the command box appearing/disappearing.


uXu, see if you have msoobe.exe in the location that Rock gave: \Windows\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe

Do a search for it if not there. It'll have the MS activation key symbol.

Regards - Charles

 

will running msoobe.exe help someone who forgot?

I have a friend at work who ran into an activation problem. He has a desktop at the lake which does not have internet acces. He uses it for mindless games and letters when he is at the lake.

It had XP Pro and he wanted to install XP Home; so, he took the XP Home CD from his home computer and installed it on his lake computer. But he forgot to call to activate XP. Now it just sits there.

If he can get to it, would running this file help him or should he just start the whole process over again?

Is he legal putting XP Home on this second computer?

Mitch

 

I'm glad you did put the detailed instructions here... surely they will help someone, I would never be offended by that.

charlesvar, msoobe.exe is where it should be. I had already thought of that file being missing or somehow installed to the wrong place.

As for the event viewer, it doesn't even show msoobe as even being run. I actaully tried to run it 10 times and the event viewer shows nothing.