Activating Windows XP - Help needed!

Ok I installed windows XP on my home computer not so long ago and have recently been trying to activate it from the little key icon I get in my task bar (near the clock) telling me I only have so many days left to activate windows. So I click on the icon and get a screen asking whether I want to activate windows. I select the option "Yes, lets activate windows over the internet now" and then click 'next' at which point my curser turns into the little egg timer loading thing whenever I move it across this activation window but nothing happens and the windows doesn't move onto whatever comes next.

I've tried restarting the computer, opening the net first then trying, opening the net with btyahoo broadband then trying, stopping my firewall, closing any programmes I don't need open and even left it and tried again the next day. And nothing will make it work that i've tried. I need to activate this windows and I don't know what to do to make it work.

Please can someone help me? It would be much appreciated.
Thank you

 

Hello SilverStorm,

To get activated: From the start menu > Help and Support > type Activation into the search box.

One of the options is to do it by phone.

The other two options - thru the modem and thru the interent. See if following the alternative methods works, there may be something wrong with the tray icon.

Regards - Charles