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sn00ker

4 Posts

10340

February 19th, 2008 01:00

Activate Windows xp

Hi , My friend and his girlfriend both have Dell computers , Though they are different models but same I believe Windows xp . Ok here the problem , My friend ask me to take a look at his girlfriend computer because it was infected with all kinds of malwares and viruses . Now she doesn't have the producted recovery disk because she bought it from someone whom didn't give it to her but he has a disk . I thought I could use his disk and install windows and enter her license keys on the side of the case . I figure what do I got to lose to try . Well for some strange reason I was able to install windows without having to activated , Why is that ? And I didn't even enter the keys . I thought to install windows you would at least need to enter the license keys , Are these so call product recovery disk have the license keys embeded within the disk ? Either way after I am finish with loading all the updates from Microsoft I will have to enter her license keys . Though I have never work with brand name computer and I thought you always needed to activate them when ever you reinstall windows , no ? Thanks

Message Edited by sn00ker on 02-19-2008 08:37 PM

sn00ker

4 Posts

February 20th, 2008 00:00

Hi , Well I loaded everything and everything is working good . Didn't have to activate or enter any keys . Thanks all for your help .

Bay Wolf

4.4K Posts

February 20th, 2008 01:00

So sn00ker came up with the solution?

 

I think that the first one to post the correct solution was hrova

 

 

Go figure?

 

oopsadazy2

14 Posts

February 20th, 2008 13:00

I've tried to reinstall windows from the cd that came with my computer and I'm a little confused. It said that it was unable to do so because the version on my computer is newer than what is on the cd. 

 

Any suggestions? Please? 

 

I appreciate any help

 

 

oopsadazy2

14 Posts

February 20th, 2008 13:00

oops sorry, I have win xp , Dell deminsion 2400

sn00ker

4 Posts

February 20th, 2008 20:00

Oopsadazy2 , What you need to do is somehow refomat your hard drive , Though before you do ? Check the drive to see if you have a hidden partition with the operating system install on it , If it doesn't ? Then reformat the hard drive and afterward you will be able to reinstall windows . I believe the reason as to why you can't now is because your ( product recovery disk ) winodows disk wasn't with service pack 2 which is what probably is install on your computer now . That why your getting this error message . Your computer view your disk you have and see it without service pack 2 and that is why its saying it is older than what you have now on there . I hope that make any sense to you and what you need to do . Unless someone else has another idea . Oopsadazy2 you should start a new thread which you will get more responses.
Message Edited by sn00ker on 02-20-2008 04:46 PM
Message Edited by sn00ker on 02-20-2008 04:47 PM

Darkon2

2 Posts

February 26th, 2008 21:00

I was originally in another thread, but I'm just gonna drop in here and continue with this thread..
Situation: Dell Dimension 4400, formatted drive and put windows xp on it thru the Dell reinstall cd.
Everything was fine, no need to put in code, everything cool.
I installed SP3 (release candidate) on it, to avoid ALL the updates... installed IE7 on it as well... and now, since yesterday I get the message that I need to activate Windows... and that I have 23 days left.

Did I install something wrong? Am I not allowed to run the regular windows update feature? (Do I need to install Dell's or something? I saw something about that in this thread (about Dell drivers and stuff)) Where does it come from.. and better: what do I need to do to fix this? (without a reinstall or calling MS, since I don't that should be necessary when installing Dell XP). Oh.. I tried to activate btw, and it simply won't let me. It can't reach the server.... even when I turn the firewall off...:-/

jmwills

2 Intern

 • 

12K Posts

February 26th, 2008 23:00

Installations perfomred from Dell branded OEM discs do not require activation.  What did you use?

Rebel9

2.9K Posts

February 26th, 2008 23:00

Maybe something to do with this?

Darkon2

2 Posts

February 27th, 2008 11:00

I don't know.. but when I started up my pc last night, it told me that there was something corrupt in the system folder, so Repaired my windows, put the stuff back.. and then saw something that it might have to do with:  I was looking for tweaks and one of them had a list of things to do.. and one of them was to install xp-antispy, which also enables/disables things if you wanted.. a few of them had to do with registration dll and all.

So I'm thinking that I did something there that triggered my windows xp to look for the Activation..

 

I'm just gonna hold my breath and see if I see the activation message again...

oopsadazy2

14 Posts

February 28th, 2008 02:00

Snooker, this may sound stupid but I am not good with computers ....sooo how do I reformat my hard drive? I thought I
just had to insert the recovery disk and it rewrote over it and my puter was just as it was when it was new?

jmwills

2 Intern

 • 

12K Posts

February 28th, 2008 06:00

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