Getting around windows xp activation

Maybe it only appears after the first restart after activation? Their own arguments show that User profiles in Windows is a scam.

That exchange would have made a perfect script for a Buster Keaton movie. Do i really need it? Sorry if this is a dumb noob question, I am new to Linux…. This trick no longer seems to work after updating to SP3. Any ideas, or are we screwed over by oh-so-lovely WGA again? My wpa files does not change size or date modified after activation. When rebooting from virtual to native, Windows still wants to activate within 3 days.

Any hints? Does this trick works with SP3? I get wpa. Nice article, after reading some of the replies there needs to be a solution to SP3, anyway this is a time saver. BAK not until i was getting a reminder evertime i booth that i only have 26 days activating windows. It never ceases to amaze me how happy people are to misinterpret legal documents a EULA in this case for their own gain.

One, at any given time. There is a little slack in the EULA, designed so that when someone changes their hardware, they may still actually use Windows — but that slack is not there to allow multiple copies of the OS to run. Have you actually read through it, or are you just saying you have? I have a Windows install and I virtualize that same Windows install within Linux. I have not reinstalled or copied Windows in any way and it continues to run on the same exact machine from the original install.

This license may not be shared, transferred to or used concurrently on different computers. I have not setup a virtual environment where I reinstall Windows and use the same product key, it is all the original install. Also, my problem with Microsoft in the matter of XP mind you this was posted 1. Even if your false claims were true and I had to purchase another license, XP would still have issues with licensing and lock itself up.

Does this have to do with XP service pack 3 as suggested by some comments? I am also running into the same problem of virtualizing using VirtualBox in Ubuntu 8. I was planning on using the solution proposed by you, Mohammad, but I have seen some issues and I was wondering if Service Pack 3 had something to do with it as mentioned in some of the posts.

First, I can only find the wpa. Second, windows activation does not let me activate my virtualized version. Does any of this have anything to do with Service Pack 3? I would truly appreciate if I could get some advice or help, since I deeply want to keep using VirtualBox.

It seems as though this workaround does not work with SP3. I successfully reactivated XP under VMware and newly generated wpa. I made 2 dirs as proposed by author. Instead it only runs after successful user log in. Here I guess that SP3 changes the way the startup scripts are handled. Very strange. But I gave up and:. How do I reset my password? Thanks Musca Law Musca Law. Apple never used to be quite that.

I am seasoned enough to think back to the very first like that even had pointer recognition AND 2 buttons, let alone all this stuff they have. I struggled with this myself recently and even installed the script. I was hoping it would solve what I thought was an activation loop with my SP3 slipstream. Was this reply helpful? Yes No. Sorry this didn't help. Thanks for your feedback. If you send me your e-mail address to.

If any thing else, use the file tab of explorer. To automatically avoid activation loop: since activation is no longer available After trial period runs out for new install , When notifified that activation is neccessary to access windows XP: 1 Restart computer 2 Hold down F8 key to enter safemode menu 3 Choose safemode with command prompt 4 Cancel any new hardware install request 5 At prompt type in "explorer.

Run batch file, then restart computer. When the days get low just run the batch file and the the trial period is reset after restart. I have the same question Report abuse. Details required :. Cancel Submit. Type in new numbers. It doesn't matter what you put here, but you'll need to keep the format consistent for example, if you deleted four characters, you'll need to replace that section with four characters.

Click OK once you're done. This will save your changes. Open the Run tool again. Exclude the quotation marks. Entering this command opens the Windows XP activation wizard. For best results, simply copy and paste this text into the Run field. Click OK. Select the telephone option.

This option should say "Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows" and there should be a clickable check box to the left of it. If you see a note that says "Windows XP is already activated", changing your key manually isn't working. Please proceed to the Windows Key Finder method. Click Next. Click Change Product Key. This is at the bottom of the "Activate" window.

Enter a Windows XP product key. Note that you may have to attempt this step a few times with different keys. If you don't know the version of Windows XP your computer is currently running, consult your computer's manual to verify before you proceed with trying the linked product keys.

Click Update. After this process completes, you'll need to confirm your activation of Windows XP. Click Back. Check the "Activate Windows over the Internet" option. This will allow you to activate your version of XP quickly. Note that calling Microsoft using the "telephone a customer representative" option likely won't work since Microsoft discontinued support for Windows XP on April 8th, Follow the on-screen instructions.

After you've completed your Windows XP activation, you should be able to use it without getting locked out of the system. Method 2. Open the Winkey Finder website. Winkey Finder is a free, no-install program that can locate and retrieve your Windows XP product key. Click on the latest version of Winkey Finder.

As of January , this is version 2. Since this version is currently in beta, you can also download the final version of 1. Click Download Winkey Finder. You should see this button at the bottom of the Winkey version page. Right-click the Winkey folder. It should be wherever you chose to save it when you clicked Download e. Click Extract All. Doing so will extract the locked file's contents onto your desktop.

Double-click the Winkey Finder folder. This is the one you just extracted. Double-click the Win Keyfinder program. It should be the only executable ". View your product key. Running the Winkey Finder program should immediately display your Windows XP product key, allowing you to apply the key to the Windows XP activation wizard the next time Windows asks you to update.

To be safe, be sure to write down the product key when you see it. Method 3. Restart your computer. You can choose this option from the Start menu, or you can simply hold down your computer's power button until it turns itself off and then press the button again. Tap F8 as soon as your computer logo appears.

You'll need to do this during the first time the logo appears after rebooting. Keep tapping F8 until you see the advanced options menu pop up. Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Starting up your computer in this mode will bypass the Windows activation loop long enough for you to reset the timer for your XP trial. You'll need to wait a minute or so for Safe Mode to load. Type " explorer. You should see a dialogue window pop up after doing so. You may need to wait for a minute or so before the window comes up.

Click Yes. This may also say OK. After doing so, you should notice that your desktop interface is now accessible. This will bring up the Run tool from which you can complete the fix. Type " rundll This command resets the Windows XP trial clock to 30 days. When your welcome screen finishes loading, you should be able to log in like usual rather than being stuck in the activation loop. You have a certain period of time to activate Windows.