[bud3]

Hi, I hope someone can help, a friend has recently bought a 2nd hand laptop from a computer fair, it has win xp home installed on it and a genuine windows key stuck on the bottom. However now when he switches it on it says " you have 7 days to activate do you want to do it now" he clicks on "yes" it then comes up and says "Windows is already activated". What can he do because he is scared that the computer will stop working after the 7 days even though it says it is activated. Many thanks in advance.

[bob]

This implies that you already have a genuine and activated copy of Windows XP to begin with. Restart and boot into SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal, press F8 during boot in order to access the SafeMode options. Navigate to System32 where you will be able to find the "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" files. Since you already have the old files on your portable media simply rename these as "wpadbl.new" and "wpabak.new" and copy the old "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" files in System32. If this fails, you can call the telephone number displayed on the activation screen to reactivate the software.
Microsoft will issue a activation number from the genuine windows key sticker on the bottom.

"Product activation makes sure that each Windows XP license is installed in accordance with the EULA and is not installed on more than the number of computers that the license permits. Windows creates a unique installation identification (ID) that is based on information from the product ID and a hardware identifier that are created when you install Window XP. To activate, use the Windows Product Activation ****** to provide the installation ID to Microsoft over the Internet or your phone line. The installation ID records an association of the product ID to your computer and a confirmation ID is sent back to your computer to activate Windows XP. Activation is anonymous, and no personal information is required to activate," Microsoft revealed in relation to XP's activation process.

[bud3]

Thanks Bob will let you know how I go on when I see him later today.

[bud3]

Hi, I have now tried your method, I found wpa.dbl and changed it to what you said but could not find wpa.bak. I can not telephone because when I go to activate it says he already is. He still keeps getting the message, he must activate within 7 days.

[bob]

How about "wpa.bak" if not there, Use your phone have a pen to hand and call this number 0800 018
8354. If you are in the UK.

[bob]

Microsoft resolve the problem.Symptoms of the problem
Every time that you start the computer, you receive a message that prompts you to activate Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003. You experience this issue even if you have already successfully activated Windows.


Cause of the problem
This problem occurs because a script that interferes with Windows activation is running on the computer.

Manually remove the script that interferes with Windows activation
Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/) Description of the Microsoft Windows registry
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
Before you start
To complete these steps, you must have the following: • The Windows XP CD. Or, access to a folder that contains the files from the i386 folder on the Windows XP CD.
• An account that has administrator rights and permissions.

Step 1: Start the computer in safe mode
1. Start the computer.
2. After the computer runs the Power On Self Test (POST), press F8 repeatedly to open the Windows Advanced Options menu.
3. On the Windows Advanced Options menu, use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
4. Use the arrow keys to select the Windows operating system that you want to start, and then press ENTER.
5. When the computer is running in safe mode, log on by using an account that has administrator rights and permissions. Then, click Yes in the message that states that Windows is running in safe mode.

Step 2: Start Registry Editor
Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
Step 3: Remove the RESETS registry subkey
1. In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
2. Expand SOFTWARE, and then expand Microsoft.
3. Expand Windows NT, and then expand CurrentVersion.
4. Expand Winlogon, and then expand Notify.
5. Under Notify, right-click RESETS, and then click Delete.
6. Click Yes to confirm the removal of the RESETS subkey.

Note Do not exit Registry Editor. You must use Registry Editor in "Step 4: Modify the registry to deactivate Windows."

Step 4: Modify the registry to deactivate Windows
1. In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
2. Expand SOFTWARE, and then expand Microsoft.
3. Expand Windows NT, and then expand CurrentVersion.
4. Under CurrentVersion, click WPAEvents.
5. In the right pane (topic area) of Registry Editor, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
6. Click to put the pointer in the Value data box. Then, modify any character that appears in the Value data box.
7. Click OK.

Note This step deactivates Windows.
8. Exit Registry Editor.

Step 5: Rename the corrupted Windows activation file
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
ren %windir%\system32\WPA.dbl wpa.old
This command renames the WPA.dbl file to WPA.old.

Step 6: Determine the CD or DVD drive letter
1. Insert the Windows CD.
2. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3. Note the CD drive letter or the DVD drive letter that appears under Drives with Removable Storage. You have to use this drive letter in the next step.

Step 7: Replace the corrupted Windows activation file
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
expand drive :\i386\wpa.db_ %windir%\system32\wpa.dbl
In this command, replace drive with the letter of the drive that contains the Windows CD.

For example, if the Windows CD is located in drive D, the command appears as follows:
expand d:\i386\wpa.db_ %windir%\system32\wpa.dbl
This command extracts a copy of the Wpa.dbl file from the Windows CD. Then, it puts this file in the System32 folder of the Windows installation.
3. Examine the output that appears at the command prompt. If the command runs successfully, information that resembles the following appears: Microsoft (R) File Expansion Utility Version 5.1.2600.0 Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1990-1999. All rights reserved. Expanding d:\i386\wpa.db_ to c:\windows\system32\wpa.dbl. d:\i386\wpa.db_: 2222 bytes expanded to 2126 bytes, -5% increase.

4. Type exit, and then press ENTER to exit the command prompt.

Step 8: Remove the files that are associated with the script
1. Click Start, and then click Search.
2. Under What do you want to search for, click All files and folders.
3. In the All or part of the file name box, type the following, and then click Search:
reset5.exe; reset5.dll; reset5.dat; reset5.dt*; srvany.exe
This action performs a search for all the following files: • Reset5.exe
• Reset5.dll
• Reset5.dat
• Reset5.dt*
• Srvany.exe
Note If you use a different search tool such as Windows Desktop Search, use this tool to search for each of these individual files.
4. In the results pane of the Search Results dialog box, right-click each file, and then click Delete.
5. Click Yes to confirm the removal of the file.
6. When you have finished removing these files, exit the Search Results dialog box.
7. Restart the computer and let Windows restart in normal mode.

Step 9: Reactivate Windows
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Activate Windows.
2. If the Windows Product Activation ****** prompts you to activate Windows, follow the instructions in the ****** to activate Windows.
3. Restart the computer, and then repeat step 1 of "Step 9: Reactivate Windows" to start the Windows Product Activation ****** again. You take this step to verify that the ****** does not prompt you to activate Windows again.
4. If the Windows Product Activation ****** displays a "Windows is already activated" message, click OK to exit the ******.



APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional