Windows Forum

Ask something
Question Locked

activation demanded after recovery windows xp

0 helpful
17 replies

by master.jilles.gp

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

after a nasty crash, i recovered my comouter with an old restore point, manually recovered with the repair console on windows disk

once the computer started in safe mode but now he demands activation

but now i cant log in because computer only functions in safe mode and save mode doesnt allow activation.

fynny thingis, if i chance the system time 1 day i can log on 1 time, only safe mode with networking is always denaied bij the activation message.
wath to do ?

17 replies

by Former member

When in safe mode you can change the password in the USER section, this will give you the access you need to login normally.

Please post back if you have any more problems or questions.
If this information is useful, please mark as helpful. Thanks.

by master.jilles.gp

the problem is not the password but that windows asks for activation before you can enter save mode, the computer hags on normal mode.

by Former member

Activate Windows XP from Floppy Diskette Backup

Circumstances arise where you'll need to reinstall Windows XP on your machine when no hardware changes have been made. Rather than go through the reactivation process, create a floppy disk to back up the activation status file. Once XP has been reinstalled the floppy can be used to restore the previous activation status.
Create the Activation Status Floppy Diskette

* Navigate to %systemroot%\system32 folder.
* Copy the wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files to the floppy diskette.

Reinstall Windows XP

* Reinstall XP in the normal manner. After the install is completed and the XP Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) appears where you'd normally activate the product, decline to activate and let the installation complete.

Activate the XP Reinstallation

* Restart the computer and use the F8 key to bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu.
* Select Minimal Safe Mode using Up and Down Arrow Keys and press Enter.
* Navigate to %systemroot%\system32 folder.
* Rename the existing wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files.
* Using the floppy diskette, copy the previously backed up wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files to the %systemroot%\system32 folder.
* Reboot the computer.

Please post back if you have any more problems or questions.
If this information is useful, please mark as helpful. Thanks.

by jdclyde

It is an 800 number.

Explain what happened and they will reactivate for you.

I just did this last week for a system that had a HD die. Put in the new HD, loaded up using the numbers on the case, and the auto activate failed. Called them and they gave me a new activation. Took under 5 minutes.

Good luck.

by 1bn0

AS you do not actually state you cannot log on in normal but the computer only functions in safe mode , I jump to the conclusion that either you never get to the point you can log on in normal mode or after logging on Windows fails to completely boot properly.

Either way , activation is the least of your worries.

Any time I work on a machine that has suffered a "nasty" crash, I don't waste time trying to fix it. Just back up what you can before you lose it altogether and re-install from scratch. You will be much happier with the result.

by older mycroft

Any time spent from here on in, attempting to right whatever wrongs have been done to this system, is just a trip into infinity.

There is no guarantee that your efforts will ever be rewarded from this point forward, unless you bite the bullet and do a clean install. ;)

by jdclyde

test the hard drive to make sure a failing hard drive was not the cause of your crash in the first place.

I also like to boot to a liveCD to see if the hardware is functioning properly.

by dumphrey

by our friend
UBCD http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

I also champion the clean install approach, after backing up and checking hardware. But, its good practice to try and find a root cause of the crash, but just for personal growth/learning.

by thumbsup2

... it's tough to tell you what the original problem was.

Perhaps, if you describe what happened at the time of the crash, what the symptoms were, what the error messages were, what you were running at the time or even IF you had a power fluctuation (are you on a USP?), we might be able to give you a GUESS.

At this point in time, the only thing you can do is to run diagnostics on the hardware and make sure it's all OK. If it doesn't pass diagnostic testing, replace it.

.

by master.jilles.gp

i have backed up everything, but i want to know what did occur.
and why he only can start in save mode.
old restore points can't bij used by restorepoint recovery.
al hardware seems to function.

by thumbsup2

Old restore points are only points in time in the registry when everything worked right.

If a file becomes corrupt/updated/deleted after that point in time, a restore point doesn't necessarily restore a good copy of the file. In fact, it could be quite the opposite. The restore point might pull the old copy of a file out of a hidden storage, but that doesn't mean the file it pulls out is not corrupted by HDD damage.

This is exactly why I don't rely on restore points.

by jdclyde

to see if there are any conflicts?

Just because it operates doesn't mean it isn't having serious issues.

Let us know how this works out for you.

[i]
(don't forget the thumbs when you find a post helpful!) :D

by thumbsup2

Naaaaa.... none of us would EVER pooch our registry! ;)

by master.jilles.gp

i was running the normal windows updates for the last month after vacation. after rebooting after update windows hangs before you can log in, save mode start then using old restore points, exactly the same problems until now.

i have one colleage which comper with xp prof does strange sinds the newest updates but if that is the problem who knows.

i'll try to examen the competer a few days en let you know.

jilles

strange is that if i want to use save mode with networking he ask for nw activation of windows, in normal save mode not.

This discussion is closed to new replies.