Windows XP home activated but logs off

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k3v1n_123

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hey guys, ive recently built a computer and it worked just fine. i activated xp home edition sp2 and all was well until a few days ago when there was the message "you must activate this Microsoft product in x amount of days, etc press yes or no". i press yes and of course it says that windows is already activated, and i can log into my account. however, now it says that it must be activated and when i click yes, it just logs me off again. this then continuously loops. now i researched this issue my self but there was little to no solutions. the only solution is the repair install but i want to know if there are other methods before i do that as a last option. thanks
 
The only other suggestion that I've heard for a similar problem, was to upgrade IE. It seems like an odd solution, but I saw it suggested, and work for another member.

Beyond that, the windows repair would be a good next step. There's no risk, as it doesn't mess with any user data or applications.
 

k3v1n_123

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it doesnt seem to do anything. when i start up and log in, the "this product must be activated now... click yes or no" when i click yes it says that windows is already activated and then it logs me out. this then loops whenever i click it again. when i click no it just logs me off anyway.
 

k3v1n_123

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i can get into safe mode, just not with networking. i installed IE 8 onto a usb drive and put it into my computer with the problem (i had IE 6). it installed and downloaded fine, but when i restarted the computer the same message pops up. i think this didnt work because in the thread you mentioned the guy didnt activate his product at all while i did. i think its something in the registry but i dont know what to change.
 

k3v1n_123

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also since you suggest a repair install which is my last option, could you tell me what it deletes and what it does not because i have a lot of important files (i backed up a few). could you also tell me of your experiences with this repair install; good or bad? thanks.
 
A repair install simply reinstalls all of your system files. It doesn't touch any programs you've installed. It doesn't touch any of your personal files. I've used it on a number of occasions to repair client PCs, as well as my personal PCs. If there's anything wrong with the system files, it's a good way to fix it, without having to do a full reinstall.

Here's a guide, with screenshots, on how to do it.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1.htm

Here's a nice description of what it does, how, and why it's helpful.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/244555-45-performing-repair-reinstall-winxp-tips
 

k3v1n_123

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im following the steps to the link you provided but after step 8 finishes copying files (http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1_8.htm) my computer reboots and i have to keep starting over again. this rebooting wasnt in the process so i suspect something is wrong.
 
Here's another option:

1. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode.

2. Go to Start > Run and type: %systemroot%\system32 then press the Enter key.

3. Locate these two files: wpa.dbl and wpa.bak

4. Rename the wpa.dbl file to wpaold.dbl and wpa.bak to wpaold.bak

5. Reboot your computer into Normal Mode. This will force activation on the following boot. Sometimes if those files get corrupted, they can cause this type of problem.
 

k3v1n_123

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i cannot find activation required through that path. i tried the second option but i can only find wpa.dbl. i changed it to wpaold.dbl and it changes the message pop up to "a problem has prevented windows from accurately checking the status of the license for this computer"... it then says activate now yes/no and i click yes but it still says it is already activated and logs me off. so this only changes the popup message with the same results
 

k3v1n_123

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i ran this "rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk" and it worked! however the site i got this from says that it only resets the activation for 30 days again and you can only do this for a total of 120 days. i already activated my xp so this should not give me the 30 day message should it?
 
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