Limit on XP activations is total bullshit

[fireflayer]

Well, I finally got my new motherboard yesterday. I also finally put in my second Maxtor drive so I setup
RAID-0. I proceeded to install WinXP. The problem was it wouldn't let me activate. I had to call Windows at 2 in the morning (they have people that answer the phones then, what the hell?).

I then was asked how many computers I had XP installed on (one), why I needed to reinstall windows (for some reason when I get a new motherboard and a new hard drive set up I tend to want to reinstall windows), and things of that nature.

Why is this stupid limit placed? Maybe I'm a bit excessive, but everyone once and awhile I like to clean stuff up by formatting my OS partition and reinstalling.

I guess it's time to ghost my OS partition and just go bak once I want a clean install.

 

[eden]

Well I just learned from you what I should do when I will install the new Maxtor D740X 60GB drive I will get!

Yeah it is really annoying, but hey, if they're there 24 hours a day, so be it...Blame the hackers man, blame 'em, especially with the new SP1. My friend tried to install it on his hacked XP Pro, couldn't and didn't find any cracker that has a utility to bypass it.

--
Intel and AMD sitting under a tree, P-R-O-C-E-S-S-I-N-G!

 

[Toejam31]

Sometimes this tweak will work:

<A HREF="http://is-it-true.org/nt/xp/atips/atips13.shtml" target="_new">Restore XP Activation</A>

But otherwise, yes ... having an image to reinstall may be the best solution.

Toejam31

<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
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__________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>

 

[fireflayer]

If I complain would they possibly give me a new key? Cause I'm having a bit of problems getting my onboard audio to work and before I was having the same problem /w my old stuff and I redid XP and it went away...

 

[fireflayer]

I'll have to try that activation trick. It seems Norton Ghost doesn't work with NTFS. Anyone know something that will work /w XP/NTFS?

 

[OldBear]

I use Norton Ghost on my NTFS and it works fine. Which version do you have?


<b><font color=blue>The shortest distance between two points is under construction. :lol:

 

[jihiggs]

at least version 6 works with ntfs. far as i know, ghost will do just about every partition. version 6 had a little problem with drives larger than 8 gigs but 7 doesnt.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[fireflayer]

It says it's Norton Ghost "2002" maybe it was just mislabeled or something. I'll have to umm... go buy a copy of 7 then.

Thanks

 

[markprz]

Ghost 2002 does "support" NTFS to the point that it can image partitions formatted with it, but it can't do it in the same way that it can with FAT32. All it can do is do a sector-by-sector copy, so you have to image the entire partition, even unused disk space.

 

[btvillarin]

Nice link, Toey...thanks!

Man, I gotta force myself to go to bed. Stinkin' jet lag. I shouldn't have slept so much on the flight home. :lol:

Bryan

<font color=red><Begin Signature></font color=red>
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My personal website, chock full of tips and other computer stuff. No ads, banners, or catches. It's currently based on Windows XP, but Windows 2000 stuff to come.

<font color=green><A HREF="http://www.btvillarin.com/staff/bryan_villarin.html" target="_new">My System Rig</A> - can anyone give it a name? I haven't yet, and I don't have any ideas</font color=green>

<i>I'm back from Hawaii, so sorry if I'm a bit slow...</i> :lol:

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[BORED_DUDE]

I read this from some other forum (i forgot which one). I've never tried this personally but maybe it works:

If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to reactivate too. Well not anymore. Just copy wpa.dbl after you activated the first time. It is located in the WINDOWS\system32 folder. Now if you reinstall Windows XP just copy the file back and you're up and running again.

As long as the hardware is the same as the information in wpa.dbl you won't even get a message to activate.



:redface: <font color=red> I STUCK MY HARD DRIVE INTERFACE, THEN UPLOADED</font color=red> :redface:

 

[btvillarin]

Toejam31's post above basically said this, but in more depth. Repost...

<A HREF="http://is-it-true.org/nt/xp/atips/atips13.shtml" target="_new">Restore XP Activation</A>

Bryan

<font color=red><Signature></font color=red>
<b><A HREF="http://www.btvillarin.com" target="_new">btvillarin.com</A></b>
My personal website, chock full of tips and other computer stuff. No ads, banners, or catches. It's currently based on Windows XP, but Windows 2000 stuff to come.
<b><A HREF="http://www.btvillarin.com/staff/bryan_villarin.html" target="_new">My System Rig</A></b>
<font color=red></Signature></font color=red>

 

[CAMS]

markprz
fireflayer
jihiggs

Unless I am doing something wrong (partition/Image/partition), Ghost2002 can read an NTFS partition, but it cant write the image to a NTFS partition.

So you have to write the image to CDR or a Fat32 partition.
In writing the image it doesn't copy the unused space.
You can restore the Image from CDR or FAT32 partition to a NTFS partition.

 

[AMD_Man]

Will this trick work after upgrading the motherboard, CPU and hard drive?

<b><i>"A penny saved is a penny earned!"</i></b>

 

[delpart]

If all you do is reformat/reinstall XP, you will be able to reactivate. It is only when the hardware changes that you MAY NOT be able to. I removed a tape drive and reinstalled XP and was allowed to reactivate.

en Xristos

 

[Toejam31]

No, AMD. The hardware would need to be the same or very similar to pull this off.

Toejam31


<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
__________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>

 

[fireflayer]

delpart-

The (almost) exact error message was:

You have reached your limit of activations, please call Microsoft at the number below with this number to activate your copy.