XP Activation

In article <037f01c36808$990bcba0$a101280a@phx.gbl>, eason62@hotmail.com
quoth

> I installed XP on a desktop from a CD that came with my
> Laptop.I intended to remove it when the activation time
> expired.Unfortunatly I had to replace a faulty power
> supply and by the time i did this activation has now
> kicked in!How do i get back to Win98!!!
>

Boot from a Win 98 Startup floppy, re-format the HDD and re-install!

Can someone please help me i have a system running xp
home and i would like to reboot system back to factory
settings. do i have to reactivate it after. please help.
many thanks

Have you ever wanted to reinstall Windows XP on a particular compute
but chose not to because you weren't sure what you'd encounter when it cam
to Windows Product Activation (WPA)

Well, there's no need to be concerned because information about th
current activation is stored in an encrypted database file named Wpa.dbl
which you can back up and then restore once you've reinstalled XP. Keep i
mind that this technique allows you only to reinstall XP on the sam
computer--it isn't a hack to pirate the OS

Here's how to back up the Wpa.dbl file

1. Insert a blank, formatted disk into the floppy disk drive

2. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder

3. Right-click the Wpa.dbl file and select Send To | 3-1/2 Floppy

You can then reformat the hard disk and reinstall XP. Once th
installation procedure is complete, follow these steps to restore the Wpa.db
file

1. Restart the computer

2. Press [F8] when you see the message Please Select The Operatin
System To Start

3. From the Windows Advanced Options Menu, select Safe Mode

4. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder

5. Rename the new Wpa.dbl to Wpa.new

6. Insert the disk that contains the backup into the floppy disk drive

7. Copy the Wpa.dbl file from the floppy disk to the C:\Windows\System3
folder

8. Restart the computer

Since you're using the exact copy of XP that was previously installed
the original Wpa.dbl file will be accepted, and you won't have to g
through all the hassle of reactivation.

"Contrary to what many journalists and members of the
user community have written in recent months, restoring
these files (WPA) will not restore your activation status following
a reformat and clean install."

Ref: http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm (Hint #3)

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Unknown P" <mikisiw@msn.com> wrote in message:
news:44D984E0-AFE3-4087-96DA-480B3C78651D@microsoft.com...

| Have you ever wanted to reinstall Windows XP on a particular computer
| but chose not to because you weren't sure what you'd encounter when it came
| to Windows Product Activation (WPA)?
|
| Well, there's no need to be concerned because information about the
| current activation is stored in an encrypted database file named Wpa.dbl,
| which you can back up and then restore once you've reinstalled XP. Keep in
| mind that this technique allows you only to reinstall XP on the same
| computer--it isn't a hack to pirate the OS.
|
| Here's how to back up the Wpa.dbl file:
|
| 1. Insert a blank, formatted disk into the floppy disk drive.
|
| 2. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
|
| 3. Right-click the Wpa.dbl file and select Send To | 3-1/2 Floppy.
|
| You can then reformat the hard disk and reinstall XP. Once the
| installation procedure is complete, follow these steps to restore the Wpa.dbl
| file:
|
| 1. Restart the computer.
|
| 2. Press [F8] when you see the message Please Select The Operating
| System To Start.
|
| 3. From the Windows Advanced Options Menu, select Safe Mode.
|
| 4. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
|
| 5. Rename the new Wpa.dbl to Wpa.new.
|
| 6. Insert the disk that contains the backup into the floppy disk drive.
|
| 7. Copy the Wpa.dbl file from the floppy disk to the C:\Windows\System32
| folder.
|
| 8. Restart the computer.
|
| Since you're using the exact copy of XP that was previously installed,
| the original Wpa.dbl file will be accepted, and you won't have to go
| through all the hassle of reactivation.

"kevin" <kevin.ralph@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:31ba01c3d9f1$abfdf980$3101280a@phx.gbl...

> Can someone please help me i have a system running xp
> home and i would like to reboot system back to factory
> settings. do i have to reactivate it after. please help.
> many thanks

You don't "re-boot" back to factory settings, you "return" or "re-install"
to factory settings.
And yes you would have to re-activate unless your XP was pre-activated by
your vendor.

If your XP CD is an upgrade CD and you have your Windows 98 CD, you don't
need to go back to 98. You can use XP Setup to wipe the partition and
install XP clean, without any previous OS on your hard drive. During setup,
you will be asked for the disk from your previous setup and if Windows 98 is
not on an OEM recovery disk but is an actual Windows 98 CD, you need only
insert it in the drive when requested and then continue with XP setup.

As to activation, when you wipe the drive, you will be asked to activate
again but there is no limit to how many times you can activate on the same
computer, hence this will be no different then the first time you installed
XP, essentially a handshake between two computers over the Internet.

The other information about the wpa file posted in this thread usually won't
work and it really isn't necessary.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"kevin" <kevin.ralph@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:31ba01c3d9f1$abfdf980$3101280a@phx.gbl...

> Can someone please help me i have a system running xp
> home and i would like to reboot system back to factory
> settings. do i have to reactivate it after. please help.
> many thanks

"=?Utf-8?B?VGhlIFVua25vd24gUA==?=" <mikisiw@msn.com> wrote in
news:44D984E0-AFE3-4087-96DA-480B3C78651D@microsoft.com:

>
> Since you're using the exact copy of XP that was previously installed,
> the original Wpa.dbl file will be accepted, and you won't have to go
> through all the hassle of reactivation.

What hassle? Just a single click of the mouse and 10 seconds later
you're activated. Seems to me that copying the WPA file back would be
more of a hassle.

--

David

Programmers write "Help Files" for a reason. use them.

"Due to Viewer dicretion...
Graphic violence is advised"

http://www.HeroicStories.com/
http://www.thisistrue.com/

After installing XP Home edition for the first time I have 30 days to
activate. Can I make as many hardware changes as I want prior to activation
without the "votes" changing?
Thanks,
Rick Hanson