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Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Note: The three methods presented here may need to be used together depending on the situation: Changing the Windows XP Product Key Manually - includes instructions for how to use a stock product key to activate Windows XP.
Using the Windows Key Finder - provides the detailed steps to get the product key from your device using Windows Key Finder. Fixing the Windows Activation Loop - is only required if you have already reached the time limit for activation and need to reset the loop. Method 1. This will open the "Run" program from which you can access your PC's registry.
Doing so will launch the Registry Editor tool. Review the options tree on the left side of your screen. You'll need to navigate through several of the folders listed here in order to reach your destination. Since the registry holds most of your computer's sensitive system information, consider clicking File and then Export in the top left corner of your screen to back up your registry before proceeding. Click the "WPA Events" folder. Don't expand this one. You should see its contents listed in a window on the right side of the Registry Editor page.
Click Modify. These should be several pairs and sequences of random numbers. Tap Delete. This should remove the values listed here. Type in new numbers. It doesn't matter what you put here, but you'll need to keep the format consistent for example, if you deleted four characters, you'll need to replace that section with four characters. Click OK once you're done.
This will save your changes. Open the Run tool again. Exclude the quotation marks. Entering this command opens the Windows XP activation wizard.
For best results, simply copy and paste this text into the Run field. Click OK. Select the telephone option. This option should say "Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows" and there should be a clickable check box to the left of it. If you see a note that says "Windows XP is already activated", changing your key manually isn't working. Please proceed to the Windows Key Finder method.
Click Next. Click Change Product Key. This is at the bottom of the "Activate" window. Enter a Windows XP product key. Note that you may have to attempt this step a few times with different keys.
If you don't know the version of Windows XP your computer is currently running, consult your computer's manual to verify before you proceed with trying the linked product keys.
Click Update. After this process completes, you'll need to confirm your activation of Windows XP. Click Back. Check the "Activate Windows over the Internet" option.
This will allow you to activate your version of XP quickly. Note that calling Microsoft using the "telephone a customer representative" option likely won't work since Microsoft discontinued support for Windows XP on April 8th, Follow the on-screen instructions. Regardless of the method you choose, make sure to backup important data before changing a product ID, since an unexpected problem could render the machine unbootable and necessitate a complete reinstallation of Windows.
The following instructions involve editing your system registry. Using the Windows Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that require the reinstallation of your operating system and possible loss of data.
TechRepublic does not support problems that arise from editing your registry. Use the Registry Editor and the following directions at your own risk. Change at least one character of this value to either a number from 0 to 9 or to a letter from A to F, then click OK and close the Registry Editor. This renders the current product key invalid and deactivates Windows.
Now, it's time to reactivate Windows using your new product key. Click Start Run and enter the command:. In many cases, this command will look like:. When Windows reboots, your next step will depend on which Windows XP version you are using. If you have XP Home or Professional, you'll be prompted to reactivate your copy of Windows through the normal activation process. When the wizard loads this time, you should see a message indicating that your copy of Windows has already been activated.
Navigate to the following registry key:. STEP 4. Change one or more digits to anything random; STEP 6. Note: This will not work when the installation source and the product key are representative of varying licenses.
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