UNKNOWN ACTIVATION ERROR

[raphjoe@att.net]

Hi,

You may rememember me from my previous posts about activation, viruses, and safe mode issues-that was my mom's laptop and I've given up on it, but now there are problems with my laptop

I turned my laptop on and it gave me this error:

Windows Product Activation: A problem is preventing Windows from accurately checking the license for this computer. Error Code: 0x8007007b.

and then logged me out.

HUH? How random is that? I didn't reinstall anything or mess around, i just turned off my laptop because it froze.

So, I went to school, used a computer there and I found my error, but not with the error code I had.

I did find them separately though.

For the first part of the error,(Windows Product Activation: A problem is preventing Windows from accurately checking the license for this computer.) I found a bunch of things about Windows Product Activation and what to do, I booted into Safe mode and NONE OF THEM worked.

For the error code:(Error Code: 0x8007007b.) I found things that had nothing to do with my problem,

WELL, for the first part of the error(Error Code: 0x8007007b.) I came across a website that said it might be a CD Drive problem, so like the id*** I am, I did what they said to do in the registry, rebooted but now when I try to login in, it does, but automatically logs me out...

So I'm screwed and cannot login whatsoever,

Normal and Safe Mode with Networking give me the error:Windows Product Activation: A problem is preventing Windows from accurately checking the license for this computer. Error Code: 0x8007007b. and log me out

and Safe Mode and Safe Mode Command Prompt log me out immediately,

SO...what do I do?

Praise God that i had a feeling I wouldn't be able to log in and i wrote down the Product Key and important system info(which is at home, as I have classes all day)

SO..hopefully I won't need that info to help anyone who wants to help me and hopefully it won't involve the Windows XP cd, as my dad took it, and yes I have turned the house upside down looking for it(he blames me for my mom's laptop (rightfully so) and for mine(not my fault at all) and REFUSES to give it back and told me to buy my own and as a first-yearcollege student I don't have $150+ AT ALL to spare) SO any suggestions on how to get back in...

THANKS A BUNCH!

My error in its entirety could NOT be found on Microsoft.com or anywhere else, so I'm REALLY confused as to how it happened)

Edited April 3, 2008 by raphjoe@att.net

[cluberti]

That error is a standard error meaning either "ERROR_INVALID_NAME" or "STIERR_INVALID_DEVICE_NAME", and in your case I'd say it's probably coming from stierr.h and is the latter error (Windows can't validate the hardware matches the activation, so it might think you've moved to another machine for some reason). Best bet is to either remove any newly installed hardware (if any) and retry, or contact Microsoft's activation hotline at 888-571-2048 and see if they can get it working for you...

[raphjoe@att.net]

hanks cluberti,

but they couldn't do anything about it,

I wanted to try using the recovery console, but I kept getting these errors and Setup exited out and restarted:

1) i got this error first,

acpi.sys is corrupted

but now get this:

2)file acpi.sys caused an unexpected error (47872) a line 5964 in d:\xpsprtm\bas\boot\etup.c.

anybody know what to do?

from searching online it says it's a ACPI problem in the BIOS and to turn it off, but I can't find it in my BIOS, by the way, it's a IBM Thinkpad R31 Laptop.

[cluberti]

I'm not sure where it is in an R31, but I have a T series that doesn't have any options for that so you may not have any. Are there perhaps any BIOS updates available for your model since the one you're running? You may be stuck with a reinstall, though...

[raphjoe@att.net]

WOw...you must have read my mind, there is a MUCH newer version of my BIOS, but as I can't log in at all, I have no clue how I'd install it. I made an ISO out of the file and tried to run the computer from it but it didn't work, I even pressed f12 a startup and ran the Cd Drive, any ideas on how to install it?

Well, I guess it doesn't matter right now because this silly laptop no longer detects the Cd or doesn't want to, after the Press any key to boot message, it hangs then goes to the black screen of death: we're sorry..blah blah blah...youur computer didn't start correctly, and when I choose one of the four options: normal, safe mode, safe mode comman prompt, safe mode networking, they all hang and never respond....

[raphjoe@att.net]

by the way I meant THANKS, not hanks...

[cluberti]

NP.

I'd say the best thing to do (especially if you're under warranty) is to give ol' IBM/Lenovo/whomever a call to the support line. The CD BIOS update on my T series doesn't work, I've always had to use floppies, so you may have to get a floppy disk ready to go .

[raphjoe@att.net]

I tried getting the CD to work some more and now after the Press any key to boot message, THIS nonsense appears:

TRAP 0000000D==============GENERAL PROTECTION FAULT==========================

tr=0028 cr0=00000011 cr2=00000000 cr=00000000

gdt limit=03ff be=00017000 idt limit=07FF base=00017400

cs=eip=0008:0031A5D3 ss: esp: 0010:001FCA errcod=0000

flags=0001 0046 NoC 2r Int Dis Down Trap Dis

eax=A2D275D ebx=03013B3 ecx=00117 edx=0000002 dis=0010 es=0010

edi=F00030B esi=00051D66 ebp=0006FF0 cr 0=00000011 fs=0030 gs=000

HUH???? any suggestions?

Edited April 8, 2008 by raphjoe@att.net

[cluberti]

Hate to say, but trying a reinstall would be my suggestion. Your install on that disk is horribly broken, it seems. Assuming you don't have hardware problems, that's my only real, viable suggestion.

[raphjoe@att.net]

hey cluberti, thanks so much for your help and sticking with me, guess I'll have to buy another cd on Ebay...

just one more question:

what can I do about this error until then?

Multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.

Please re-install a copy of the above file.

I'm guessing once I get a new CD, I'll be able to SYS the file?

Edited April 9, 2008 by raphjoe@att.net

[cluberti]

hey cluberti, thanks so much for your help and sticking with me, guess I'll have to buy another cd on Ebay...

just one more question:

what can I do about this error until then?

Multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.

Please re-install a copy of the above file.

I'm guessing once I get a new CD, I'll be able to SYS the file?

You can try a repair install, which will go over and reinstall system files (like this one) and hopefully resolve that.