Not Genuine

[skybluesu]

Hi, I need some advice. I had my computer re-built few months ago, by a friend of a friend type scenario, the windows xp professional that is installed appears to be a copy. I haven't logged on to my main pc for a few weeks and now it won't let me.

It starts up to the log in / click your user name to begin page. If I click my user account a box apears saying that I must get Genuine now, I I click the option of 'Get Genuine' another box appears saying the windows must be activated and do I want to activate now? If I press yes it logs me back off to the welcome/log in account page. These are the only options I have so can't navigate anywhere else.

I have contacted microsoft but the person I spoke to wasn't upto much and sounded about as knowledgable as me (not very in computers). All he told me was that I need to get Genuine which I know I do but need a bit of help first.

What I need to know is that if I buy a microsoft package will I be able to install it, bearing in mind the computer will not allow me to do anything past the welcome/ log in page and will I lose all my files on the computer.

I don't really know much about computers and can navigate my way round what I need to do when necessary so any advice would be grateful.

Also, any advice of what exactly I need to buy would also be appreciated as there seems to be so many various windows xp I am not sure what I am needing to buy (home use/ internet / uni work / music is about as much as I do).

Thanks in advance for any help or advice given.

Ever have the feeling you've been conned and conveniently friends of friends are never around?!

Sue

[T D]

Ever have the feeling you've been conned and conveniently friends of friends are never around?!

Yeah, I have when my friend bought me a copy of MCE 2005 for £400 and charged me

I'd recommend WinXp Home Edition. You can get the upgrade edition if your "friend" gave you the disc as backup or something as if you don't have a previous windows installed, you can't use the upgrade cd. It asks you to insert any other corp/retail/vlk edition of any other windows from 95 to Xp Pro so you "qualify" for an upgrade product.

Pro is really for businesses or people who REALLY want to pump the extreme out of their XP. Home is for Home use (so that's why it's called Windows XP Home Edition )

Edited July 7, 2006 by T D

[prx984]

i kinda had the same problem, my friend had a dead laptop, so he gave me the thing to look at, and there was an XP home cd in the drive. i asked if i could have it, he said sure, take it. and later i wanted to install it, but i realized the copy of the XP didnt have the code, so i asked if he could find it, no such luck. oh well, i just wont be able to use the cd. just glad i didnt have to pay for it

[rendrag]

You might be able to get around losing all your files if you just re-install your copy of windows on top of your existing installation.

Either way, you need to get a legit license. My suggestion to you would be to get XP home edition (they should come with Service Pack 2 pre-installed). It should run you roughly $90 (if you're in the US)

If you can't get windows to allow you to get past the login screen then you might just have to wipe the hard drive and kiss your files goodbye, though I'm really suprised Microsoft doesn't allow you to get a genuine copy in order to activate windows... very strange.

[Bezalel]

It starts up to the log in / click your user name to begin page. If I click my user account a box apears saying that I must get Genuine now, I I click the option of 'Get Genuine' another box appears saying the windows must be activated and do I want to activate now? If I press yes it logs me back off to the welcome/log in account page. These are the only options I have so can't navigate anywhere else.

You can login using the builtin administrator account from safe mode.

[taj]

Following on from what Bezalel said:

Try pressing F8 just before the Windows XP loading / splash screen comes up. This will bring up the Windows Advanced Boot Menu or something like that. Select Safe Mode (Minimal, without Network etc.) and see if you can logon or not once it's finished booting up. Hopefully you will be able to get access to your files, which I presume is what you want at this stage. I am not sure if this will work in your situation, but it worked for me when Windows wanted me to activate XP on a new installation but I did not have an internet connection or access to a phone at the time.

- Taj

Edited July 20, 2006 by taj

[Zxian]

Thread cleaned

Like most people have said - purchasing a legit copy of XP Home seems to be your best bet. Prices have come down considerably (should be about 50 pounds for XP Home OEM) and you won't have to worry about such matters ever again.

[Shindo_Hikaru]

i agree with Zxain, get a legit copy, if the computer is updated already, you can get a legit copy from MS online with their link. Their seams to be more going on in the login process. If possable send me a PM of the exact processes (meaning events) when you login. I have encounted this before.

[huskyfur]

Not to take focus away from the origional post here, but I'm having somewhat of the same issue. .. sorta..

I hadn't used my laptop in weeks. (battery issues). I just started it back up, and all the windows automatic updates started installing. After it automatically installed 20 or so security updates, I restarted it so the updates would take affect. Now it tells me that my copy of windows XPpro isn't genuine!

This just happened five minutes ago... Am I going to continue to be able to log in/access my computer? ... or will my system eventually lock me out, just so I'll have to buy a new copy of Win. XPpro?!

[Bezalel]

Not to take focus away from the origional post here, but I'm having somewhat of the same issue. .. sorta..

I hadn't used my laptop in weeks. (battery issues). I just started it back up, and all the windows automatic updates started installing. After it automatically installed 20 or so security updates, I restarted it so the updates would take affect. Now it tells me that my copy of windows XPpro isn't genuine!

This just happened five minutes ago... Am I going to continue to be able to log in/access my computer? ... or will my system eventually lock me out, just so I'll have to buy a new copy of Win. XPpro?!

This should not prevent you from logging on. Currently MS is using this technology to get end users to report resellers selling counterfeit software and MS claims it is to protect the end users. There is no gaurantee that MS won't change their tactics in the future and prevent you from logging in but such an action would probably result in legal action.

[Takeshi]

You might be able to get around losing all your files if you just re-install your copy of windows on top of your existing installation.

The poster has XP Pro. If he gets XP HE I don't think he can just install over it (upgrade installation).

I know you can't logon if the grace period for WPA has passed, but I haven't seen anyone saying that non-legit Windows can't logon. So it looks like the poster's main problem is the WPA.

[Andromeda43]

Hmmmmm!

Part of the problem here is that the validation checking program is issueing false positives all over the place.

You may well have a perfectly legal version of windows but the WGA software is in error and telling you that what you have is NOT legal. This is happening all over the world.

A temporary work around is to remove the tattletale software,,,,,the WGA files.

There is a batch file that will remove that troublesome BS software........Here!

Look down the list of available software to "Kill Bogus Key Notification.bat"

Just download it and run it to remove the validation check software.

Then be sure to disable Auto Updates so you don't download the same crappy software again.

Do manual updates from now on and tell it to NOT download the WGA package. (ever again)

I know this will help. Use it with my blessings.

Andromeda43

Edited July 22, 2006 by Andromeda43

[Mr.Popular]

thx andromeda ^^