I rebooted my PC this morning and got a message saying that I had to
re-activate windows within 3 days.
Anybody see this before I never downloaded anything & have had same XP Pro
for 3 + years, & cannot remember the License number now.
Any Ideas
Bruce

Reboot your computer into "Safe Mode".
While in Safe Mode, rename the wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files located in the
\Windows\system32 folder.

This will force activation on the following boot,
but should remove the message that you are already activated message.
Sometimes if these files get corrupted, they can cause this type of problem.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------*----------------

"Me2Ewe" wrote:

| I rebooted my PC this morning and got a message saying that I had to
| re-activate windows within 3 days.
| Anybody see this before I never downloaded anything & have had same XP Pro
| for 3 + years, & cannot remember the License number now.
| Any Ideas
| Bruce

Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
Translation: WPA is flawed and the only people made to suffer are paying
customers while the crackers ROTFLTAO.

Alias

Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
Alias wrote:
Actually - depending on how the "crackers" *fixed* their system.. Carey's
solution may help them as well. *grin*

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

I had the same thing last week. In my case, I added a new Vid Card, DVDRW
and a SCSI card. MS told me that this is their way of preventing piracy.
Evidently, XP (and 2K3) have algorythms that determine activation is
necessary if there is a significant change in the hardware of the system.

I suppose this helps to eliminate GHOSTing or CLONEing a system???

Okay, so like I says to MS, I've paid good money for this silly thing and
you prevent honest people from upgrading or otherwise changing the system
dynamics, to which they replied - "That's simply the way it is. We need to
protect our intelectual and copywright material" - so okay!!! NOT.

So the moral here is to NOT change the systemn too much (the exact changes
are not known, but you will soon find out).

BTW: when re-activating, do not try to do it on the phone (via the silly
girl answering machine). Go to a real person otherwise you will spend an
inordinant amount fo time trying to do this automaticall, then will have to
wind up waiting about 25 minutes to get i t re-activated - Waiting and
Wondering....

Quite Annoying


"Me2Ewe" <blawrence@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:OPiJbvpeGHA.3468@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

"Need to Know" <mits_mvp@yahoo.ca> wrote:

If people were honest then there would no need for activation and
similar processes. And if pigs had wings they could fly. Flying
pigs is the more likely scenario.


Actually the exact changes that will trigger a requirement to
reactivate Windows are quite well known. See, for example, the
article by the late Alex Nichol MVP at http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm


At least 99 and 44/100 percent of the times that I have to do a
reactivation on a client's computer it is done automatically via the
Internet with minimal delay and no problems.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

What do the files get renamed to?
Should I try and re-activate also?
What is WPA?
Thanks for your help so far
B


"Carey Frisch [MVP]" <cnfrisch@nospamgmail.com> wrote in message
news:uaL4M1peGHA.3456@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

WPA= Windows Product Activation see this info
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm

You can rename the files Carey mentioned to anything you want. I'd suggest
wpa1.old
wpa2.old

Yes reactive when prompted to do so.


--


Harry Ohrn MS MVP [Shell\User]


"Me2Ewe" <blawrence@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:%23CLAfGseGHA.3572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

Need to Know wrote:

<snip>

<snip>

Nothing is preventing the user from upgrading or changing system
components. With enough changes the need to reactive is triggered - but
that doesn't prevent you from making changes.

--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User

I renamed the file but I did not have a wpa.bak file nothing changed until I
activated windows again, I still don't know what caused it to do that.
Thanks for your help
Bruce
"Harry Ohrn MS MVP" <harry---@webtree.ca> wrote in message
news:u4NaklseGHA.1324@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

On Sat, 20 May 2006 13:35:37 -0600, "Me2Ewe" <blawrence@shaw.ca>
wrote:


Why is anyone even worried about re-activating XP? As long as it's
the same machine (i.e., the same motherboard) on which XP was
orignally activated, there will be no problems. (This is for OEM
media). OEM licenses allow one to reactivate the OS as MANY TIMES AS
IS NECESSARY, as long as it is the ORIGINAL MACHINE it was first
activated on. Even then, if one waits the full 120 days before
reactivating the software via the net, there should be no questions
asked, even with a NEW motherboard.

I have NEVER had to call the Activation Center to activate an OEM, nor
have I EVER been denied an activation via the Net.


With Full Retail media, you can reactivate your license on ANY
machine, since the license is transferable between machines (but only
one at a time, of course).

Howeve, if you have XP already already activated on a DIFFERENT
MACHINE, be preapared for a load of problems when you go to attempt to
activate the OS on a different machine.

Donald L McDaniel
Please reply to the original newsgroup and thread,
so that the conversation may continue undisturbed.
================================================== =======

orthocross@invalid.invalid wrote:
I just changed/upgraded the motherboards on two of my machines, both
running a generic OEM. Both activated on line no problem.

Alias

This is getting away from original post.
Originally I said that all of a sudden when I rebooted a warning box came up
stating I had 3[Three] Days to activate XP Pro. I have had the same program
for 2+ years and only had to activate once and have never seen this message
before. It doesn't have anything to do with installing xp or worrying about
it I just wanted to know where it came from and if it would shut me down
after 3 days, but I was too chicken to wait the 3 days
Bruce


<orthocross@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:66c172p8a8rchokiorlsqnj5mpqn3pqg4m@4ax.com...

"Me2Ewe" <blawrence@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:OYYgRmUfGHA.3468@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
Had similar problem, twice, a couple of days ago. First time I
activated via the internet, second time via the phone. Microsoft rep
could offer no explanation but advised me to ring same number if it
happened again for further reactivation. So, no wiser.

Regards
Joe Steele