Er...Windows XP activation problem

[KennyR]

My family turned on their PC this morning to find that Windows would not boot, and instead was demanding the activation code, the one you have to connect to Microsoft over the internet to validate.

Well, I don't know what caused it, but since I have a legal copy of XP with the code, I just put the code in again when asked. No good. I got the message "According to our database, you have exceeded the number of times you can use this code to activate Windows."

For all intents and purposes this computer is dead now. I can't even get into safe mode. Our code has never been given to anyone else, and the computer runs with a virus checker and behind a hardware firewall so the chances of a third party stealing the code are slim.

Anyone else had this serious problem and know how to fix it? Or even what caused it?

[KennyR]

watcher wrote:
hmmmmm, it seems someone has been using your code on another machine!

Uhh...with the amount of spyware on XP, that wouldn't surprise me one bit. I don't see how it could have happened though - I clean this machine regularly, and it's not in control of the firewall (my router does that). And I've never used the code for any other computer or given it away.

Well...seems like I'll have to do what you say and phone MS. Grrr! :pissed:

[KennyR]

Ok, 'tis fixed.

Phoned up, gave the installation ID, and got the numbers back. Quick, easy, and automated. Not bad for MS. :-P

Thanks to all for your help.

(As a sidenote, I probably wouldn't have had this problem if I had a pirate copy. But then again, I'd just have moved the problem to some other poor bugger... ;-))