Windows XP installation

I recently had to reformat my hard drive and now my windows product key no
longer works. Is there anyway i can fix this?

Dfawke wrote:
> I recently had to reformat my hard drive and now my windows product
> key no longer works. Is there anyway i can fix this?

Uhm...
The product key and the CD you used to install came together as a package?
(Or the CD, the number stuck on the computer and the computer came
together?)

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

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> Dfawke wrote:
> > I recently had to reformat my hard drive and now my windows product
> > key no longer works. Is there anyway i can fix this?
>
> Uhm...
> The product key and the CD you used to install came together as a package?
> (Or the CD, the number stuck on the computer and the computer came
> together?)
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
> The number stuck on the computer and CD came together.

"Dfawke" <Dfawke@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I recently had to reformat my hard drive and now my windows product key
> no longer works. Is there anyway i can fix this?

Preinstalled OEM versions are often pre-activated with a different key.

"You receive an error message after you enter the product key when you
try to install Windows XP" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310637/en-us

"You receive a "The product key used to install Windows is invalid" error
message" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326904/en-us

"You receive a "The product key used to install Microsoft Windows may not
be valid" error message when you try to install Windows XP Service Pack 2"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/883254/en-us

--
d-d

Dfawke wrote:
> I recently had to reformat my hard drive and now my windows
> product key no longer works. Is there anyway i can fix this?

Shenan Stanley wrote:
> The product key and the CD you used to install came together as a
> package? (Or the CD, the number stuck on the computer and the
> computer came together?)

Dfawke wrote:
> The number stuck on the computer and CD came together.

And what exactly (what you see, the exact error messages you get, etc.) is
going on that makes you say...
"... my windows product key no longer works ..."?

Is it saying it has been used too many times?
(Badly worded message - choose to activate by phone.)

Is it not accepting the product key during the install?
Have someone else read the numbers/letter to you.

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