Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 yeah, recently due to crash problems and a few days ago a popup asking me to activate showing 7 days left. which i dont understand, since the tech guy who reformatted the drive and reinstalled windows for me activated it then. i started getting this popup countinmg down from 7 days. and everytime i hit it it said i was already activated. each time. when it got to 3 days left and still experiencing crash probs. i decided to reformat and reinstall again myself. so i did. and as i was installing stuff and reboooting and all i got the 30 days to activate, like i should be. now then after i got everything updated and jus finished the last 4 critical/high priority updates from windows, i rebooted and i got a popup saying windows was activated. but i still get the countdown popup for activation. i jus got back on now and its poping up with 29 days left. i hit it again and it still says its activated. i never went through the activation thing after the reinstall. so why is it asking me to activate, with the couintdown popup but say im activated when i hit it? also when i did the reformat reinstall it never asked me for the windows key. and i noticed that the key is totally different and so is the pid number. they used to be one thing and now theyre different. whats up with that? anybody know? ms wont help me since they os disk came from my old dell system and its a oem os. which i have done several reinstalls on my new pc using this disk. the old dell mb fried and it was cheaper to have another system built using the components from the dell. and the first time we installed the os again, after the system swap out, reformatting the drive and reinstalling it asked for the windows key. since then subsequent reinstalls has not asked for the key. and the numbers have changed for some reson i dont know. anyone know whats goin on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 The problem is that you're using a disc dedicated to a Dell system on a non-Dell machine.Large computer builders/manufacturers like Dell have enough influence over Mr Gates to get him to produce specially modified versions of his operating system specific for their machines.You are fortunate, I think, to have got that version to work at all on a "foreign" machine as Dell, above many others, use non-standard parts and circuitry making them difficult to modify or repair other than with (expensive) Dell components.I think the only way around your problem is to buy a "real" copy of Windows.Edit: If you do buy a genuine (independent) copy of Windows, you would be best removing all trace of the Dell version before attempting to install again. As well as Windows, these company modified versions contain other "detecting" data which may affect your installing on top/alongside or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 i was afraid that might be the case. guess i should of let it run down the first time to see if it did lock up or quit. since it does tell me its activated on one hand but pops up saying i need to activate on the other. im not sure just how much a full version costs. i thought it was 200 bucks. i know i can get the so called upgrade version right in town at wal-mart for, i think it was 100. would the upgrade version at wally world work on a reformat and reinstall? i think it will ask for the os disk i have now to verify i have a copy already right? will this work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expertec Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 An upgrade version will work for a format and clean install, as long as you have a previous (9x, 2000) windows disc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 With an upgrade, note that it isn't necessary to install the earlier version, just show it to your machine (insert the disc into the drive) while the XP is installing. It will tell you when to do it and when it is happy you can take the disc out and continue with the installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 so then this xp home os disk i have now which im using will work as the previous ver. you are talkin about, when it asks for the previous ver. as you said? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 forgot: the os i want to buy then would be another xp home os. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 No, I think you need a previous edition of Windows such as suggested by expertec, not the specialist Dell version.I suggest that you throw the Dell XP disc as hard as you can from a high building as it appears to have caused you far too many problems :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 problem is i dont have another os disk but this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 18, 2004 Report Share Posted November 18, 2004 You should be able to get a second hand copy of W98 very cheaply from ebay or perhaps from a friend who doesn't need it any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2004 hers what i have going now. i have a friend who has a xp home os. im gonna try to do a repair on mine using his disk. hopefully it wont ask for key. if so then i will have to go ahead and buy upgrade xp home from wally world. then i have another friend my wife said has w95os. if she has her os disk i could borrow it to do the verify part upon install of upgrade. thats what im gonna try if repair dont work. ill be off for a bit while doing this so when done i will let you guys know whats goin on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 well i found my 95 cd and used his xp home os to install. but of course i cant activate since its his xp home already registered to him. but heres a question, if i activate but dont register, will that woerk? at any rate now im having probleems finding xp home upgrade with sp1. all i found at wally worls was ones with sp2 in them. and they say for users wanting to upgrade from 98 and up. i dont want sp2 at all. so maybe theres still one on the shelves in tulsa i can go look next week. right now im using his installed xp but not activated. that way i still can use the computer for a while till i find a sp1 xp home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djohn Posted November 20, 2004 Report Share Posted November 20, 2004 Hi Cpt James T. Kirk. Hope your having a bit more luck in finding an XP disk? -pops- is right when he says your better off buying a new retail or even OEM version with it's own product key. I would also advise this route but go for an OEM full version rather than a retail upgrade disk. Should be able to buy OEM full version for the same price or lower than retail upgrade disk.Your other question regarding using your friends XP and activation/registration is a difficult one for the forum to answer. As you know XP is for one PC only but can be installed on several PC's and used for the 30 days until activation is required, nothing illegal in doing this and people did borrow a friends XP CD [When XP was first released] to trial out before removing and buying their own copy with a product key.Microsoft themselves would even let you download the full version to install and try for the 30 day period after which you either paid for or removed.Activation and registration are two separate items. Activation is required but registration is not compulsory and can be ignored when asked for on installing. Hope this helps you decide which option to take. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2004 got her all fixed up. went to newegg and im gettin xp home w/sp2 FULL OEM ver for less than 97 bucks. thats cheaper than the darn upgrade ver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt James T. Kirk Posted November 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I suggest that you throw the Dell XP disc as hard as you can from a high building as it appears to have caused you far too many problems after all is said and done with the install of my xp home w/sp2 from newegg next week, i might just do that. or maybe take shots at it with my friends 9 mm ruger. or find a microwave and slap it in there and turn it on, boy, then watch the fireworks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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