I ran a repair on XP and after the repair I got a message saying that I needed to activate windows before I can log in.Choosing 'No' would send be back to the login screen and choosing 'Yes' would begin to load Windows, but only as far as showing me the desktop with no icons.

I was able to fix this problem by starting the PC in safe mode with command prompt. I then typed 'explorer' into the command prompt to load Windows. Next I clicked on 'Start' - 'Run' and in the 'Run' box I typed
'Rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk'. This extended my activation to 30 days. Even though this extended my activation period, I was still unable to get the activation program to start up.

I fixed that by going into 'regedit' and searching for the 'wpaevents' folder. I then changed the permissions to include 'User' for 'Full control'. I also went to my c: drive and changed the permissions to include 'User', 'Administrator', and 'System' for 'Full control'. I rebooted the machine and then was able to run Windows activation.

After reboot, you will get activated Windows for the next 30 days. Activate XP with Windows xp activator tool. If, however, the first 2 methods do not suit you, then you can use the WPAkill special program. When using this activator, the system completely turns off the authentication check and removes all warnings.

I got all my info from:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/55233-45-msoobe
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-security/this-copy-of-windows-must-be-activated-before-you/387f3367-5fc4-4aa1-937d-6788a626029d

6 Steps total

Step 1: Start the PC into Safe mode with command prompt

Power on the PC and press F8 right before Windows begins to load. Select 'Safe mode with command prompt'

Step 2: Run Explorer from the Command prompt to start Windows

Once the Command prompt loads, type in 'explorer' to start Windows within Safe mode.

Step 3: Run 'Rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk' from the 'Run' box.

Now click on 'Start' and in the 'Run' box type
'Rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk'. Press Enter. This will re-set activation to 30 days

Step 4: Modify the wpaevents folder in the Registry.

Once more, click on 'Start' then go to the 'Run' box and type in 'Regedit'. Make sure that in Regedit you are highlighting 'My Computer' at the very top. Now go up to 'Edit' then 'Find' and type in 'wpaevents' then press Enter. Right click on the 'wpaevents' folder and go down to 'Permissions'. Highlight 'User' and place a check mark in the box labeled 'full control'. Click 'Apply' and exit regedit.

Step 5: Modify the C: drives permissions.

Now double click 'My Computer'. Right click the C: drive and go down to 'Properties'. Now click on the 'Security' tab and modify 'User', 'Administrator', and 'System' so that they all have 'Full control'. Click 'Apply' and reboot the PC.

Step 6: Run Windows activation

Now Windows activation will run and the PC will become usable again.

This How-to is intended to assist in recovering a PC from a faulty repair install. It is not a tutorial on bypassing / extending the Windows activation grace period. I don't condone piracy, but I also don't believe in locking a user from their data with faulty control mechanisms.

References

• Toms hardware topic on Windows Activation

30 Comments

• Habanero
  b0b Jun 4, 2012 at 02:04am

  Had to do the exact same only last week. Nice to have it documented here.

• Mace
  hsc5775 Jun 12, 2012 at 06:32am

  nice howto
  thx for share

• Sonora
  Lawrence3545 Oct 18, 2012 at 01:15am

  Thanks =), Good How to, Looking forward to more of your How To's, its helpful for the spicework community. Thanks again *beers*

• Pimiento
  will.beale Oct 29, 2012 at 07:43am

  This is an awesome solution. Thanks very much for sharing. I'm new at Spiceworx. So Far Awesome

• Pimiento
  Flint Madziya Dec 26, 2012 at 06:18pm

  Awesome!

• Jalapeno
  BB8771 Mar 25, 2013 at 12:06am

  Aaarrgh. I was so hopeful, because this post added the permissions steps, but when I do as described, the login after saying 'yes' to activation just shows the wallpaper forever

  Blur game online. [Update] I left the PC on the wallpaper, no Explorer, no icons all night long and discovered the PC must've logged-off or rebooted during the night. When I logged-on this next time, the expected Windows Activation screen greeted me and I was able to successfully activate!

• Pimiento
  pvdchris Apr 28, 2013 at 06:59pm

  I used this method, and still get the wallpaper screen forever. I am working to recover an old computer which has had it's ethernet controller fail, as well as the internal wi-fi. I have attached a USB wi-fi adapter, and run the installation software in safemode. When I reboot, I still get the 'This copy of Windows must be activated with Microsoft before you can log on. Do you want to activate Windows now?' Right back to the wallpaper.

  This is the result of a Windows Repair, XP Home Edition SP3 Build 2600.xpsp.080413-2111

  I have verified with Microsoft that the software is a legal copy, but they want $180 to talk me through validation.

  Thanks for any further suggestions

• Pimiento
  jjaytech Jun 12, 2013 at 03:26am

  Thank you so much !
  I'm also new here in spicework.
  So far, so good ! :)

• Pimiento
  Ashley1087 Jun 13, 2013 at 10:13am

  Thanks, needed this today. It was getting critical. A new install would have taken days because of the support from a 3rd party vendor.

• Pimiento
  KH Aug 2, 2013 at 12:09pm

  WHAT A BLESSING IT IS TO HAVE FOUND YOUR INFORMATIVE, WELL-DOCUMENTED TUTORIAL. YOUR ASSISTANCE HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! MY SINCEREST APPRECIATION. WAY TO GO! YOU STAND OUT FROM THE REST -- BY FAR. YAY!

• Thai Pepper
  JCastano Aug 2, 2013 at 04:44pm

  Thank you guys for your kind words. I'm glad I was able to help.

• Pimiento
  chandni.anand.5 Sep 10, 2013 at 12:42pm

  Thankyou so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  The problem is solved with my pc

• Pimiento
  pmusadiq Oct 2, 2013 at 05:37pm

  If you want to activate windows xp at zero cost then visit see this tutorial
  http://www.hacktheway.org/2011/03/activate-windows-xp.html

• Pimiento
  PatrickAnthony Oct 24, 2013 at 09:07am

  thanks a lot sir. It was a life saver!!!! God bless you, hope you'll not stop helping people!. ^_^....

• Chipotle
  John5195 Oct 28, 2013 at 10:53pm

  This just saved my life! was googling this, and low and behold the Mighty Spiceworks to the rescue. Should have looked here first.

  It offers several game modes, allowing players to play on their own against an AI or play against other players in real-time. Free multiplayer games for mac. So if you’re a fan of any Elder Scrolls game, you’ll be familiar with most of the cards in game.The game is completely free to play, but offers some in-app purchases and a trading system which will allow you to get a better deck of cards more quickly.

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