PROBLEM: I cannot activate Windows XP Home SP3 by internet or phone!
BACKGROUND: My computer has been acting buggy, so I decided to reinstall before school starts. I made a slipstreamed XPSP3 installation CD using my brother-in-laws SP2 Home CD and the SP3 update. I know the CD works because I renistalled Windows on his computer the other day.
I installed windows on my Dall Inspiron 1100 laptop. I did not enter a Product Key during the installation. Once Windows was installed, I tried to activate and entered my Product Key located on the sticker on the bottom of my lapyop.
I get a message stating that the product key is incorrect! Why. I even tried by telephone and the automated service told me that it was invalid. I used the online Genuine Advantage service and it is saying that the key I am entering doesn't match the one on my machinge? So I used a program to determine what that key is, and it is different. So I downloaded that KeyUpdateTool.exe from Microsoft but it gives me an error as well.
How the heck can I fix this?
I am so tired of Microsoft. My next purchase will be a Mac...
