Answered by:
Changing Product Key

Question
-
About a month ago, I had to replace my mainboard and the repair shop said they will have to reinstall Windows.
I have the COA sticker on my PC so I assumed they would reinstall with the same product key. But it turns out that they used a different one, which doesn't validate.
So I tried to change the product key using the Windows product key update tool; but I got the following error message:
"The product key entered is not valid key for this system."
The sticker on PC says: Windows XP Professional OEM Software. Which is also the one they installed.
System info displayes: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version 2002 Service Pack 3
So why is the key invalid for this system?
What can I do to change the key (other than reinstalling Windows)?
Also could you tell me if it was really necessary to reinstall Windows when they changed the mainboard? (I'm thinking of asking for a refund of the service fee for all the problems they caused)
Any help will be appreciated :)
Here's the info I copied from diagnostics tool:
Diagnostic Report (1.9.0011.0):
-----------------------------------------
WGA Data-->
Validation Status: Blocked VLK
Validation Code: 3
Cached Validation Code: N/A
Windows Product Key: *****-*****-GH28R-PTHKH-98PWP
Windows Product Key Hash: QNkbC9Ee1BMho2KXQFqrGSjXovM=
Windows Product ID: 55274-649-7456123-23071
Windows Product ID Type: 1
Windows License Type: Volume
Windows OS version: 5.1.2600.2.00010100.3.0.pro
ID: {D196FC8A-112B-4677-BF68-63DE35760784}(3)
Is Admin: Yes
TestCab: 0x0
WGA Version: Registered, 1.9.9.1
Signed By: Microsoft
Product Name: N/A
Architecture: N/A
Build lab: N/A
TTS Error: N/A
Validation Diagnostic: 025D1FF3-230-1
Resolution Status: N/A
WgaER Data-->
ThreatID(s): N/A
Version: N/A
WGA Notifications Data-->
Cached Result: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
File Exists: No
Version: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
WgaTray.exe Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
WgaLogon.dll Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGA Notifications Data-->
Cached Result: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Version: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGAExec.exe Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGAAddin.dll Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGA Data-->
Office Status: 109 N/A
OGA Version: N/A, 0x80070002
Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Office Diagnostics: B4D0AA8B-604-645_025D1FF3-230-1
Browser Data-->
Proxy settings: N/A
User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Win32)
Default Browser: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
Download signed ActiveX controls: Prompt
Download unsigned ActiveX controls: Disabled
Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins: Allowed
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe: Disabled
Allow scripting of Internet Explorer Webbrowser control: Disabled
Active scripting: Allowed
Script ActiveX controls marked as safe for scripting: Allowed
File Scan Data-->
Other data-->
Office Details: <GenuineResults><MachineData><UGUID>{D196FC8A-112B-4677-BF68-63DE35760784}</UGUID><Version>1.9.0011.0</Version><OS>5.1.2600.2.00010100.3.0.pro</OS><Architecture>x32</Architecture><PKey>*****-*****-*****-*****-98PWP</PKey><PID>55274-649-7456123-23071</PID><PIDType>1</PIDType><SID>S-1-5-21-1214440339-1592454029-839522115</SID><SYSTEM><Manufacturer>MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO.,LTD</Manufacturer><Model>MS-7380</Model></SYSTEM><BIOS><Manufacturer>American Megatrends Inc.</Manufacturer><Version>V1.2</Version><SMBIOSVersion major="2" minor="5"/><Date>20080711000000.000000+000</Date></BIOS><HWID>14A23AF70184C078</HWID><UserLCID>041F</UserLCID><SystemLCID>0409</SystemLCID><TimeZone>GTB Standard Time(GMT+02:00)</TimeZone><iJoin>0</iJoin><SBID><stat>3</stat><msppid></msppid><name></name><model></model></SBID><OEM/><GANotification/></MachineData><Software><Office><Result>109</Result><Products/><Applications/></Office></Software></GenuineResults>
Licensing Data-->
N/A
HWID Data-->
N/A
OEM Activation 1.0 Data-->
BIOS string matches: yes
Marker string from BIOS: 13C44:GENUINE C&C INC
Marker string from OEMBIOS.DAT: N/A, hr = 0x80004005
OEM Activation 2.0 Data-->
N/A
Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:39 PM
Answers
-
Hello sinnee,
The Product Key Updater Utility was developed for the specific purpose of changing the Product Key of nongenuine installations of XP to the Genuine Product Key for the same edition of Windows as found on the computer's Certificate of Authenticity.
The error you describe is encountered when the Windows editions do not match, for example, if you are trying to update a nongenuine XP Pro installation using a Genuine XP Home or Media Center or Tablet Edition Product Key. If the CoA sticker is for XP Pro, and is a genuine CoA, I have no explanation for why you are seeing that error message because it is supposed to work.
There is only one solution for when the PK Updater does not work, and that is to do it the old-fashioned way, a clean installation.
And IMHO, you are justified by demanding that the shop refund the service fee, if for no other reason than they installed a pirated copy of XP onto your computer. Threaten them with filing a piracy report at www.microsoft.com/piracy, maybe that'll shake loose your service fee :-)
[Unless, of course, there was a reason why they could not use your PK on your CoA....]
For great advice on all topics XP, visit http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp- Marked as answer by sinnee Sunday, December 13, 2009 12:45 AM
Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:51 PM
All replies
-
Hello sinnee,
The Product Key Updater Utility was developed for the specific purpose of changing the Product Key of nongenuine installations of XP to the Genuine Product Key for the same edition of Windows as found on the computer's Certificate of Authenticity.
The error you describe is encountered when the Windows editions do not match, for example, if you are trying to update a nongenuine XP Pro installation using a Genuine XP Home or Media Center or Tablet Edition Product Key. If the CoA sticker is for XP Pro, and is a genuine CoA, I have no explanation for why you are seeing that error message because it is supposed to work.
There is only one solution for when the PK Updater does not work, and that is to do it the old-fashioned way, a clean installation.
And IMHO, you are justified by demanding that the shop refund the service fee, if for no other reason than they installed a pirated copy of XP onto your computer. Threaten them with filing a piracy report at www.microsoft.com/piracy, maybe that'll shake loose your service fee :-)
[Unless, of course, there was a reason why they could not use your PK on your CoA....]
For great advice on all topics XP, visit http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp- Marked as answer by sinnee Sunday, December 13, 2009 12:45 AM
Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:51 PM -
Thanks for the reply.
About the COA, I'm pretty sure its genuine because I had no problem validating it for the first installation. I also checked Microsoft help on COA, and mine looks very much like the sample pictures there.
Do the XP versions vary for different licence types?
or would any XP Pro key work with any XP Pro CD?
I'm gonna try the customer support line on monday. Thanks again for the help.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 10:22 PM