We purchased 2 used laptops that obviously have VLK licensing. They have worked fine for a year. Now we are getting the Microsoft Genuine message stating the key is invalid or blocked.
We purchased an OEM copy of XP Pro for each laptop. After two attempts to change the product key as specified in other articles (registy edits to deactivate and activate the new license), I realize the software is not going to recognize the new key as valid due to the difference in licensing.
Is there a way around this? Do I have to reformat the laptops or could I just reinstall Windows over the current partition (obviously this could cause instability)? Any suggestions?