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Validating old invalid install of XP Pro with new legitimate XP Pro key without reinstalling? RRS feed

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    Ok, I'll be honest, I've had an illegal version of windows XP Pro for the past 6 months and I finally wanted to make it legitimate so I bought a complete OEM XP Pro disk and key thinking I would reinstall windows, but then realized it would take forever with all the software and games I have installed, so is there a simple way to activate the new key?  If I use the key change program and it fails, will windows stop working or continue to give me invalid messages . . . which will force me to reinstall?  I REALLY don't want to have to reinstall. 
    Thanks.
    Tuesday, July 17, 2007 9:29 PM

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    Well I just ran the key update tool and tried to see how far it would go . . . it went through the file check part and didn't report anything, and then came up with the "Type in or paste your 25 character product key" and then I exited.  So it looks like all the files are ok.  ?  Or will it continue to check for more files later?  I'm just scared to put in my new product key and then have it fail and be stuck with a "new/used" product key that won't work anymore. 
    Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:33 AM
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    CL,

     

    You can use the key update tool and go from there. I understand the work involved with total re installation etc.  Please keep in mind you do not know the exact background of the non-genuine software which you have installed. The best option would be using the genuine software and perform a complete install. The data on your system is valuable and you do not want it to dissappear or worse become infected. Should you decide to reformate completely and install your applications maybe think about taking an image of your machine and should you have a problem in the future then you have less work to do. All that will be up to you as I don't endorse any software for this process. Take care and if you need WGA guidance please post again.

     

     

    STephen Holm, MS

    Wednesday, July 18, 2007 9:16 PM
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    CLWaldroff67,

     

    As I understand your post, you ran the Product Key Updater on your currently bogus XP system, but you stopped in mid-process and then did not actually enter the Product Key acquired as part of your newly purchased OEM license for XP.

     

    So, right now you still have a bogus XP installation.  And you really don't know for sure if the OEM Product Key is Genuine, either, because it hasn't been vetted by Activation and Validation.

     

    My advice would be to finish the process, so you will at least verify that you have a genuine OEM PK.

     

    If at all possible, take Stephen's advice and backup and offload your data, then do a clean installation of XP using the (hopefully now proven to be genuine) OEM license kit.  This is a lot of work especially if you have a lot of programs and have amassed a lot of data over the years.  But, doing this virtually ensures that your XP installation does not have hidden malware, with the bonus of now you have a backup of your data!

    Thursday, July 19, 2007 4:00 PM

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    Well I just ran the key update tool and tried to see how far it would go . . . it went through the file check part and didn't report anything, and then came up with the "Type in or paste your 25 character product key" and then I exited.  So it looks like all the files are ok.  ?  Or will it continue to check for more files later?  I'm just scared to put in my new product key and then have it fail and be stuck with a "new/used" product key that won't work anymore. 
    Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:33 AM
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    CL,

     

    You can use the key update tool and go from there. I understand the work involved with total re installation etc.  Please keep in mind you do not know the exact background of the non-genuine software which you have installed. The best option would be using the genuine software and perform a complete install. The data on your system is valuable and you do not want it to dissappear or worse become infected. Should you decide to reformate completely and install your applications maybe think about taking an image of your machine and should you have a problem in the future then you have less work to do. All that will be up to you as I don't endorse any software for this process. Take care and if you need WGA guidance please post again.

     

     

    STephen Holm, MS

    Wednesday, July 18, 2007 9:16 PM
  • Question
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    CLWaldroff67,

     

    As I understand your post, you ran the Product Key Updater on your currently bogus XP system, but you stopped in mid-process and then did not actually enter the Product Key acquired as part of your newly purchased OEM license for XP.

     

    So, right now you still have a bogus XP installation.  And you really don't know for sure if the OEM Product Key is Genuine, either, because it hasn't been vetted by Activation and Validation.

     

    My advice would be to finish the process, so you will at least verify that you have a genuine OEM PK.

     

    If at all possible, take Stephen's advice and backup and offload your data, then do a clean installation of XP using the (hopefully now proven to be genuine) OEM license kit.  This is a lot of work especially if you have a lot of programs and have amassed a lot of data over the years.  But, doing this virtually ensures that your XP installation does not have hidden malware, with the bonus of now you have a backup of your data!

    Thursday, July 19, 2007 4:00 PM