[Solved] Wireless card installation invalidated activation?!

[Arjay2277]

Hello, this is my first post here so please go easy if I've put it in the wrong spot.

 

So this is the problem:

I've got an old xp home edition kicking about doing its thing, I've built it up about two years ago and apart from the occasional software cack it's been pretty good to me. I recently changed the old 200watt psu out for a 600 but had no problems at all and have used it every day since I did so. There's three hard disks, DVD, nvidia5700 and a whole load of cooling fans.

 

So today me and a mate wanted to set up a LAN in my garageso we could have a go on minecraft together. So I turned the machine off and popped a wireless card in, detected new hardware fine and I got onto the network / router / lan whatever anyway I rebooted after about an hour cause my connection went but when I started back up and cleared the POST my login screen asked me to activate or validate my copy of xp..

 

Now I realise this is a touchy subject and basically I don't need anyone saying well you should've bought a genuine copy, cause I did way back in the day and it's been. Bimbling along happily for years. I had a google but couldn't find anything so I was wondering if anybody has experienced anything similar? I obviously have not got my cd key or registration code it was like ten years ago.. I do have another copy of windows xp on cd but its cd key was matched to the computer I bought it in so I don't know if that would work..? Basically I'm not happy that windows has come along and been so disagreeable when I was playing by the rules. Like I say I'm not asking for a tweak or shortcut to get me on I need a permanent fix. I'd ring up Gatesy but I think he'd just kick off that I'm still using xp.

So what do I do? I beseech thee, Internet. Please help a mechanic who's had enough. I can post specs tomorrow when I've checked what motherboard I've been using. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks for your time and any help offered.

 

I should mention that I shot a USB card in about three days ago. Apart from that the dodgiest thing about the build is the fans, there's about 13. Most powered from the psu 12v directly, the wiring is fine I used the old psu wiring to create a little rig with the fan lines coming out of a sata connector. If that made sense. I know how to work with electrical systems efficiently enough from working with cars and bikes so I'm confident that this fan wiring has nothing to do with the problem. Again been running these fans for months with no problem.

 

Sorry for such a grotesquely large post.

Rhys.

[KenB]

asked me to activate or validate my copy of xp.

You accessed the internet with this machine for about an hour.

This is long enough for updates - including the Validation Tool from MS - to be installed on your machine.

 

This would check that the installed OS had been validated as genuine.

 

If you are being asked to validate then the original installer didn't do this for some reason.

There is no way around this.

You need the Product Key ( 25 character ) that came with the installation disk.

This is usually on a sticker on the side of the case.

 

Failing that - a phone call to MS.

[Arjay2277]

For it sorted. Rang Microsoft it was really easy. I'm quite happy with that. Cheers.

[KenB]

Rang Microsoft it was really easy

They have their uses .........sometimes :)

 

Good to hear you are up-and-running again :)

[Arjay2277]

They have their uses .........sometimes :)

 

Good to hear you are up-and-running again :)

 

I got to say I was surprised, like I thought it was going to be a person giving me a hard time about when I bought my copy of xp and thins like that but was spot on. You want to see my rig I'll get a pic up. It's amazing it works=p