Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

[Guest SBoston]

I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced. Some

software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that I need

to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so I am

unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit ok, it

will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation number.

Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I called

Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP for

$129. Thanks in advance.

[Guest PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Re: Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

 

WinXP-specific newsgroup:

http://news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

 

Who did the "restore" work? Was Windows reinstalled? Did the machine come

with WinXP preinstalled when you bought it? What software was "added"?

--

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

 

SBoston wrote:

> I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced. Some

> software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that I

> need

> to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so I

> am

> unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit ok,

> it

> will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation number.

> Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I

> called

> Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP for

> $129. Thanks in advance.

[Guest Gary S. Terhune]

Re: Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

 

You posted your question to a Windows 98 newsgroup. But I have a question:

Why did you have your hard drive replaced and OS restored and who did it?

Did they use your Restore disc?

 

Subject to possible problems due to the answers to the above, you would

normally contact HP Support (and/or Microsoft Support) and they would help

you through a new activation. Start with HP Support.

http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/contact_us.html

 

I recommend a Chat session to start with.

 

--

Gary S. Terhune

MS-MVP Shell/User

http://www.grystmill.com

 

"SBoston" <SBoston@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:BABD2DE1-409A-4A96-B1B9-4147A2E23C12@microsoft.com...

>I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced. Some

> software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that I

> need

> to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so I

> am

> unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit ok,

> it

> will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation number.

> Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I

> called

> Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP for

> $129. Thanks in advance.

[Guest SBoston]

Re: Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

 

I had HP send me the restore disks. There was 10 of them. Best Buy did the

restore as well as put in a beafier hard drive. The PC worked fine for about

30 days. The machine was bought with XP preinstalled. Some music software was

added to the PC. Thanks in advance.

 

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

> WinXP-specific newsgroup:

> http://news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

>

> Who did the "restore" work? Was Windows reinstalled? Did the machine come

> with WinXP preinstalled when you bought it? What software was "added"?

> --

> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

>

> SBoston wrote:

> > I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced. Some

> > software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that I

> > need

> > to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so I

> > am

> > unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit ok,

> > it

> > will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation number.

> > Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I

> > called

> > Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP for

> > $129. Thanks in advance.

>

>

[Guest philo]

Re: Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

 

 

"SBoston" <SBoston@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:BABD2DE1-409A-4A96-B1B9-4147A2E23C12@microsoft.com...

> I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced. Some

> software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that I

need

> to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so I

am

> unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit ok,

it

> will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation number.

> Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I

called

> Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP for

> $129. Thanks in advance.

 

 

First off, this is a Win98 group...not XP

but if you had the machine worked on,,, the first responsibility would be

that of the outfit that repaired your machine.

Since the unit was returned to you with an unactivatable copy of XP...they

in-fact did not perform a proper repair.

Your machine should have come with a recovery CD and if it didn't...you'd

need to contact HP.

 

 

I'd contact the repair shop at once and explain the problem to them...

if they have any integrity they'll make things right...at the very least

they should not have charged you any more than the price of the harddrive

and the labor to have it installed.

[Guest Gary S. Terhune]

Re: Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

 

This is Best Buy's to fix, immediately and for free. But I'm betting you'll

get a quicker and easier and just as free a solution from HP Support.

 

--

Gary S. Terhune

MS-MVP Shell/User

http://www.grystmill.com

 

"SBoston" <SBoston@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:588E7A0F-D1B0-4475-A346-A6D1FC03E3E0@microsoft.com...

>I had HP send me the restore disks. There was 10 of them. Best Buy did the

> restore as well as put in a beafier hard drive. The PC worked fine for

> about

> 30 days. The machine was bought with XP preinstalled. Some music software

> was

> added to the PC. Thanks in advance.

>

> "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

>

>> WinXP-specific newsgroup:

>> http://news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

>>

>> Who did the "restore" work? Was Windows reinstalled? Did the machine

>> come

>> with WinXP preinstalled when you bought it? What software was "added"?

>> --

>> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

>> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

>>

>> SBoston wrote:

>> > I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced. Some

>> > software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that I

>> > need

>> > to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so

>> > I

>> > am

>> > unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit

>> > ok,

>> > it

>> > will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation

>> > number.

>> > Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I

>> > called

>> > Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP

>> > for

>> > $129. Thanks in advance.

>>

>>

[Guest philo]

Re: Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

 

 

"SBoston" <SBoston@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:588E7A0F-D1B0-4475-A346-A6D1FC03E3E0@microsoft.com...

> I had HP send me the restore disks. There was 10 of them. Best Buy did the

> restore as well as put in a beafier hard drive. The PC worked fine for

about

> 30 days. The machine was bought with XP preinstalled. Some music software

was

> added to the PC. Thanks in advance.

>

 

 

This did not appear until after I had already replied to your original

question.

If the machine was not activated when XP was installed initially...you have

30 days to do so.

Best Buy should have made the attempt to activate it and alerted you that

the machine

was not activated. I'd say that it was partially Best Buy's fault ...but

there is also a possibility

that HP did not send you the correct restore CD for you machine.

 

I'd definately contact HP and have the model and S/N of your equipment at

hand.

If the restore CD and number appear to be correct I'd also ask them if it's

required that the harddrive come from HP.

Re-activation is usually tied to the motherboard and not the harddrive

itself.

 

> "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

>

> > WinXP-specific newsgroup:

> > http://news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

> >

> > Who did the "restore" work? Was Windows reinstalled? Did the machine

come

> > with WinXP preinstalled when you bought it? What software was "added"?

> > --

> > ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

> > MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

> >

> > SBoston wrote:

> > > I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced.

Some

> > > software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that

I

> > > need

> > > to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so

I

> > > am

> > > unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit

ok,

> > > it

> > > will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation

number.

> > > Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I

> > > called

> > > Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP

for

> > > $129. Thanks in advance.

> >

> >

[Guest PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Re: Help Re-Activating Windows XP Media Center

 

CrystalBall© is telling me that BestBuy didn't use your HP disks, SBoston.

Hope you paid with a credit card so you can contest the charges.

--

~PA Bear

 

SBoston wrote:

> I had HP send me the restore disks. There was 10 of them. Best Buy did the

> restore as well as put in a beafier hard drive. The PC worked fine for

> about

> 30 days. The machine was bought with XP preinstalled. Some music software

> was added to the PC. Thanks in advance.

>

> "PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

>

>> WinXP-specific newsgroup:

>> http://news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

>>

>> Who did the "restore" work? Was Windows reinstalled? Did the machine

>> come

>> with WinXP preinstalled when you bought it? What software was "added"?

>> --

>> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

>> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

>>

>> SBoston wrote:

>>> I recently had my HP computer restored and my hard-drive replaced. Some

>>> software was just added to the PC and now I get a pop up message that I

>>> need

>>> to activate Windows to log into my pc. There is no way around this so I

>>> am

>>> unable to use it. When I try to input the activation numbers and hit ok,

>>> it

>>> will not accept it and says i have entered an incorrect activation

>>> number.

>>> Can someone assist me here or explain what happened to cause this? I

>>> called

>>> Best Buy and they informed me they would need to reinstall Windows XP

>>> for

>>> $129. Thanks in advance.