Tricky Situation. Odd? Yes. Windows Keys conundrum

[AustinRoepke]

Hello, all. This is my first post, and probably not my last. The other day I was trying to interface my computer with my Xbox 360 desperately to stream audio, when, out of nowhere, it crashed. My computer has crashed before, and nothing has been wrong when it booted up again. Well, this time was different. My boot.ini file was corrupted and HAL.dll was corrupted. So, I got out my XP Pro CD and started 'upgrading' my OS to remove the problem. (I did this as a last ditch effort to get my computer back up and running. the repair DOS just wasnt working) Well, I had to leave to go to a basketball game, and I had my brother finish the installation. Well, I got back home and everything was working fine in windows. The SP1 settings and programs were back, and I then started installing IE 7. Well, I got a message that said "your windows key is invalid, please purchase a valid one" or something to that measure. I asked my brother, and he said he finished installation with an invalid key from a keygen to finish the installation. Before, I had a VALID copy of XP installed, but I lost the key. I know I did, because I purchased it back in '04 for my newish computer. Proof lies in this: I have MS Office 2007 Beta 2 running on my comp with Windows Defender installed. I had to verify with Microsoft that my copy was legal to do this. Well, now I'm in a pickle. I have to ask: Is there a way to recover a key after installing XP with another key? I've tried keyfinders, but to no avail. They only recover the invalid key. If there isn't a way, I guess I will have to buy another copy via Newegg with an upgrade stub for vista. Well, if you can help me out, leave a reply, please!!! I hate the fact that I am currently using an illegal copy of windows right now!!!

Austin Roepke

 

[mechBgon]

How about doing another repair installation and using the correct key?

edit: never mind, I see you lost your key

 

[Harvey]

Two suggestions:

1. Contact Microsoft with your explanation about your lost, valid copy. If they buy your story, they may be able to help you.

2. Invest in a new keyboard with a working < Enter > key, and use it to add some spaces between thoughts. My mom warned me about reading text like your post. She said, if I didn't stop it, I'd go blind. :shocked:

Good luck.

 

[AustinRoepke]

I lost the key. Doing the repair installation apparently needed the key. I didn't know that and didn't think to write it down when I tried replacing the boot.ini file with another computer.

 

[AustinRoepke]

Sorry for not putting it into paragraphs for you. And thanks for your mom's words of wisdom. I really appreciate the help. As much as I love microsoft's VERY helpful telephone help, I'd rather go to the forums. I am just asking if there is any way to extrapolate the key from some other source than just that-the key. Hopefully, it is still stored somewhere on my HD. If I was using an illegal copy to begin with, why would I be looking for it?

Roepke

Edit: Well, Vista's starting to look pretty good, now. Hopefully MSFT won't push it back another year:roll:

 

[dfuze]

Nope, no more delays. It has been RTM for a while now and will be released to the
public at the end of January. If you want, you could do something like I did. I bought an OEM copy of windows through Newegg (MCE edition for 110) that comes with a free (<cough> 12 shipping cost <cough>) upgrade coupon to go to Vista Premium (middle edition).

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: dph1077
Nope, no more delays. It has been RTM for a while now and will be released to the
public at the end of January. If you want, you could do something like I did. I bought an OEM copy of windows through Newegg (MCE edition for 110) that comes with a free (<cough> 12 shipping cost <cough>) upgrade coupon to go to Vista Premium (middle edition).

You can purchase an OEM copy without a new system (or at least new hardware)?

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Robor

Originally posted by: dph1077
Nope, no more delays. It has been RTM for a while now and will be released to the
public at the end of January. If you want, you could do something like I did. I bought an OEM copy of windows through Newegg (MCE edition for 110) that comes with a free (<cough> 12 shipping cost <cough>) upgrade coupon to go to Vista Premium (middle edition).

You can purchase an OEM copy without a new system (or at least new hardware)?

The OEM copies must be purchased with "hardware", meaning one tiny component, or in eBay terms, dead/defective hardware

 

[AustinRoepke]

Yeah, I'm probably just going to upgrade to vista. Instead of repurchasing XP, I'm just going to wait until I can buy an upgrade without an XP license.

 

[frizzzby]