How To Login To An Expired Windows Xp System

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QUOTE

I just came across this interesting tutorial. By now, everyone is familiar with Windows XP's product activation to ensure that only one copy of XP is used on one computer or whatever Microsoft has in their license agreement. Well, if you don't activate in 30 days, your computer is "locked" and you can't access your files. What are your options? Well from Microsoft and other sources:

1. You're screwed. (That's in POLITE terms)
2. Re-install Windows and lose all your documents and things.
3. Install another OS.
4. Talk to a Microsoft Licensing person... sometimes they're nice and will accept your story.

Well, then I found this interesting tutorial. Since I think it is against your rights if Microsoft makes it impossible to get to your files (there are other ways), just disable product activation & grab your files. Burn them to CD or copy to a flash drive and then re-install XP. Yes, product activation is annoying, but you just have to go along with the flow.

NOTE: I believe that if you don't have internet access (or very limited access like you're charged per minute and you get limited minutes), you can call Microsoft to activate. You'll speak with a Microsoft Licensing person and they'll give you a code to activate Windows.

Anyways, here's the tutorial. Remember: I am NOT promoting piracy! Always pay for your software & activate it legally. Personally, I think activation is too harsh and should at least give you access to your files and the ability to transfer them off the machine.

http://tomorrowtimes.blogspot.com/2006/12/...ed-windows.html

TO THE MODS/ADMINS: I'm sorry if you think this violates the TOS. It's only ment to help those to save files they really need from expired Windows. Microsoft cannot deny access to your files. That's like being locked out of your car simply because you didn't change the oil after 3000 miles...

[N]F

 

 

 

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Well if anyone is using an older verison of XP (i.e. a copy of XP that was NOT produced after May 2005) then retrieving files isn't a hassle. However, if a version of XP expired and is running a more recent version of WPA, then you're up the creek. In older versions, users can still log in to windows so that they can activate it. Of course this also gives the user time to retrieve all of their files. In more recent versions, windows WPA will not let you log in until you have successfully activated your copy of windows. In this case, Safe Mode will not be of any use. For more recent versions, the only option is to copy files from a networked computer (doesn't always work) or to install another OS and copy the files from there (doesn't always work due to permissions).

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wait! don't reinstall! i know a way in...strictly for emergency use...not continuous use!!

go to a diff computer and make a bootable floppy by right-clicking on the 3 1/2 floppy drive and clicking format then select the bootable dos disk...or something of that nature. (i dont have a floppy drive)

then go online and download "NTFS for DOS" and put it on the floppy.

then boot into the floppy. it should ask you which NTFS partition you want to load.
Select the right one...then it should take you to a command prompt.

type in cd\
then cd windows
then cd system32
then copy logon.scr logon.bak
then copy cmd.exe logon.scr

(cmd=command prompt)
then reboot your computer and if you have your screensaver enabled...instead of the the screensaver loading it will load cmd.exe
Example: if you have your screensaver set to 5 min....then in 5 min it will run cmd.exe instead of the screensaver....
then at the command prompt type in explorer
that should load windows without having you register or login
good luck

Disclaimer: I do not applaud piracy, but I do feel people should have access to their personal files, regardless of whether Windows has expired or not. This tutorial should not be used to bypass Windows Activation, nor does it restore full Windows functionality, but I provide it to those who are in desperate need of accessing files that are suddenly lost to them through the Microsoft Genuine Advantage activation system.

 

 

 

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or if that is too hard...plug in your backup source (external Hard Drive) then load NTFS for DOS from the disk...and then copy using DOS....either way...it should do what ur look'n for

let me know if this works...or if u have any other questions

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Good tips there guys, it's wrong in the first place for microsoft to disallow access to your own hard drive (in a way) if your windows copy hasn't been activated. It would be better if we start seeing some of the more advanced features disabled if your windows copy 'expires' in some way. For example you get access to internet explorer, cd burning programs and hard drive access. Other features such as running some programs could be disabled.
Seriously microsoft has to do something about this, you never know what kind of things can come up.

-HellFire

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This is piracy. The activation procedure isn't troublesome at all for genuine users to have need to circumvent this.

In case you upgraded your motherboard you can call them to upgrade your key.

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A large number of genuine users have their copy flagged as pirated. And Microsoft is NOT always helpful in getting you activated properly.

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When I opened this toic, I was thinking "wow, windows XP can expire?" , but when I read the post, I was glad to find out that that just doesn't happen. I agree with Alegis when he stated that this is basically piracy, or encouraging it in some way by teaching someone how to get around activating a product that requires you to buy it and still using it all the while. Activating the software was not hard for me and believe me, I have extremely limited expirience with dealing with windows. If my copy ever gets flagged, I have the reciept from the location of purchase and I have the disk, manual and anything else that someone who purchased their copy of Windows XP should have, so there would not be many problems if they decided to take action against me.

Hopefully someone will use this guide for good purposes though!

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Windows XP has always been a pain in the neck for me. I bought a HP laptop that came with a legal XP serial and installation disc, and when I re-formatted my laptop a year after I got it, I found that annoying activation popup kept popping up and it eventually wouldn't let me log into my own computer and I had to reformat it. Ugh, I understand what Microsoft is trying to do, but it makes it so difficult for those of us who actually get their software legally. I heard Vista is way up the wazoo with security measures (I'm going to pick up a copy from my school's computer center, I heard they're free for students ) and give that a shot. I'm running Ubuntu linux at the moment, because my Windows 2000 installation caught a very nasty bug and completely corrupted all my files. Thankfully I had just made a backup (ALWAYS do periodic backups!).

Thanks for posting the info above. I'm sure it'll come in handy for me once I get my laptop out and back in order.

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There is a way to get into windows XP after the product code key expires and you are basically locked out of your computer. Turn on your pc and when you get to the activation screen for microsoft MINIMIZE the screen (do not close it, minimize it). Press The windows key and U at the same time. Microsoft Narrator will come up. Press the connect to microsoft internet button (yeah, you have access to the internet). From there you can type in C:\ and get all your files will come up. Go to the Programs file and now open your exe files to open your programs. It works!!! This is just a way around using Windows XP not a solution. I was able to remove all of my files I needed and was happy!!!

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