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.
   

"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."

it is troublesome as I do have a legal code and it would not actervate, it wasnt running on any other computer so its not piracy if the code that you use (is legal) and would not actervate and I'm not paying s**t loads on the phone 2 microsoft 4 them to not tell me any thing.

Now I have a Question I have a computer and I recently repaired windows xp with the repair tool on the xp disk.  Now, like always, it tells me I need to activate in order to use windows, so I click yes and it starts to get to the activation screen but then it automatically logs me out. I tied the "loop hole" you guys suggested but it wouldn't work.  It seems to be a registry error.  But my question is ,Is there a way to fix this problem or do I just need to backup the data and wipe it?

Replying to AlegisSituation: Legitimately licenced and activated system has major hardware failure (now obsolete motherboard) requiring new motherboard, cpu, and RAM.Issue: Major changes to this extreme will require a reactivation of windows after the operating system has been repaired to accept new hardware. Unfortunately, activation is required before logon can occur, I.E. Before all necessary hardware drivers and registry changes can occur. This major change will send the Windows Product Activation into an endless loop as it checks the hardware against the registry, which no longer "jives", sees a mismatch and requires a check of the hardware/registry hash.Result: Valid product and key, an inaccesable logon to a now corrupt system.Silver lining: You CAN access data to back it up by using safe mode (command prompt only) to bypass WPA and WGA. But that ,000 piece of custom application, that never got backed up, is history unless you can get Windows re-activated and drivers for that new hardware that was just installed to salvage the same.That is a LEGITIMATE reason to bypass the WPA WGA process temporarily.What takes several hours of hacking could be avoided if WPA allowed major changes to take place if only for an hour! 

-reply by Concept2Solution

after searching the web a bit I realized none of these answers were worth anyones time, why download prgms and all that crap, the answer has to be easier than that!! ...So a little fiddling around and I came across an easy solution to COPY FILES FROM EXPIRED XP TO EXTERNAL HD... Read on...

so after you are allowed to get into windows through the windows+U button, go to the webpage;

- type C: (access your computers hard drive)

- find a media file [music / video] --> open it with Windows Media Player

- in WMP go to FILE --> SAVE AS... ---> now in this newly opened explorer window find your file(s) that you want to copy and highlight those files, right click and COPY and then go to your destination [external HD / pendrive] and make a destination folder, and PASTE! boom, it's done. 

these instructions should be fool-proof... Good luck.

I have a problem activating XP on a friends laptop, the laptop stopped working due to a faulty memory module, unfortunately one of his less technically minded friends thought the problem was a virus and completely messed it up.  Eventually the laptop got passed to me, I replaced the memory but by this time the windows installation was completely borked.  Luckily I have a windows XP oem disk (the Laptop has a genuine XP home oem license sticker on the bottom) great do a repair install and all should be well.  Ok so XP installs - likes the key on the sticker etc.  However It informs me that windows must be activated before I can log on, fine so I click yes... It makes a windows error sound then nothing - the system just hangs there, any idea what I can do - I'm happy to activate it as I know its all perfectly legal but I don't get any activation screen.

iam using windows server 2003 in my network, and I was using a valid license from microsoft but one day the electricity went off and when the server opened it gives me the activation key popup window, since ima in sudan I didn't have choise but to crack he activation key but again after few weeks I shutdown the server for security issues and when I open it the same activation key window appear and when I told I want to activate windows it stuck into the login screen and restart again to the activation key windows

so I figured that their is another timer initiate this second restriction coz I can't even connect to my documents or my computer it's just stop in first login screen

so Please help me since I have critical data inside and I can't forrmat the windows

Bull****, I paid for a liscense and since my laptop craped out I moved my harddrive to a new laptop and I cannot get into windows enough to install new drivers for chipsets and the keyboard and mouse won't work!. All I get is the screen to active and no keyboard or mouse to click the button. Absolute crap, if I could get it to activate then it would be no problem as of now I'm in a catch 22. And no I will not wipe and reinstall everything I have alot of industrial programming software that is linked to the xp install and it will literally take me months to reinstall everything if I even can. Absolute crap.

Replying to nightfoxSimply boot from a FREE Live CDROM of Linux Mint,( http://www.Linuxmint.Com ) download and burned to CDROM, reboot, and recover all files on the "Windows" partition of the hard drive, to a USB Stick, USB drive, or burn to CD/DVD!Also, Linux Mint installs to a second partition it creates on the back half of the hard drive, if you desire!

-reply by linuxiac

Replying to cmosadsI just found out if you goto safe mode with cmd and type explorer then right click on start and goto to explore... Then plug in a usb or cd drive and copy all the files for there then you can format itTo get safe mode unplug computer when booting windows

-reply by Greg

Hi friends, I have a problem with my pc which is a xp sp-2 , I have the key I need to activate it, but it doesnt log in due to the trial expired. So just tel me the way to log in

Replying to magiccode9 First, I don't applaud, nor do I support absolute piracy. However, if all you do is make an actual legal key properly activate on your system (effectively using a license you already own and electronically activate anyway), I can give you this tip. There's a crack floating around that will install a DLL file that hacks most oem and retail systems into thinking they are activated. Just make sure you start up in safe mode and do the following...First, I don't care if you are connected to the net or not. You'll need it later, but not now. You'll also need administrator access priveleges.For OEM moves to a new machine, you need a new key, and you need to give the install the same reg info ( name and computer name), but it may still hang on you. So follow the next steps.Put in a new blank HDD, and install a fresh copy of windows. Activate it over net or whatever and use a keyfinder to get all pertinent info (reg info) and write it out or print it or whatever. Now go to C>windows>system32 and grab wpa.Bak and wpa.Dbl and copy them to a thumb drive (This will identify the motherboard for the other install of windows). Remove the HDD, and place your old HDD into an external drive, connect it to a working comp, and place the two files we just moved into the same place in the old system (find the windows folder, find system 32, paste them there, overwrite the old, your system should now have a stable wpa to utilize during activation. Put the old OEM back in the machine.Generic steps:Start up in safe mode, and we'll have to remove WGA. First, open any folder and then go to tools, go to folder options. We want to show system files, show hidden files, and show extensions for known file types (this is the logic of what we want to see, not the wording of the options). Now open a search. Search for all files that have WGA in the name, and make sure to search system folders and hidden. You'll find 2 files, 1 DLL and 1 EXE (application). Open the containing folder for 1 of them, and they should be right next to each other. Rename the DLL and put .Bak at the end, deleting the .Dll; and now this file is neutral. Set the window small enough to see the exe and open a task manager window next to it. Find WGA Tray.Exe in the task manager and end the process, then quickly move to the folder window and delete the .Exe file there that matches. Now empty the recycle bin. Restart in safe mode, find the renamed .Dll file with a search and delete it. Now WGA is done. It won't stop you from the next ops. I recommend having an antivirus installed but not on for the next. Now you need to be able to get into your main account normally to enter your key, so I suggest you make sure you run a keyfinder and take down all pertinent info if you are moving OEM to new machine and have a new key you have already repair installed, we'll need it. You also need a keychanger that can affect the reg info as well to make sure it all activates properly. You'll have to download the crack yourself, but it does work. It should contain a file called antiwpa3.Dll and an antiwpa3.Cmd batch file. Make sure AV is off. You start up in safe mode again and run the crack batch file, it makes an adjustment and installs the .Dll. Now you need to restart in normal mode. Login... ...Is this real? You have total access in normal mode. Now to make it permanent without crack. FIrst, we need to tell the system we want to activate. Do it. GO to start programs accessories system tools activate windows. Nothing happens? DOn't worry. That's cool. Open task manager, and find the MSOOBE and end it. The system will now be unstable, but functioning. Now rename the .Dll with a new name and extension, or have your AV scan it. IT's in cdrive>windows>system32, and it will be called antiwpa3.Dll, so do whatever but do something to change the name or scan with av by rightclick. Now that it is out of the way, restart in normal. You'll get a box that says, cannot log in until you activate, and it asks if you want to... ...Uh OH... ...Wait... ...Click yes, and the activation program begins. DO it online, and the wpa will pass inspection. You are activated. Restart and then make sure the crack dll is deleted. You should be good to go. Now just update and put wga back in. Alls well.

-reply by Harley Davis

 Hi, I can help you recover that installation of windows xp without having to reformat and lose everything.  Insert your Windows XP CD in your CD/DVD rom drive, then select Repair Install, this will perform a REPAIR INSTALL of Windows XP, saving all of your configuration, but reinstalling drivers for your new laptop, such as keyboard, mouse, etc.  THEN of course you will need to do the activation procedure for which you wont have any problems as they keyboard and mouse will work.  Just phone microsoft and exaplain to them that you took out the hard drive from one laptop and put it in another laptop because the first laptop crashed, and I am positively sure that they will understand.

 Good luck!