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Last Updated January 02, 2003

How to change the Windows XP Product Activation Key Code
Since the release of Windows XP Professional, Microsoft has discovered that the vast majority of illegitimate copies in use are using a small handful of leaked "corporate" keys. In an effort to thwart these illegitimate users, Windows XP Service Pack 1 (and possibly all future updates) will not install on systems using these keys, and it is unclear what additional steps Microsoft may take in the future. Microsoft claims that legitimate licensed users of XP Professional should be unaffected, however there are a number of different ways one of these leaked keys can find its way into an otherwise legal environment and cause serious deployment issues. (When a legitimate corporate key is not at hand during an installation process, it's a common practice for some administrators to simple search the web for a valid key.) Here's how to check if your systems are using a leaked key, and how to change the product activation key if they are. 
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Original Publication Date: July 2002
  

DISCLAIMER

This article is intended for IT Professionals and systems administrators with legitimate corporate licenses for Windows XP Professional. It is not intended for home users, hackers, or computer thieves attempting to crack the product ID on a pirated version of the Operating System. Please do not attempt any of these procedures if you are unfamiliar with modifying the Windows XP registry,  and please use this information responsibly. We are not responsible for the use or misuse of this material, including loss of data, damage to hardware, or personal injury. INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. 

Checking the Product ID
During the installation of Windows XP Professional, you are prompted to enter a 25 digit Windows XP Product Key, which Windows XP promptly converts it into the system's product ID. Because of security concerns about piracy, Microsoft does not provide a tool that allows you to view the Product Key (or CD Key) that was used to install the operating system. However, Windows XP Service Pack 1 ships with a list of the two product IDs that are created by the pirated product volume license product keys. (The Product ID can be found by right clicking My Computer and choosing Properties) To determine eligibility for the update, Service Pack 1 compares the Windows XP product ID on the system to this list. The comparison and the list reside locally on the users PC and no information is sent to Microsoft as part of this process. Service Pack 1 for Windows XP will fail to install on installations of Windows with one of the following product IDs:  XXXXX-640-0000356-23XXX and XXXXX-640-2001765-23XXX

The following message will be displayed if installation fails for this reason: 

Service Pack 1 Setup Error The product key used to install Windows is invalid. Please contact your system administrator or retailer immediately to obtain a valid product key. You may also contact Microsoft Corporation’s Anti-Piracy Team by emailing pirazy@microsoft.com if you think you have purchased pirated Microsoft software.

How to change your Product ID in Windows XP
If the product ID matches the invalid keys above, you may need to change the key (re-enter a valid key) in order to install Windows XP service pack 1, and to make sure your environment is legal. You could completely re-install Windows XP Professional or you can try the method below. (Please backup your system before attempting this.) This workaround is only for the corporate editions of Windows XP Professional using a compromised or illegitimate key. Windows XP Home Edition and retail versions of XP Professional are not affected by Service Pack 1. Although this procedure may work with other versions of XP, we have only tested it on the corporate edition (volume license version) of Windows XP Professional. 

       

>>>>>>  WARNING  <<<<<<
This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs.  

Backup your Registry/System State

  • Backup your system state by clicking Start > Run > and typing ntbackup > Click the Advanced Mode button in the Backup Utility Wizard. >Click the Backup tab, then in Click to select the check box for any drive, folder, or file that you want to back up, select the System State.  
  • As an alternative, you can backup just the Registry by clicking Start > Run > and type in Regedit  From within the Regedit screen, right click My Computer, choose Export, name the file whatever you choose, and click Save

To change the product ID

  • Log in as the local Administrator
  • Click Start > Run > and type in Regedit 
  • Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\wpaevents

  • In the right pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify
  • Change at least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows
  • Click OK and close regedit
  • Click Start > Run and type in: "%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a"
  • Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows, and then click Next
  • Click Change Product Key (at the bottom)
  • Enter your valid Corporate Product Key
  • Press Update and close the window.
  • If you are returned to the previous window, click Remind me later
  • Restart your computer

Verify the change

  • After  the workstation restarts, click Start > Run 
  • Type in: "%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a" without the quotes.
  • Make sure the dialog box says 'your copy of windows is already activated'

If you performed the above steps incorrectly, or used an invalid key, your system may not be able to boot. Use the F8 key to boot to the last known good configuration and retry with a valid key.

Troubleshooting
If you tried the above steps and nothing happens:

  • Make sure you are logged in with the local administrator account, not just an account with Administrator privileges.
  • Try replacing the %systemroot% variable with the actual drive letter that your actual directory path, especially when dual booting, or if the system path is on a drive other than C:\  
  • On a normal Windows XP installation, your systemroot should be C:\windows\ so the command should be C:\Windows\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
  • On systems upgraded from Windows NT/2000, the systemroot directory may be C:\Winnt\ so the command should be C:\winnt\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a 
  • Make sure you include a space between .exe and /a in the command: 
    • Correct - C:\winnt\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
    • Incorrect - C:\winnt\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe/a
  • Product keys for XP Home Edition and retail versions of XP Professional will not activate a corporate or OEM version of XP Professional. The algorithms are different. 
  • If you do not have a valid installation key for Windows XP, DO NOT e-mail us asking for a key, keygen or crack. 

    Use the following info if necessary:

    This key has been used on several Windows XP installations. After this modification, Service Pack 1 installed every time.

ReDisTRiBuTe and EnJOy :-)

updated and verified by LarZ 021129

************** Windows XP Key: *****************
TQBTQ-XQV3X-32RCG-VJ3C8-KWKWJ

 

  
  
Scripting the process
Microsoft has provided sample scripts for remotely updating the Product ID on multiple machines in KB Article Q328874 

 

 

 

 

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