Activating windows

[xomp3772]

Ok I had a problem with my sound card yesterday so i downloaded the drivers for it again and it didnt fix it so i decided to do a virus scan. The scan showed some infected files so i decided to try and clean em. When I restarted my computer the screen was blue i couls see the mouse cursosr moving but that was it. I put my xp cd in and booted from cd-rom I went through instalation which gave me an option to do system recover but it gave me an error. I tried the option which let me repair my install same problem as in the beginning. So i took my old partition out and created a new one and installed windows on it. everything worked fine then it told me to activate windows. i put the product key in and then i was propmted to put a new one in because it said that the key i was enetering had already used up its allowed installs. Microsoft wont help becaus it is an OEM product what can I do?

 

[Nocturnal]

Hmm, someone posted about this not too long ago. They suggested calling back and seeing if another rep will help you get it activated.

 

[xomp3772]

Is there a charge for calling them? I tried through the net and was told that my product couldnt get support

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: xomp3772
Is there a charge for calling them? I tried through the net and was told that my product couldnt get support

No, its a free call. Just call and tell them you had to reinstall (on the same machine no less) due to a virus. They should read your a product key.
Bill

 

[tooltime]

you should be able to get someone there (supervisor) to reactivate your key

 

[NicColt]

how many allowed installs does one have ?

I had to reformat do to a bad install and now have activated it twice.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: NicColt
how many allowed installs does one have ?
I had to reformat do to a bad install and now have activated it twice.

There is no limit, althought if your doing many in a short time you may need to actually speak to someone. Typically the activation info times out after a few months. The purpose is to prevent the key from being widely shared, not to keep you from reinstalling when you need to.

Bill