For most Windows XP installs, you’ll never need to worry about the validity
of the product key assigned to your copy of the OS. However, software does
tend to get installed without authorization, even in the most carefully managed
shops, and so from time to time you may need to reset the XP product key.
For example, perhaps a user installed a pirated copy of XP but now wants to
go legal. Maybe you've been hired by an organization that installed 100 pirated
copies of XP but now has a legitimate volume-licensing key (VLK). Perhaps
an end user purchased an additional retail license for XP but needs to use
his original CD to install the software. When situations like these arise,
changing XP's product key is often the most practical—or only—solution.
Determining if you have a valid product ID
Hopefully you already know if you're dealing with a pirated copy of XP. But
if you're unsure, a quick way to tell is to install Service Pack 1. Shortly
after releasing Windows XP, Microsoft realized that most pirated XP installations
were using two specific VLKs, the most popular of which begins with "FCKGW.”
These VLKs produce product IDs that match either XXXXX-640-0000356-23XXX or
XXXXX-640-2001765-23XXX, where X is any number.
If you try to install SP1 and get the following error message:
The Product Key used to install Windows is invalid. Please
contact your system administrator or retailer immediately to obtain a valid
Product Key…"
You are dealing with a pirated copy of Windows. For more information about
obtaining a valid product key, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 326904.
You can also directly check the OS’sproduct ID by right-clicking on My Computer,
clicking Properties, and selecting the General tab. The machine's product
ID will be located under the Registered To section. If the ID matches either
of the two models commonly associated with VLK fraud, you’ll need to obtain
a valid XP product key before proceeding. None of the procedures described
below will work without a legitimate product key.
Two methods of changing Windows XP's product key
You can change a Windows XP installation's product key either by editing the
registry or by using one of two Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) scripts.
The registry editing method is outlined in Knowledge Base articles 321636 and 328874 and works on Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional,
and Windows XP Corporate Edition. The script method is outlined in article
328874 and is designed to work on Corporate Edition installations
that use a VLK and do not require activation. It may work on a Home or Professional
installation, but I have not tested this scenario.
The script method is the practical solution for changing the product keys
on a large number of machines. Regardless of the method you choose, make sure
to backup important data before changing a product ID, since an unexpected
problem could render the machine unbootable and necessitate a complete reinstallation
of Windows.
Warning
The following instructions involve editing your system registry. Using the
Windows Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that require
the reinstallation of your operating system and possible loss of data. TechRepublic
does not support problems that arise from editing your registry. Use the Registry
Editor and the following directions at your own risk.
Editing the registry
Begin by opening the Registry Editor and navigating to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
In the right pane, right-click the ODBETimer binary value and select Modify.
Change at least one character of this value to either a number from 0 to 9
or to a letter from A to F, then click OK and close the Registry Editor. This
renders the current product key invalid and deactivates Windows.
Now, it’s time to reactivate Windows using your new product key. Click Start
| Run and enter the command:
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe /a
where %systemroot% is your Windows directory. In many cases, this command
will look like:
C:\windows\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
At this point, Windows will launch the Product Activation Wizard.
Figure A |
|
Select the option to telephone a Microsoft customer service representative
to activate Windows, as shown in Figure A, and click Next. Now, select
the Change Product Key option and enter your new product key as shown in Figure
B. Finally, click Update and close the window. If Windows returns you
to the previous screen, just select the Remind Me Later option. When the wizard
is finished, reboot the system.
Figure B |
|
When Windows reboots, your next step will depend on which Windows XP version
you are using. If you have XP Home or Professional, you’ll be prompted to
reactivate your copy of Windows through the normal activation process. If
you have XP Corporate, no activation is required and your machine should have
a valid product ID. You can verify this by running the %systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe
/a command again. When the wizard loads this time, you should see a message
indicating that your copy of Windows has already been activated.
Using a WMI script
Although the registry editing process is effective, it can be tedious and
impractical if you need to change the product key on more than a few machines.
So Microsoft provides two WMI scripts, one for XP machines with SP1 and one
for XP machines without SP1.
Click here to view the code for the WMI script, ChangeVLKey2600.vbs,
designed for use on XP machines without SP1. Click here to view the code for the WMI script, ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs,
for XP machines with SP1 already installed.
Copy the appropriate script's code into a text file and save it as either
ChangeVLKey2600.vbs or ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs. The scripts can act in conjunction
with a valid product key as part of a login script to change the product ID
on multiple machines. You can also execute the script from the command line
to change the key on a single computer.
For example, if you wanted to change the product key on an XP machine without
SP1 and had already saved the script to root directory on the C: drive, you
would click Start | Run and enter the following command:\
C:\changevlkey2600.vbs xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Of course, xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx in this scenario is a valid product
key.
The script should take only a few seconds to run and won't prompt you for
further action unless there's a problem, such as an invalid product key. As
with the registry editing method, you can verify that Windows is now using
a valid product key by running the command:
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
The Product Activation Wizard will load and should tell you that your copy
of Windows has already been activated.