Do you have Windows XP without a genuine serial key? Don't worry -- with a few mouse clicks and a little ingenuity, you'll be able to make your Windows XP authentic for good. See Step 1 below to get started.
Step
Step 1. Click Start select Run
Step 2. Type "regedit" (without the quotes)
Step 3. Double click on KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Step 4. Click Software
Step 5. Click Microsoft
Step 6. Click Windows NT
Step 7. Click CurrentVersion
Step 8. Now select the “WPAEvents” option
Step 9. Right-click OOBETimer and select Modify
Step 10. In the Edit Binary Value window, delete all values in the value data box
Click OK and close the registry editor.
Step 11. Go back to Run and type the following command without the quotes:
"%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a".
Step 12. In the Activate Windows wizard, select the second option
The option reads “Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows.” Click Next.
Step 13. Click Change Product Key
Step 14. Enter your original key in the New Key box and click Update
Step 15. Check if your Windows XP is genuine (optional)
Type the following command in Run without the quotes: "oobe/msoobe /a".
If a box appears that says "Windows is already activated," it means your Windows XP is genuine
Step 16. Right click on WPAEvents after deleting WPATimer Value in Regedit
Select Permissions and set it to deny all groups and users. After reboot, the machine will recover it. If you deny permissions, the program cannot be reset.
Tips
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If you want Windows XP to always be genuine and not get into legal trouble with Microsoft, you must disable important updates from Microsoft Windows. Here's how to do it:
- Click Start, then go to Control Panel. (Make sure that Control Panel is in classic view.)
- Go to Automatic Updates and double click it.
- Select Turn Off Automatic Updates, and press Apply. You're done!
- One more thing: you must be annoyed when you are given a warning every 2 minutes because Automatic Updates is disabled. So to get rid of that annoying warning, you have to double-click the little "red" icon at the clock location in the bottom right corner. The Security Center will appear and on the left there will be several options. Make sure to select the "Change the way Security Center alerts me" option and uncheck the "Automatic Updates" option.
