XP Pro fails to activate (MSG 32777)

[Rene Brehmer]

We have an old Compaq Presario SR1010NX that came with Windows XP Home. To
make it work with our DC I installed Windows XP Pro Upgrade on it, but the
Windows Activation fails after that.

I tried deleting the installation and installing the Pro Upgrade alone, but
it still has the same issue. Internet works though, and I've tried
connecting it straight to the router with no change. I cannot connect it
straight to the modem because that would require me to take the entire
company offline in the process.

The error message has # 32777 and says it cannot reach the authentication
server. I've tried over several days, and it's still not working.
--
Rene Brehmer
IT Technician

North Hill Inn
http://www.northhillinn.com

[smlunatick]

Have you tried to follow the product activation by phone?

[Rene Brehmer]

On Thu, 22 May 2008 10:19:33 -0700 (PDT), smlunatick wrote:

>> The error message has # 32777 and says it cannot reach the authentication
>> server. I've tried over several days, and it's still not working.
>

> Have you tried to follow the product activation by phone?

I haven't had time yet... was hoping this would indicate a different
problem that just didn't show for any of the other computers.

[PuDiTiNu]

Rene, I'm Going Through This at the Moment. They Tell Me It's Because of the
Hardware ID, and the software license. YOU NEED TO PURCHASE ANOTHER LICENSE.
Or a new disc. Not like the old days where you can just install the same disc
on several PC's. Crazy huh.

[PuDiTiNu]

SM, I've just tried to install my disc on a computor I built, Connected to
this connection I'm on now, I got the same thing, I called to activate it
over the phone. Evidently, if your disc is loaded on another PC, You have to
purchase another license from Microsoft to be able to activate it. I'd say to
activate it on a different PC, I'd tell them your PC you had it on died, and
the one you want to activate is your new one. But if you tell them it's a
second PC, They will make you buy another product key.

[PuDiTiNu]

If that disc has been installed on another PC, You will have to Activate over
the phone, and be prepared to purchase a license for each PC you have it on.
Or you can tell them it's the only one you have, and the other one crapped
out. I thought you had a 3 PC limit. Evidently, Microsoft changed that
Policy.

[PD43]

PuDiTiNu <pudi...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>If that disc has been installed on another PC, You will have to Activate over
>the phone, and be prepared to purchase a license for each PC you have it on.
>Or you can tell them it's the only one you have, and the other one crapped
>out. I thought you had a 3 PC limit. Evidently, Microsoft changed that
>Policy.

It never had such a policy, except in your wildest imagination.

[PD43]

PuDiTiNu <pudi...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Not like the old days where you can just install the same disc
>on several PC's. Crazy huh.

Yeah, it's crazy. Imagine Microsoft wanting to stop pirating... such
audacity!

[Rene Brehmer]

I'll try not to be rude, but you didn't actually read my post, did you? It
fails with the message that it cannot reach the authentication server. Not
the "Failed to Activate Windows, please call ... blablabla". If it was the
case, then I'd know I had used the wrong key. But in this case, it seems to
be a communication error. Thing is that it fails as soon as I click the
damn button.

On the same line, Symantec LiveUpdate fails and says it can't find its
update server either... I have 17 other computers running off the same
Internet connection, so I know it can't be a router issue...