John
The message about exceeding the number of times is very misleading.
You can't activate automatically, but you can do so by calling the 800
number they give you--it's almost as fast and easy.
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
Choose to "Activate by Telephone"...
Yes - the message you get is confusing. Badly worded to say the least.
How to activate Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307890
Specifically:
How to activate Windows XP by phone
To contact a Microsoft customer service representative to
activate Windows by phone, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories,
point to System Tools, and then click Activate Windows.
Or, click the Windows Activation icon in the notification area.
2. Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service
representative to active Windows now.
3. Click Read the Windows Product Activation Privacy Statement,
click Back, and then click Next.
4. Follow the steps in the Activate Windows by phone dialog box,
and then click Next.
Note: The number appears now and differs based on the location
that you select.
5. When activation is completed and you receive the following
message, click OK.
You have successfully activated your copy of Windows.
Enjoy!
--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Question:
Suppose OP has an OEM version of Windows XP. Suppose he reaches a CSR
who insists that changing the motherboard means the PC has been changed,
therefore the OEM license is no longer good per the EULA. What can OP
do? Both of us know that the EULA does not spell out what constitutes a
PC; nowhere does it say in the EULA that changing the motherboard is the
same as changing the PC. But what happens when a customer winds up with
an over-zealous CSR who will not budge on their position?
Why did they get to a person?
In most cases - this would all be automated.
They could - if it gets to that - demand to talk to someone else, hang up
and call back, wait 120+ days and try again, etc. They could do whatever
they feel comfortable doing. However- in my experience - it is highly
unlikely it would come to that.
Karen
You likely have a different issue than the original poster.
You seem to be attempting to run a lab environment - not likely what the OP
is doing.
You could fix your issue by having those you work for obtain a volume
license agreement so you could more easily install and maintain licenses in
a computer lab environment.
For you, the workaround is to use the Volume License Agreement version,
which does not require activation. IIRC the MSDN susbscription version has
a similar feature.
You simply have purchased the wrong version, and that's the reason you have
to activate.
HTH
-pk
Hang up, call back, and just don't mention that any hardware was changed.
It's not as if Microsoft is unaware that sometimes Windows has to be
reinstalled.
HTH
-pk