# Help Microsoft has me locked out of my PC! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430 "2009-03-31T14:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430/1 "2009-03-31T14:28:51Z")
Back in my days at MicroWarehouse I received a NFR copy of XP. It came in a plain white envelope with a CD Key on it. This CD was handed out by a Microsoft employee. Over the years I lost the actual CD but kept the key and I was able to reinstall using other media. On Saturday Windows popped up a box saying that my copy failed the genuine tests. I went through the rigmarole and was able to reactive it. I then installed some updates and rebootied. On rebooting it said it was not activated and I need to activate it to continue. When I hit OK instead of opening up the activation window and letting me call Microsoft it just logs me off. Same thing happens if I hit no to activate. I can boot into safe mode so access to my files is not an issue and I have backups of my data. I just don’t want to have to do a full reinstall. I’ve been on Microsoft’s site and saw that if I edit a registry key it will allow me rerun activation. The problem is when I go to access the key it tells me I don’t have access to it. I’ve tried access this key in Safemode as well as booting a PE CD, mounting the hives and trying to edit it that way. I’ve now screwed it up so much that I can’t get safemode to run. Any suggestions other thank nuking it from orbit? (I won’t be online again until tomorrow night) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430/2 "2009-03-31T14:33:16Z")
This might not work, but have you tried contacting Microsoft and dealing with them? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430/3 "2009-03-31T14:45:32Z")
Rerunning the windows install would probably be easier/faster than going through all the steps to undo a corrupt activation. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430/4 "2009-03-31T15:01:02Z")
> [@MannyL](#): > > Over the years I lost the actual CD but kept the key and I was able to reinstall using other media. Do you mean that you have the key you were physically given, or that you’ve still got a note of the key code? In the latter case, you may be SOL. Better get hunting that CD case! ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430/5 "2009-04-02T13:07:33Z")
I have the key code that was on the envelope ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430/6 "2009-04-02T13:37:31Z")
Have you tried doing an upgrade install? Make sure you slipstream a copy of the install set with SP3. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-microsoft-has-me-locked-out-of-my-pc/491430/7 "2009-04-02T23:37:06Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Have you tried doing an upgrade install? Make sure you slipstream a copy of the install set with SP3. Quartz I will be trying that next.