# xp registration nightmare! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439 "2003-05-30T02:53:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![biker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@biker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biker)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/1 "2003-05-30T02:53:23Z")
installed a friends new computer today using windows xp. he will not be online for another week yet, waiting on broadband hookup. xp had to be registered within 30 days or it shuts down computer. the clock on the computer was two years out of date. we reset the clock to the current date. now the damn xp thinks the 30 days has expired and has shut down the new computer. is there a way out of this nightmare? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/2 "2003-05-30T03:03:44Z")
Set the clock back in the BIOS before the machine boots? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/3 "2003-05-30T03:19:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by biker \* > \*\* > xp had to be registered within 30 days or it shuts down computer. > > \*\* No it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/4 "2003-05-30T03:36:58Z")
I guess I should clarify that. XP pro doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/5 "2003-05-30T03:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*I guess I should clarify that. XP pro doesn’t. \*\* XP pro does, unless you have a corporate number, or a one of the utilitys that bypasses the registration ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/6 "2003-05-30T03:58:13Z")
Nope to both. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/7 "2003-05-30T04:15:37Z")
You can register/activate by phone. Activation is required, registration isn’t. -lv ---
**Author:** ![biker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@biker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biker)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/8 "2003-05-30T04:22:26Z")
yes but unless you are online they can not activate the computer and he will not be online for a week. i do not know how to set clock in bios. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/9 "2003-05-30T04:46:50Z")
They can give you an activation key over the phone. Do you really think they are limiting their pool of XP customers to those people who have internet access? -lv ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/10 "2003-05-30T04:50:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by biker \* > \*\*yes but unless you are online they can not activate the computer \*\* That is incorrect. The activation process will provide you with a phone number to call in case you don’t have Internet access. You tell the person at Microsoft you code number (provided by the activation program), and they’ll give you an activation number to manually type in to activate Windows. You didn’t think that people without Internet access could never use XP, did you? That wouldn’t be smart on Microsoft’s part. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/11 "2003-05-30T06:26:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Nope to both. \*\* If you have an off the shelf, retail version, with a retail number, pro still requires activation. It’s easy to get around, but it still requires it. Hell, I have a nifty little certificate from MS for helping to test the damn product. Ive installed dozens of retail pro that still wanted activation. Use a corporate number, it wont…Which is what I do, just don use the number that came with the XP disk, use a corporate one. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-registration-nightmare/178439/12 "2003-05-30T15:29:07Z")
In the future remember this from XP Home Start:H, support: “Backing up and restoring licenses If you reinstall or upgrade the operating system, you should back up your licenses before reinstalling or upgrading. You should also periodically back up your licenses to a floppy disk in case they should become lost or corrupted.”