How to resolve a Windows Genuine Advantage product key or volume license key validation issue

If you encounter a Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) message that there is a problem with the product key or the volume license key for your installation of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista, use one of the following methods to resolve the issue.

APPLIES TO

• Customer Service and Support Information
• Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
• Windows Vista Starter
• Windows Vista Home Basic
• Windows Vista Home Basic N
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Windows Vista Business
• Windows Vista Enterprise
• Windows Vista Ultimate

Windows XP

If you have the original media or the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) with a product key, visit the Compare Product Key Web site for resolution:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/comparekeys.aspx

Or, after validation is unsuccessful at the following Web site, select Update your product key:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/default.mspx

Contact the reseller from whom you purchased the software and request Genuine Windows software. Microsoft can provide a report to help explain the situation to the reseller. If you plan to use this option, visit the following Web site to try validation:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/

• If validation is unsuccessful, select see all options, and then select Go back to your reseller. Next, follow the instructions for returning to your reseller to receive Genuine Windows XP software.

• Purchase a full packaged product (FPP) version of Windows XP from a retailer.

• Microsoft will send a complimentary copy of Windows XP to customers who have been sold a high-quality counterfeit version of Windows XP. You must submit proof of purchase, the counterfeit CD, and a counterfeit report that includes details about the purchase. To obtain more information about the Complimentary WGA Kit and to apply, visit the following Web site to try to validate the software.

After validation is unsuccessful, click Complimentary WGA Kit.

• Purchase the Windows XP Home or Pro WGA Kit online at a reduced price. With this option, a new product key will be e-mailed to you after payment is confirmed. You will also receive the Windows XP CD and media by mail within four to six weeks. The kit will include Windows XP Service Pack 2. When you use the kit, you may have to reinstall the operating system. To purchase the WGA legalization kit, visit the following Web site to validate your software, and then select Buy Now after validation is unsuccessful:

Note No kit is available for Windows XP Media Center Edition.

• If you are confident that you are using Genuine Windows software and that you need more help, visit one of the following Web sites to contact WGA Technical Support:

           http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=52029

           http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx

Click Select a product, and then select Windows Genuine Advantage.


Windows Vista

First, verify that your software was installed by using the correct product key. If an incorrect product key may have been used, try to update the product key, and then try to validate again. To update the product key, try to validate the software by visiting the following Web site:

    http://www.microsoft.com/genuinesupport

Select Validate Now. After validation is unsuccessful, follow the instructions to update your product key and validate again.

The following options are available when Genuine Windows Vista validation is unsuccessful:

• Contact the reseller from whom you purchased the software and request Genuine Windows software.

• Purchase a full packaged product (FPP) version of Windows Vista from a retailer.

          PURCHASE FROM US

Obtain technical support. In rare cases, technical support may be needed to identify and resolve your validation issue. To determine the best technical support option for your issue, visit us at
          Technical Support

How to restore Windows XP to a previous state

This article describes how to use the System Restore tool to return your computer to a previous state. System Restore takes "snapshots" of critical system files and some program files and registry settings and stores this information as restore points. If your computer is not functioning correctly, you can use these restore points to return Windows XP to a previous state when your computer was functioning correctly. It can also change scripts, batch files, and other kinds of executable files on your computer.


This article is for a beginning to intermediate computer user.

Note System Restore does not affect personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos. You can only restore files that you have deleted if you have made backups of those files.

How to use System Restore to restore Windows XP to a previous state

Note To perform System Restore, you must be logged on to Windows as an administrator. If this is your personal computer, you are likely already logged on with an administrator account. If this is a computer that is part of a network at work, you might have to ask the system administrator for help.
 
 
To use System Restore to restore Windows XP to a previous state, follow these steps:


1. Log on to Windows as Administrator.

2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.

3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.

4. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next.

Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.

5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.

6. Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page is displayed.

7. Click OK.
 
If you successfully restored your computer to a previous state, and the computer is performing as it should be, you are finished.


If the restore process completed successfully but the computer is still not performing as you want, go to the "How to undo a system restoration after you perform a System Restore" section. If you received an error message and the restore process did not finish, or if you cannot run System Restore, go to the "Next Steps" section.

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from Starting

Manual steps to recover a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting

The procedure that this article describes uses Recovery Console and System Restore. This article also lists all the required steps in specific order to make sure that the process is fully completed. When you finish this procedure, the system returns to a state very close to the state before the problem occurred. If you have ever run NTBackup and completed a system state backup, you do not have to follow the procedures in parts two and three. You can go to part four.

Part one

In part one, you start the Recovery Console, create a temporary folder, back up the existing registry files to a new location, delete the registry files at their existing location, and then copy the registry files from the repair folder to the System32\Config folder. When you have finished this procedure, a registry is created that you can use to start Windows XP. This registry was created and saved during the initial setup of Windows XP. Therefore any changes and settings that occurred after the Setup program was finished are lost.

To complete part one, follow these steps:

1.  Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.

Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.

2.  When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.

3.  If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.

4.  When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.

5.  At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:

md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system
- c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software
- c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam
- c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security
- c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default
- c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system
- c:\windows\system32\config\system

copy c:\windows\repair\software
- c:\windows\system32\config\software

copy c:\windows\repair\sam
- c:\windows\system32\config\sam

copy c:\windows\repair\security
- c:\windows\system32\config\security

copy c:\windows\repair\default
- c:\windows\system32\config\default

6.  Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.

Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step five, and then create a text file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:

   batch regcopy1.txt

With the batch command in Recovery Console, you can process all the commands in a text file sequentially. When you use the batch command, you do not have to manually type as many commands.

Part two

To complete the procedure described in this section, you must be logged on as an administrator, or an administrative user (a user who has an account in the Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.

Note Print these instructions before you continue. You cannot view these instructions after you restart the computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system, also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article KB309531. Step 7 contains a reference to the article.

1.  Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).

2.  Press the F8 key.

On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.

4.  If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the arrow keys to select the installation that you want to access, and then press ENTER.

In part two, you copy the registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is generally not visible during typical usage. Before you start this procedure, you must change several settings to make the folder visible:

1.  Start Windows Explorer.

2.  On the Tools menu, click Folder options.

3.  Click the View tab.

4.  Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.

5.  Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.

6. Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to display a list of the folders. If is important to click the correct drive.

7.  Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder.

Note This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}".

Note You may receive the following error message:
_____________________________________________________
|  C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.   |
8.  Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RPx under this folder. These are restore points.

9.  Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder. The following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:

C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot

10. From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder:

_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM

11. Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows:

Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM
Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM

These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file that the Setup program created, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. Therefore, it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time.

The current system configuration is not aware of the previous restore points. You must have a previous copy of the registry from a previous restore point to make the previous restore points available again.

The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in the C:\Windows folder are moved to make sure that the files are available under Recovery Console. You must use these files to replace the registry files currently in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. By default, Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot copy files from the System Volume folder.

Note The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system. For more information about how to access the System Volume Information Folder with the NTFS file system.
Part Three

In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:

1.  Start Recovery Console.

2.  At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:

del c:\windows\system32\config\sam
del c:\windows\system32\config\security 
del c:\windows\system32\config\software 
del c:\windows\system32\config\default 
del c:\windows\system32\config\system 
copy c:\windows\tmp\software c:\windows\system32\config\software

copy c:\windows\tmp\system c:\windows\system32\config\system 
copy c:\windows\tmp\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam 
copy c:\windows\tmp\security c:\windows\system32\config\security 
copy c:\windows\tmp\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

Note Some of these command lines may be wrapped for readability.

Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts.

Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step two, and then create a text file called "Regcopy2.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:

batch regcopy2.txt

Part Four

1.  Click Start, and then click All Programs.

2.  Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.

3.  Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous RestorePoint.

Black Startup Screen

Black startup screen is briefly displayed and your computer restarts repeatedly when you try to start Windows XP

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to start Microsoft Windows XP, the black startup screen may be briefly displayed, and then your computer restarts repeatedly.
 
 
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if the following conditions exist:

A fatal system error (STOP error) causes the computer to stop.

The Automatically restart option is selected under System failure in the Startup and Recovery dialog box in System Properties.

The Windows XP paging file is smaller than the amount of physical memory that is installed on the computer, or there is insufficient free space on the hard disk to write the error dump file (Memory.dmp).

Windows XP may encounter a problem during startup that results in a STOP error message. Depending on the system configuration, the blue screen may not be displayed long enough for you to record the error information.
 
 
RESOLUTION

To work around this issue, alter the startup process so that you can gather important information about the STOP error message. To do this, use the following methods in the order in which they are presented.

NOTE: Before you attempt these workarounds, try to restart your computer in safe mode. This may allow you to troubleshoot the STOP error message.


Method 1

Try to replace the registry hives from the repair directory by using the Recovery Console, and then restore the system to a current state with System Restore.

For additional information about how to restore the registry
click How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevent Windows XP from Starting

Method 2

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.


1. Install Windows XP to a different folder.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. Browse to the following registry subkey:

       - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

5. On the File menu, click Load Hive.
6. Navigate to the System file in the original Windows XP installation location.
       - By default, the System file is stored in the following location:
                %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\System

7.Type an arbitrary name when you are prompted for a key name in the Load Hive dialog box.
        - The original HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive is loaded as a subkey of the current key.

8. In the arbitrary name key (where arbitrary name is the name that you assigned the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key from the original Windows installation), browse to the following registry subkey:

        - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CrashControl

9. In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click AutoReboot.

10.In the Value data box, type 0 (zero), and then click OK.

11.Click the minus sign to collapse the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry subkey.

12.On the File menu, click Unload Hive.
13.On the File menu, click Exit.

This disables the Automatically restart option in the original Windows XP installation. After you follow these steps, you may be able to gather information from the STOP error message and resolve the problem that prevents the computer from starting.


Method 3

Another workaround may be necessary if the minimum size of the paging file is set to a value less than the amount of physical memory. Windows XP requires a paging file on the system drive large enough to hold all physical memory plus 1 megabyte (MB), in order to write debugging information. You can modify the PagingFiles value of the original installation so that the dump file can be created by the STOP error message. Enough free disk space must be available on the system drive for the paging file.


To change the PagingFiles value in the System file in the original Windows XP installation location, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.

3. Browse to the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

4. On the File menu, click Load Hive.

5. Navigate to the System file in the original Windows XP installation location. By default, this is stored in  the following location:

%SystemRoot%\System32\Config\System

6. Type an arbitrary name when you are prompted for a key name in the Load Hive dialog box.

This loads the original HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive as a subkey of the current key.

7. In the arbitrary name key (where arbitrary name is the name that you assigned the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key from the original Windows installation), browse to the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

8. In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click PagingFiles.

9. In the Value data box, edit the first numeric value after c:\pagefile.sys (where c: is the drive on which the pagefile is stored) to increase it to a number that is at least 1 MB greater than the amount of physical memory in the computer.

NOTE: Do not type a number that is greater than the amount of free hard disk space on the computer.

For example, the following value displays a minimum paging file size of 130 MB and a maximum paging file size of 256 MB.

    c:\pagefile.sys 130 256

10.Click OK.

11.Browse to the following location in the registry hive that you loaded from the original Windows installation:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CrashControl

12.In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click CrashDumpEnabled.

13.Type 1 (one) in the Value data box if it is not already present, and then click OK.

14.Click the minus sign to collapse the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry subkey.

15.On the File menu, click Unload Hive.

16.On the File menu, click Exit.

17.Attempt to start the original Windows XP installation. When the STOP error occurs, the memory dump information will be stored in the paging file.

18.Restart the computer and select the parallel installation of Windows XP. This allows the dump file to be created and you may be able to use the information to resolve the problem that causes the STOP error message in the original installation.

NOTE: The dump file is saved in the %SystemRoot%\Memory.dmp file, where %SystemRoot% is the parallel installation system folder.

19.Click Start, right click My Computer, and then click Properties.

20.Click the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.

21.Click to clear the Automatically restart check box, click OK, and then click OK again.

22.Restart the computer. When you attempt to shut down the computer, the exact message should be displayed.


Method 4

Upon restart, use the new boot option Disable automatic restart on system failure. If this option is selected, you can get the STOP error codes and then continue accordingly.

Computer Failure / Repair Topics, KL, Malaysia

Blank Screen When You Start Your Computer

SYMTOMS

• When you start your computer, you may see a blank screen with a white dot in the upper-left corner of the screen.

CAUSE

• This issue may occur if you are using an Accelerated Graphic Port (AGP) video adapter but your AGP slot has not been configured to accept the video adapter.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem:


NOTE: To complete the following steps, you must have a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) video adapter.

WARNING: Internal computer components may be damaged by static electricty, use of too much force for removal or insertion, or the use of inappropriate tools. If you are not very familiar with computer hardware installation, Microsoft recommends that you contact a qualified technician for repair of internal computer components.

1. Shut down your computer, and then unplug it from the wall socket.
2. Open your computer case, and then remove the AGP video adapter.
3. Insert the PCI video adapter card into the first available PCI slot.
4. IMPORTANT: You may have to change your computer BIOS in this step. Do not do so unless you are very familiar with BIOS changes.

Make sure that your computer BIOS is configured to use the PCI video adapter before the AGP video adapter. You may have to change the VGA BIOS sequence (PCI/AGP) in your computer BIOS. When you do this, you change the video adapter that is used as the primary video adapter. The PCI bus is typically enumerated before the AGP bus. Because of this, the PCI video adapter is designated as the primary video adapter. For more information about how to change the VGA BIOS sequence, contact your computer manufacturer or read your computer documentation.

After you start your computer, obtain and install Windows drivers for your AGP video adapter. For information about how to do so, read your video adapter documentation, or contact the manufacturer of your video adapter. After you have configured the AGP video adapter, you can safely remove the PCI video adapter.