I have a computer that I use mostly for games. To keep it running as fast as I can, I format and reinstall Windows XP quite often.

Lately, I’ve come across a problem. The last few times I’ve formatted I’ve tried to reactivate Windows XP and got a message that it’s been activated too many times. I have to ring Microsoft and go through a load of rot to convince them that my Windows XP is legitimate to reactivate it. That’s a pain, so is there any way that I can make Windows think it’s already activated?

The PC hasn’t changed at all, so why should I have to go through all that?

Thanks for your help,

Speedfreak Postlethwaite, Grogans Hollow, VIC

Heh heh…….

I gotta say it. You need to be reported to the ‘Society for the Prevention of Extreme Cruelty to Windows’ if you need to format THAT often! But yeah, I know. Quite a few people are fastidious about keeping their games PC fresh, new, and in tip-top shape. You’re one of many, and this is a problem which has confronted many people before you.

The resolution of it isn’t too difficult, actually. Follow this procedure, and you’ll ‘trick’ Windows into thinking it’s already activated. You need to do some preparation BEFORE you format, and you need to ensure that you don’t use the ‘Activate’ feature after you install. The procedure will ONLY work on PC's that retain the identical hardware configuration after they are formatted. It will NOT work for transferring a Windows installation to another PC!

• Ensure that ‘Folder options’ is set to display Hidden files and that Filename Extensions are on view
• Using ‘My Computer’, navigate to the \WINDOWS\system32 folder on the drive or partition where you have Windows XP installed.
• Locate the files ‘wpa.dbl’ and ‘wpa.bak’ and copy them to floppy disk, CD, or a partition which is not going to be formatted during the installation.
• Perform the format/install, and ensure that you choose “No” to any request for you to Activate Windows.
• Reboot into ‘Safe Mode’
• Navigate to the \WINDOWS\system32 folder again and locate the two files mentioned above. (wpa.bak may not exist, and you can ignore it if that is the case.)
• Rename the files to ‘wpadbl.new’ and ‘wpabak.new’. The names aren’t mandatory, but those will help identify them if you need to later.
• Copy your original ‘wpa.dbl’ and ‘wpa.bak’ files into the \WINDOWS\system32 folder. (If you’ve saved them to CD first, check ‘Properties’ for each file after you place the file into the directory. Ensure its attributes are not set to ‘read-only’)
• Reboot again and your Windows installation should be activated for you.

Quite a simple and straightforward procedure really. If you’re a ‘serial formatter’ you’ll probably find use for it quite soon. For the rest of us, however, Windows Product Activation isn’t really a nuisance at all.

Cheers,

Barry O'Shanassy