Because of
changes in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows XP-based
computers that use a leaked product key that is known to be
available to the general public may not be able to install SP1 or
automatically obtain updates from the Windows Update Web site. For
example, you may experience the symptoms that are described in the
following Microsoft Knowledge Base article when you install
SP1:
326904 Error
Message: The Product Key Used to Install Windows Is Invalid
There are two
methods that you can use to change the product key with volume
licensing media after installation. You can use either the Windows
Activation Wizard graphical user interface (GUI) or a Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI) script.
The easier
method to use is the Use the Activation Wizard method. Use this
method when you only have a few computers on which to change the
product key. The Use a Script method is best when you have a number
of computers on which you have to change the product key.
Method #1: Use the Activation
Wizard
If you have
only a few volume licensing product keys to change, you can use the
Activation Wizard.
Note: Microsoft recommends that you
run System Restore to create a new restore point before you complete
the following steps:
-
Click
Start, and then click Run.
-
In the Open
box, type regedit, and then click OK.
-
In the left
pane, locate and then click the following registry key:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current
Version\WPAEvents
-
In the
right pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
-
Change at
least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows.
-
Click
Start, and then click Run.
-
In the Open
box, type the following command, and then click OK.
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe
/a
-
Click Yes,
I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate
Windows, and then click Next.
-
Click
Change Product key.
-
Type the
new product key in the New key boxes, and then click Update. If
you are returned to the previous window, click Remind me later,
and then restart the computer.
-
Repeat
steps 6 and 7 to verify that Windows is activated. You receive the
following message:
Windows
is already activated. Click OK to exit.
-
Click
OK.
-
Install SP1
for Windows XP.
If you cannot
restart Windows after you install SP1, press F8 when you restart the
computer, select Last Known Good Configuration, and then repeat this
procedure.
Method #2: Use a Script
You can
create a WMI script that changes the volume licensing product key,
and then deploy this script in a startup script. The sample
ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script and the sample ChangeVLKeySP1 script that
are described in this section use the new volume licensing key that
you want to enter, in its five-part alphanumeric form, as a single
argument. Microsoft recommends that you use the ChangeVLKey2600.vbs
script on Windows XP-based computers that are not running SP1 and
that you use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script on Windows XP-based
computers that are running SP1. These scripts perform the following
functions:
-
They remove
the hyphen characters (-) from the five-part alphanumeric product
key.
-
They create
an instance of the win32_WindowsProductActivation class.
They
call the SetProductKey method with the new volume licensing
product key.
You can
create a batch file or a CMD file that uses either of the following
sample scripts, together with the new product key as an argument,
and either deploy it as part of a startup script or run it from the
command line to change the product key on a single computer.
ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs
'
' WMI
Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs
'
' This script changes the product
key on the
computer
'
'***************************************************************************
ON
ERROR RESUME NEXT
if Wscript.arguments.count<1
then
Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey
argument"
Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs
ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX"
Wscript.quit
end
if
Dim VOL_PROD_KEY
VOL_PROD_KEY =
Wscript.arguments.Item(0)
VOL_PROD_KEY =
Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any
for
each Obj in
GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf
("win32_WindowsProductActivation")
result =
Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY)
if err <> 0
then
WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" &
Hex(Err.Number)
Err.Clear
end
if
Next
ChangeVLKey2600.vbs
'
' WMI
Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs
'
' This script changes the product
key on the
computer
'
'***************************************************************************
ON
ERROR RESUME NEXT
if Wscript.arguments.count<1
then
Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey
argument"
Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs
ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX"
Wscript.quit
end
if
Dim VOL_PROD_KEY
VOL_PROD_KEY =
Wscript.arguments.Item(0)
VOL_PROD_KEY =
Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any
Dim
WshShell
Set WshShell =
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.RegDelete
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents\OOBETimer" 'delete OOBETimer registry
value
for each Obj in
GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf
("win32_WindowsProductActivation")
result =
Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY)
if err <> 0
then
WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" &
Hex(Err.Number)
Err.Clear
end
if
Next
Example
The following
example describes how to use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script from a
command line:
-
Click
Start, and then click Run.
-
In the Open
box, type the following command, where
AB123-123AB-AB123-123AB-AB123 is the new product key that you want
to use, and then click OK:
c:\changevlkeysp1.vbs
ab123-123ab-ab123-123ab-ab123
