How to Activate Windows XP Without a Genuine Product Key. This wikiHow teaches you how to bypass the trial version of Windows XP, either by using a stock product key or by using software to display your own product key. Note that you should only use the following information if you are unable to activate even though you have a legally-purchased copy of Windows XP. Note: The three methods presented here may need to be used together depending on the situation. Changing the Windows XP Product Key Manually - includes instructions for how to use a stock product key to activate Windows XP. Using the Windows Key Finder - provides the detailed steps to get the product key from your device using Windows Key Finder. Fixing the Windows Activation Loop - is only required if you have already reached the time limit for activation and need to reset the loop. Method One of Three: Changing the Windows XP Product Key Manually Edit. Hold down ⊞ Win and tap R . This will open the "Run" program from which you can access your PC's registry. Type "regedit" into the Run field. Press ↵ Enter . Doing so will launch the Registry Editor tool. Review the options tree on the left side of your screen. You'll need to navigate through several of the folders listed here in order to reach your destination. Since the registry holds most of your computer's sensitive system information, consider clicking File and then Export in the top left corner of your screen to back up your registry before proceeding. Expand the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" folder. Note that you'll need to click the + sign to the left of the folder to expand it--don't click the folder itself. Expand the "SOFTWARE" folder. Each folder you need to expand after this point will be inside of the previous folder (for example, "SOFTWARE" was inside of "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and so on. Restart your computer. You can choose this option from the Start menu, or you can simply hold down your computer's power button until it turns itself off and then press the button again. Tap F8 as soon as your computer logo appears. You'll need to do this during the first time the logo appears after rebooting. Keep tapping F8 until you see the advanced options menu pop up. Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Command Prompt . Starting up your computer in this mode will bypass the Windows activation loop long enough for you to reset the timer for your XP trial. Tap ↵ Enter . You'll need to wait a minute or so for Safe Mode to load. Type " " into the Command Prompt program. Exclude the quotation marks. Tap ↵ Enter . You should see a dialogue window pop up after doing so. You may need to wait for a minute or so before the window comes up. Click Yes . This may also say OK . After doing so, you should notice that your desktop interface is now accessible. Hold down ⊞ Win and tap R . This will bring up the Run tool from which you can complete the fix. Type " syssetup,SetupOobeBnk " without the quotation marks. This command resets the Windows XP trial clock to 30 days. Restart your computer. When your welcome screen finishes loading, you should be able to log in like usual rather than being stuck in the activation loop. How to Install Windows XP. How to Activate Safe Mode on Windows 7. How to Change a Windows XP Product Key. How to Install Windows Vista Ultimate from a Vista Basic Installation Disk. How to Get Safe Mode in Windows XP. How to Check Your Windows Product Key. How to Reset a Windows XP or Vista Password. How to Fix the Volume on Your Computer in Windows. How to Make Windows XP Genuine Forever. How to Install Windows Xp Mode in Windows 7.
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