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Repeatedly Prompted to Complete Activation for Windows XP Media Center Edition After You Enter Product Key

Article ID: 811632 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

During the Windows Product Activation process, you may be prompted repeatedly to enter the product key, and you may not be able to log on to the computer. This problem may occur if you try to activate Windows when you are connected to the Internet, or when you use the telephone automated activation process to contact Microsoft. Additionally, you may not be able to resolve the problem by using the recovery media that is provided by the computer manufacturer to restore the computer to the original shipping configuration.

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RESOLUTION

If you have not yet encountered this problem, you can prevent it from happening by obtaining and installing hotfix 811632. This hotfix is available on the Microsoft Windows Update Web site:

http://update.microsoft.com

(http://update.microsoft.com)

If you encounter this problem and cannot complete Windows Product Activation, contact your computer manufacturer to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

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Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389/EN-US/ )

How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

(http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language. The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Version      Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------
  05-Feb-2003  11:59  5.1.2600.1165  115,200  Dpcdll.dll

Note Do not install this hotfix on a Volume License Media installation of Windows XP. If you do, you will receive the following error message:

A problem is preventing Windows from accuracy checking the license for this computer. Error Code 0x80004005.

If you install this hotfix on a Volume License Media installation of Windows XP, restart in Safe Mode. Only Safe Mode works; Safe Mode with Networking does not work. Then, log on as an administrator, and remove the hotfix.

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

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