You may have typed in the code correctly, but that doesn't mean that its the right code. There are hidden settings in the installs that differentiate between retail, OEM, volume license, Dell, HP, Gateway, IBM, etc... If you were trying to use an official retail XP CD and trying to activate it with a Dell license, it wouldn't work. Its weird though because when you use Dell/HP/Gateway recovery media, you don't have to enter the key or activate. The recovery media even lets you install on machines that aren't from that company, yet they ask for activation. Something in the bios methinks... but thats a tangent.
Look at the COA (sticker with xxxx-xxxxx-xxxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx-xxx-xxxxxxxx) on it. It'll say Windows XP Professional and then under that it will say Dell/Gateway/HP/OEM/ETC... What ever that says is the type of install media you need to use for that key to work.
[quote name='PlumeNoir']I really just want to punch Microsoft in the left kidney right now.
I was reloading the wife's new laptop with a legit CD and serial of XP and it won't activate - tells me that the product key is invalid. I go through the usual steps to activate it, and it still says invalid. I call MS and after the automated system can't help me, I finally get to some lady. She has me go through the googal digit code activation again and we go round and around about the fact that I am reading the key, correctly, off the bottom of the machine. She then tells me the "cost of a new product key is..." before I finally got loud and snapped, "No! For the THIRD time, I would just like to activate the legit key that I already have!"
There was a lengthy pause and then she says, "Okay, enter the following..."
It would have been seriously easier to do it "the wrong way" - but, since I wanted to be on the up and up, I had to jump through fricking hoops.
Sorry, home alone and I just needed to rant.[/quote]