Paul wrote:
Ian Jackson wrote:
As I haven't done it for some time, and I like to keep my hand in,
I've just tried a virgin XP Home (with SP1a) installation on an old
clunker PC (circa 2001), using an equally old cast-off 40GB HDD.

Needless to say, the path taken seemed to differ somewhat from any
I've ever done before, but after installing SP2 and SP3 from DVD -
plus, for good measure, the unofficial SP4, I was able to manually
install IE8.

In the past, this has allowed me to access the online activation - but
it didn't. The only online updates I have been able to get were three
(when the 'updates available' 'golden shield' appeared immediately
after I upgraded to IE8).

I'm obviously able to access the internet (I've downloaded and
installed Avast and Firefox), but there's no sign of online activation
waking up - and although I've installed Windows Update Agent, plus the
Windows Update I was offered during the update procedure (but not
ActiveX), there's no sign of any of the usual basic updates happening.

So far, I've not attempted to activate by phone (which, I understand,
is automated) - but at this stage in the game, would it make any
difference? Or have MS finally totally screwed up any possibility of
installing XP?

Click Start Run

C:\Windows\System32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a

That's what a Google got me.

*******

Windows Update needs at least one "WGA" style update, before
updates will be offered. There are two WGA items. One installs
a nasty notification thing in the taskbar or similar. The
other has something to do with making Windows Update work
(that likely loads via an automated ActiveX method).

Windows Update didn't always need that, but presumably some
change along the way, includes a need for it. Sorta like
"extra handcuffs".

*******

There is a utility called "mgadiag" which can be
downloaded from Microsoft. That's also a keyword you can
try in a Google search, to locate the activation forum at
Microsoft. As mgadiag.exe would be a main tool they use,
for customers to present information about the install
on their C: drive.

http://forum.thewindowsclub.com/wind...diag-tool.html


Direct download of (some version of) mgadiag.exe .

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012

You shouldn't need this quite yet.

*******

The last time I activated WinXP here (some time ago), I
used a copy of IE8, as the version of IE seemed to be
having trouble with whatever activation code was on
the C: installation and wasn't working properly. I
wouldn't have resorted to IE8 for that, except I wasn't
getting anywhere without it. I didn't try msoobe
at the time.

*******

There is one visitor here, who regularly installs WinXP,
and he'd be the guy for an actual "traffic report". He
could tell you whether something was busted. All his
previous reports have indicated it was working and
that it was "relaxed". The Activation server wasn't
as strict as it was when WinXP was still supported.

Paul
Strange; I recently installed XPSP3 and after a few update/reboot
passed wound up seeing maybe a dozen updates total and no noise WRT
activation.