"Activate XP"??? Why??

Hi
I've had XP for 5 weeks and it has run without problems until recently. The
boot-up sequence now stops at a new window which says that XP has to be
activated. Then when I say OK, it says it's already activated and loads the
log-on screen. If I click my logo to log on, the machine logs off and
closes down.
What should I do?
Is there a "Safe Mode" in XP to let me try correct things.
Thanks
AT

Hi,

Yes, there is a Safe mode. You can access it by hitting F8 at the point
where the initial power-on ends and Windows begins to load. This will get
you the boot menu where you can select it. Once in, try this:

Start/run regsvr32 regwizc.dll
Then start/run regsvr32 licdll.dll

If this doesn't help try these steps: Start/run regedit. Expand to and
delete the following keys:

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Cryptograph y\Providers
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\Cryptography\Providers

Exit the registry editor, restart normally.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"RustyT" wrote in message
...
Hi
I've had XP for 5 weeks and it has run without problems until recently.
The boot-up sequence now stops at a new window which says that XP has to
be activated. Then when I say OK, it says it's already activated and
loads the log-on screen. If I click my logo to log on, the machine logs
off and closes down.
What should I do?
Is there a "Safe Mode" in XP to let me try correct things.
Thanks
AT