Beginning with Windows XP, Microsoft put into place a verification system meant to reduce the amount of piracy of the Windows XP Operating System (OS). Windows Product Verification (WPA) requires users to verify their OS, and if verification fails, the OS ceases to work. Unfortunately, some XP users have discovered their OS being mistakenly rendered useless by WPA, which is why you may be seeking to bypass WPA. Bypassing WPA, while not an easy process, is actually quite possible by editing a registry entry.
Difficulty:ModerateInstructions
1 Click the \"Start\" button. Then click \"Run\" and type in \"regedit\" minus the quotes. Click \"OK\" and the Registry Editor will appear.
2 Scroll through the list of entries and find \"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\WPAEvents.\" Click it once to see what is inside of the entry.
3 Select \"OOBETimer\" within the entry and change the value to \"FF D5 71 D6 8B 6A 8D 6F D5 33 93 FD\" minus the quotes. Hit \"OK\" to confirm the change.
4 Right-click \"WPAEvents\" and select \"Permissions.\" Then click \"System\" and \"Permissions for System.\"
5 Click all the boxes under the \"Deny\" field so that they are all checked. This prevents Windows from re-activating WPA.
6 Click \"OK\" and then exit Registry Editor. WPA will now be disabled. If it is not, simply repeat steps 1 to 4 to re-disable it, which Windows will not be able to reverse now that you've denied the System privileges to change the values
Tips And Warning
Consider contacting Microsoft first before bypassing SP2 WPA activation. In many cases, Microsoft will attempt to help you in verifying your copy of Windows XP so that you don't have to deal with WPA anymore. If they will not help you either via email or phone, then you should bypass the activation using the steps mentioned in this article.
REFERENCE
How to Bypass Windows XP SP2 Activation
How to Reinstall & Activate Windows XP SP2
Reinstalling Windows XP SP2 is a fairly simple process. Windows XP provides users with a half DOS, half GUI setup procedure. The entire process takes approximately 1 hour. Common reasons you may reinstall Windows XP SP2 are to remove a virus, restore to factory settings or clean the computer for another user. The activation process for Windows XP SP2 is extremely straightforward and provides you with two different ways to activate--via phone or Internet.
1 Insert the Windows XP SP2 installation disk into your CD drive.
2 restart your computer. Before the Windows loading screen appears, you should be prompted to press a key to boot from the disk. If not, press either "F12" or "ESC" to open the boot options menu. Choose "CD-ROM" to continue. The boot options key depends on your computer's manufacturer.
3 Press "F8" to agree to the license agreement. Choose the current partition and press "Enter" to install Windows XP SP2. If you have multiple partitions, choose the one on which you currently have Windows XP SP2 installed.
4 Choose to format the partition with the NTFS file system format.
5 Enter your license key, time zone, computer name and network settings during the GUI setup. You will be prompted throughout the 30- to 45-minute setup duration. Wait for the computer to restart before activating.
6 Click the activation reminder bubble when your computer restarts. This will appear in the notification area. Choose whether to activate by phone or Internet. Internet is the quickest and easiest method.
7 Wait to be approved if you chose the Internet method. This should take only 1 to 2 minutes.
If activating by phone, call the number you're given and enter the code the technician gives you.
Restart your computer after activation to be sure your activation completed correctly. You will no longer see the activation reminder if your activation completed.
Tips & Warnings
Complete your activation within 30 days after installation.
Be sure you use the correct license key during the installation process. Otherwise, Windows XP SP2 will not activate.
