Windows 2003 Server Standard - Activation issues

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AMD[H]unter

[H]F Junkie
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Sep 27, 2003
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So I am in a mess here. I have a Windows 2003 Server running at my home, with a legal license. I had this install running on different hardware, and I ghosted it and repaired it, and got it working great. It wanted to activate within 3 days, so I did, and I have been fine....until today. I rebooted for some critical updates, and it came back up and told me it wanted to activate before I logged on. I clicked activate, and it told me it was already activated. What the heck is going on here?
 
AMD[H]unter;1030659745 said:
So I am in a mess here. I have a Windows 2003 Server running at my home, with a legal license. I had this install running on different hardware, and I ghosted it and repaired it, and got it working great. It wanted to activate within 3 days, so I did, and I have been fine....until today. I rebooted for some critical updates, and it came back up and told me it wanted to activate before I logged on. I clicked activate, and it told me it was already activated. What the heck is going on here?
Click to expand...

Just call MS and have them give you another activation key.
 
swatbat said:
Just call MS and have them give you another activation key.
Click to expand...

I can't. It just comes up and says "You must activate before logging on" if I click activate, the activation wizard comes up saying that it's already activated. If I click OK, it logs me off.
 
AMD[H]unter;1030659908 said:
I can't. It just comes up and says "You must activate before logging on" if I click activate, the activation wizard comes up saying that it's already activated. If I click OK, it logs me off.
Click to expand...

Call MS PSS, should be a free call to fix that problem.
 
Since this is a server in your home and not a business mission critical system, you probably could've already completed a repair by the time I'm making this post compared to the time of your first post.

I ran into this issue before, and it just isn't worth the time messing around with it and Microsoft's support unless the server is REALLY mission critical. I just stayed after 2 hours, ran the repair, and when I came in the next morning it was all updated anyway from the WSUS server.
 
So, you are telling me that a repair will "reset" the fucked up activation and I will be able to at least call MS to activate? If it will, I would be all over that when I get home tonight.
 
AMD[H]unter;1030660393 said:
So, you are telling me that a repair will "reset" the fucked up activation and I will be able to at least call MS to activate? If it will, I would be all over that when I get home tonight.
Click to expand...

It should.
 
AMD[H]unter;1030662765 said:
Repair install did not fix my issue. What now?
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I believe that there is a registry key that you can change to deactivate your install. You may be able to do this from safe mode. Then you may be able to re-activate your system.
 
drizzt81 said:
I believe that there is a registry key that you can change to deactivate your install. You may be able to do this from safe mode. Then you may be able to re-activate your system.
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Well, that's the thing....it is thinking it's deactivated already. I will try to look into this.
 
Here's the screens I get:
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After I click OK, it logs me off.
 
Have you called ms yet?

I don't have anything off the top of my head.
 
swatbat said:
Have you called ms yet?

I don't have anything off the top of my head.
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They are no help. I might have to reinstall. I don't want to do this because then I will have to rebuild the domain, permissions, and all kinds of stuff like that.
 
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