BIG problem! help!

C

colinseven8

New Member
hey guys,

sorry, i wasn't quite sure where to post this question, cuz it kinda deals with lots of computer issues :) forgive me if i should have put this somewhere else!

my problem is this:

i just replaced my motherboard (ASUS M2N-VM) and installed a AMD dualcore 4400+...everything went fine, but when i went to start it up, it asked me to activate windows.

i went to do that, but i had no internet connection. after nearly 7 hours of trying to figure out the problem (did all the driver updates, did all the bios stuff i could, etc), and i still couldn't get past the orange light on my onboard ethernet.

i just went and bought a D-Link DGE-530T, hoping it was just a bad onboard part. now i've got the right drivers, etc, and the light is green and flickering on the card. i go to activate windows...still no connection to their server. the same problem as before!

i've been in windows safe mode w/ command prompt because i can't even get into regular safe mode cuz it says i need to activate windows but can't do that in safe mode. i just found a list of commands like "devmgmt.dsc" and others that could help me out, and thought i had it solved when i found the command for internet connection wizard, etc.

still nothing. "unable to establish a connection with the activation server" blahblahblah.

i can't seem to get ANYWHERE! anyone with any helpful tips before i literally pull out all my hair???

anything you've got would be appreciated!!!

colin
 
For simply seeing Windows activated until you can get online for all of the updates and in general you can choose between running Windows as is for the first 30days or call MS directly and follow the operator's instructions by reading off the 8 sets of 5digit combinations. The operator then gives you a new set you type in.
 
i just called microsoft...no luck on the activation because my copy of XP came pre-installed on my system with no physical copy. unless there's a way to find that activation number elsewhere, i'm hooped!
 
colinseven8 said:
i just called microsoft...no luck on the activation because my copy of XP came pre-installed on my system with no physical copy. unless there's a way to find that activation number elsewhere, i'm hooped!
Click to expand...

You don't have the number!? Well the internet connection is useless without the number...

Try reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows, the drivers on that hard drive from the old mobo are not gonna work to get an internet connection with the new one. So try from there...
 
Once the activation wizard is opened you can choose the contact by phone option that will bring up the screen seen in Figure D at http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6346-1055658.html

This should still come up even on the prebuild since the replacement board was a major swapout there. When the board was replaced here Vista was simply reactivated while XP was reinstalled all over. The dealer would be the one that could help on tracking down the original number as well as ordering a recovery disk.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think his problem is that he's swapping the motherboard on a pre-built system that came with Windows installed.
 
And that's why you go back to the dealer for the original information. The paperwork that came with the system should also see the serial number for the system there. But the dealer has to keep the record of sale on every system sold. Once you have that information try calling MS again or see if you can get a recovery disk.
 
"You can usually find this taped somewhere on your computer (sometimes on the underside or back of the computer)." http://www.howtohaven.com/system/createwindowssetupdisk.shtml

That came from an article on how to create a recovery disk on a system with Windows preinstalled. For product information including the serial number the dealer has to maintain records of sales on prebuilds. That should also be on the paperwork that came with the system there. The article above applies to XP only.
 
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