Hey, I just borrowed Windows XP Pro from a friend, and using the xpkey.exe, I generated a couple of XP pro keys. However, when I try to use these, they return as invalid. The version I borrowed is the academic version, does this change anything? Thanks for your help.

Not all the keys marked as "valid" by the generator will work, im not sure what percentage but it took me 4 valid keys to get one to work on my version.

I'm not sure about academic, but it shouldn't matter as the software should be identical, just on a different discounted price scheme.

Thanks, but does Microsoft track where the product keys come from? And will trying out like 10 wrong keys get their attention?

You did select the right XP pack, e.g. retail?

It might be using a different algorithm as it should work - in which case you should try and get a copy of a full retail or a full corporate *cough*

You cannot use corporate keys on the retail version and vice versa. Furthermore I'd expect the same case applies to both OEM editions and your academic version.

My advice would be to get a copy of the XP Pro corporate edition that is floating around the internet and use the following website to generate your own unique product key that M$ will not disable in SP1:
http://www.labmice.net/WindowsXP/articles/changeID.htm

No because you are selecting "telephone" activation and then entering a custom key. Until XP SP1, Windows XP will not (or at least should not, grin) phone home to verify the product key.

Just BUY XP if you want it you cheap gimps. So much for cleaning up warp2search.

Why don't you mind your own damn business, If people want to get a copy and not a retail cause Microsoft is so expensive and B**l Fu$$ing Gate$ has enough money already. Why the hell worry about what other people do. If not for you KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT> That Simple :evil:

If you *cough* get a *cough* 6 in 1 *cough* version *cough* install a *cough* WPA cracked *cough* version, *cough* no cracks, no problem, *cough* comes with proper *cough* key.

-Larvantholos

Hallo,

ihr habt völlig recht! Bill Gates ist schon so reich, daß es schon unanständig ist. Daher ist völlig legitim, wenn arme Leute Cracks benützen!

Grüße euch,

Master