Windows Activation Nightmare

[mortstar]

I'm having a real problem with one machine in a room of 20.

 

This started happening over summer, but only now have I had chance to sit down and try and sort this machine out.

 

I use ghost to image here. All the machines in the room are identical and 19 out of 20 machines image fine and run perfectly. However one machine always comes up with an activation problem.

 

Every time the computer is restarted the message comes up "A problem has prevented Windows from accurately checking the status of the license for this computer. To proceed your copy of Windows must be activated with Microsoft. Do you want to activate now?". After completing the activation process with either a Volume Licensing Key or the COA on top of the machine, the process completes and XP starts up and works fine.

 

Once the machine is restarted though the whole thing happens again. I'm pulling my hair out! arghhhhh

 

Any help greatly appreciated

[mattx]

I would GDISK the PC first manually, I would also remove any DNS entries of the PC - [ I take it you are running DNS on a 200 / 2003 server ? ]

I would also delete the PC from the stations OU.

I would then build the PC again using Ghost. I take it the images are syspreped ?

You state that all the PCs are identical in the room. Have you done the basic PD and changed the HD from a know working PC into the bad one ?

Have you tried the PC on a different network port ?

After all that, then I would re-build the PC manually [ a pain I know ] - install the drivers etc etc and see what happens then....

Does sound a little strange - not seen this problem so my advice may not be relevant. Still nothing like a good problem to get your teeth in to....

[GeeDee]

Running OEM or volume licensed copy of XP?

[tosca925]

I have had the exact same issue, WE RIS all our machines and I have had 20 of these done on one type of image and I have had one machine keep playing up. We re-imaged it twice and it still kept doing it, if a Admin logged in it was fine if the machine was rebooted and the user tried to log it it had the same problem.

 

One of our techs did a reg hack on it and its been fine since, I'll have a word and try and find out what he did.

[tosca925]

THere is a similar post here

 

http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5453

[ChrisH]

See if your county has some kind of select agreement so you can use the select media and key on your PCs saves alot of hassle. You still ahve to have the licences in the first place mind.

[mattx]

THere is a similar post here

 

Oh yes, I forgot I offered a naughty way round that !!