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My laptop seems to have gone batshit crazy: When I boot it, it says 'You must activate to continue using Windows'. I then click 'Okay', and it says 'Windows is already activated' and drops me back to the login screen. Which isn't much fun, to be honest. I've tried deleting the wpa.dba file in system32, but this doesn't seem to help: anyone got any other ideas of files I can nuke (preferably from the command line, as I obviously can't get into Windows).

Thanks

Sounds like it's time to do a reinstall. If you have any files you need to recover, you need a laptop to standard IDE hard disk adapter and a desktop machine. Remove laptop hard drive, use adapter to slave it to the desktop, boot up and copy the things you need, then just wipe the laptop and reinstall from recovery disks. Trust me, it'll save you a lot of trouble.

Of course, you could try to repair the current Windows install, but backing up the data per above is still a good idea.

Edi

If you recently installed the Windows Genuine Advantage thing, try deleting the LegitCheckControl.dll files in the System and System32 folders. See if that will do anything to help. (It certainly won't hurt, at the very least).

As far as backing up, if you have a Knoppix disk you may be able to backup your files that way rather than having to do a roundabout method if you have no adapters for your hard drive.

Pezzoni wrote:My laptop seems to have gone batshit crazy: When I boot it, it says 'You must activate to continue using Windows'. I then click 'Okay', and it says 'Windows is already activated' and drops me back to the login screen. Which isn't much fun, to be honest. I've tried deleting the wpa.dba file in system32, but this doesn't seem to help: anyone got any other ideas of files I can nuke (preferably from the command line, as I obviously can't get into Windows).

Thanks

Sounds like you used a program to crack Windows activation, and a Windows Update screwed the pooch.

Uraniun235 wrote:Sounds like you used a program to crack Windows activation, and a Windows Update screwed the pooch.

You'd be right on that one... I couldn't be bothered to call and activate as I'd done so too many times in the last few weeks to do it online, so I made an (obviously failed) cracking attempt.

LegitCheckControl.dll is not there - the laptop has been fux0red for some time, so that probably hasn't had oppertunity to install.

Failing any other ideas, I'll format and try again.

Cheers,

Why don't you just buy a legitmate version of windows?

Laird wrote:Why don't you just buy a legitmate version of windows?

Who says he didn't ?

The activation system blows. I'm trying to get XP to run on VMware and it's being a pain because if I don't let it eat all my system resources, it thinks my hardware has changed, so demands a new key.

Laird wrote:Why don't you just buy a legitmate version of windows?

The fact every single copy of Windows in operation in my house (and a lot no longer in use) are legitimate disagrees says no.

Pezzoni wrote:so I made an (obviously failed) cracking attempt.

That right there makes you look guilty of piracy, regardless of whats happening to your CD key you shouldn't be cracking the software. Call MS for technical support.