StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Right, I installed windows XP on my computer sometime ago, it was a thirty day trial run after which I would have to register it. Now I tried to register it recently via phone (because it wont connect to the internet when I boot it now [because it stops right after the login]) and got jerked around trying to register it with an installation key I got from an (unused) copy I bought online. It was rather annoying especially when the third guy I got transferred to tried to make me do the same thing the first person had me do, and then just stopped talking before he hung up after about a minute. Pissed me off to no end.

So, does anyone have any idea what the problem may be and/or how I should go about rectifying it?

When I've had to activate my copy of XP over the phone in the past:

I loaded up XP.
When it says you've got to activate the product I choose the option of activating over the phone.
Then the computer generates the installation key, a bloody long number, which I had to type into the phone. (I seem to remember reading that this number is based off of the computers current hardware)
Then I got a number back which I had to enter on to the computer, which activated my copy.

So unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean, having this 'installation key' from the unused copy you bought online isn't going to help you activate this copy of Windows.

If you can't get it to activate, the only suggestion I have is to reinstall XP using the version you bought online, remembering to use the product key for that one, and then it should activate ok. Someone else may have a better idea though.