Sep 26, 2018 Microsoft uses product activation to reduce a form of piracy known as 'casual copying' or 'softlifting.' Casual copying occurs when people share software in a way that violates the Microsoft Software License Terms. For example, when a person buys Windows XP, that copy of Windows XP is primarily licensed for use on a single computer.
This post is all about Windows XP product key. You can check the list of working keys here. Morevover, uou will learn how to activate Windows XP with the key. How to change the key if you have Windows XP already installed. Lastly, how to activate Windows XP without a key.
Our topics
- 3 Where is your Windows XP product key?
- 4 Do you need a Windows XP 32-bit or 64-bit key?
- 7 How to activate Windows XP without a key
Windows XP Operating system
Windows XP is an operating system created by Microsoft in 2001. Soon after its release, it became the most widely used personal operating system in the world.
Even today, it has thousands of users, despite the fact that Microsoft stopped providing support in 2011. There are no new updates available for this operating system.
You can’t update your Windows system by using a Windows XP serial key. If you’re still using this version of Windows, your system will work just fine, but it may cause some security issues on your computer.
Still, if you’re searching for a Windows XP product key, you have landed on the right page. Windows XP activation keys aren’t easy to find these days, but we have some working keys here. Try your luck with any of the free Windows XP keys found below.
Do you need a serial key to install Windows XP?
Windows XP has two types of licensing agreements.
1. VOL (Volume Licensing for Organization)
2. VLK (Volume Licensing Key)
If you have a copy of the Windows XP CD/DVD and you notice “VOL” written on it, you don’t need a Windows XP product key. You can install your copy of Windows without providing a serial key.
On the other hand, if “VLK” is written on your Windows CD/DVD, you have a retail edition of the operating system. You need to provide your genuine Windows XP product key to install the operating system.
Where is your Windows XP product key?
If you have the original Windows XP CD/DVD, the serial key is written on the box. If you can’t locate it on the CD/DVD or you don’t have the original CD/DVD, you won’t be able to find it easily.
Manually locating the Windows XP product key is nearly impossible because of the various encryptions that Microsoft uses. Therefore, your only options are the following.
Extract it using a key finder program
The first method to find the Windows XP product key is to use a key finder program. For this method to work, you need to install your copy of Windows on your computer using a stock key. Once Windows boots, you can follow the instructions below.
1. Download a key finder here
2. Install the program on Windows XP
3. Run the program and click on the “Find Serial Number” button
4. The program will display the serial number on the screen
5. Write down this serial number
Use a free Windows XP serial key
If you can’t find your serial key using the above method — or maybe you just don’t want to install a shady app on your PC — you can use a free Windows XP product key.
This method is simple, as you only need to scroll down and copy a serial key to proceed with the installation of Windows.
Do you need a Windows XP 32-bit or 64-bit key?
Should you use a serial key for Windows XP 32-bit or 64-bit edition? I know it’s a troubling question. Read the detailed answer below.
Windows XP was released for both 32-bit and 64-bit computers.
The bits (32 or 64) refer to your CPU’s architecture. If you have a 32-bit processor, you can only install a 32-bit operating system – Windows XP 32-bit, in this case. If you have a 64-bit processor, your CPU can handle a larger amount of memory and you should install the Windows XP 64-bit version.
When Windows XP launched, the majority of PCs were using 32-bit hardware. It meant that 90% of computers were equipped to run a 32-bit operating system at that time. However, you might have a 64-bit edition of Windows XP running on your PC.
To find out which version of Windows your computer is running, follow these steps.
1. Click on the Start button in Windows
2. Open System from the Start menu
3. Right-click on Computer and click on Properties
4. Now go to the System tab
5. Here you can see the system type
Note the version of Windows your computer is running from this screen.
Windows XP Product Key 32-bit
KLSDJ-FERIO-UT843-U8JF8-43Y84
93UJF-KDSIU-YT78Y-SDKJF-IOEWJ
FIOSD-FUHY7-ERTY7-843UR-OEJFK
DSHFG-8734Y-78927-4932J-FKJSD
FVHER-UIYT7-84358-93047-48294
2307T-78436-YKJDF-SLHNV-JKSDH
JKSDH-FGSDH-FKJSD-MNF32-98784
79Y5F-I34QY-65784-30UJR-DKSDG
OUI8W-Y3458-7934R-UREJG-KPWER
UIT89-0432U-Y0UTD-JSMCF-KLASD
HIUWE-Y4I78-34U5T-98234-U782T
XW6Q2-MP4HK-GXFK3-KPGG4-GM36T
T44H2-BM3G7-J4CQR-MPDRM-BWFWM
DTWB2-VX8WY-FG8R3-X696T-66Y46
MQPD6-C748R-FMRV6-8C3QK-79THJ
DW3CF-D7KYR-KMR6C-3X7FX-T8CVM
RBDC9-VTRC8-D7972-J97JY-PRVMG
BJXGH-4TG7P-F9PRP-K6FJD-JQMPM
F4297-RCWJP-P482C-YY23Y-XH8W3
MRX3F-47B9T-2487J-KWKMF-RPWBY
QC986-27D34-6M3TY-JJXP9-TBGMD
R7Q3G-CHTW9-CCQV9-G7DX6-RVTDY
KG7G9-67KHV-4FQKV-4DYXK-BHQTJ
VF4HT-MPWB8-TWV6R-K6QM4-W6JCM
M68XC-TX2C9-PKK8H-GP8JH-RC8XB
KYKVX-86GQG-2MDY9-F6J9M-K42BQ
C873T-F3X3M-9F6TR-J26GM-YTKKD
F4G2M-BH2JF-GTGJW-W82HY-VMRRQ
K72PX-D96QW-RCHB9-3P96F-YQBCY
GYFDM-KCXHW-6GFGQ-JQ9FH-B4TRY
P2BXT-D7Y8P-F6WF2-HYXYP-49TJD
JQ4T4-8VM63-6WFBK-KTT29-V8966
RH6M6-7PPK4-YR86H-YFFFX-PW8M8
Windows XP Product Key for SP3
9HFGJ-KERJT-IOQ73-8YR78-93UT5
JKJIF-YUQEW-786DM-NBDSH-GUIRE
TQ23P-98R87-89340-83QOI-WEJF8
DFHNG-RGTFR-89T57-6983P-UROFD
SJHGL-IUWRT-89023-48HR4–U4938
WHTKJL-RDHF8-7TG64-5ES42-76RY4
23YU7-65RK0-HEVJK-SDAGI-OP265
Windows XP Product Key 64-bit
XP8BF-F8HPF-PY6BX-K24PJ-TWT6M
XJM6Q-BQ8HW-T6DFB-Y934T-YD4YT
CD87T-HFP4C-V7X7H-8VY68-W7D7M
CCMWP-99T99-KCY96-FGKBW-F9WJT
DMC3M-2PD9R-9F8RY-KCKYC-JPXWM
KJTHV-V4BVY-6R9JK-YJM7X-X7FDY
GWH28-DGCMP-P6RC4-6J4MT-3HFDY
DW87C-76RXP-LLK6C-3FJ2J-2908F
DRYCH-Q9RY7-YH62D-K98QM-KCGQ8
CM3HY-26VYW-6JRYC-X66GX-JVY2D
2QQ6J-HGXY3-VGH23-HYQDC-BYR2D
MFBF7-2CK8B-93MDB-8MR7T-4QRCQ
QHYXK-JCJRX-XXY8Y-2KX2X-CCXGD
K2CXT-C6TPX-WCXDP-RMHWT-V4TDT
HCQ9D-TVCWX-X9QRG-J4B2Y-GR2TT
HH7VV-6P3G9-82TWK-QKJJ3-MXR96
F4297-RCWJP-P482C-YY23Y-XH8W3
How to Use Windows XP Home and Professional Product Keys
To use a Windows XP product key from above, follow the easy steps below.
1. Click on the Start button
2. Right-click on Computer and go to Properties
3. At the bottom, click on Windows Activation
4. Now you’ll have an option to change the Windows XP Professional product key
5. Click on this option and enter your Windows XP product key
6. Wait for the wizard to complete the activation process
Although the keys above work like a charm, we recommend that you don’t use Windows XP these days.
It’s not updated, and therefore your PC will be vulnerable to hackers and viruses. Your data could be at risk if you operate your computer using Windows XP.
If you insist, go ahead and use any free Windows XP product key. These are 100% working keys, as we regularly update our listings here at iTechGyan.
How to change a Windows XP product key
Sometimes you may want to change your Windows XP product key after you have installed it. Follow the easy steps below to change the serial key.
1. Click on the Start button in Windows XP and click on Run
2. Type “Regedit” when the Run dialogue box appears
3. Now the registry editor will open
4. Go to path Hkey_Local_machineSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersionWPAEvents and open the registry key
5. Now right-click on OOBETimer, which you can see under the registry key, and click on Modify
6. You will see a value
7. Make a change in any digit and click on OK
8. Now click on Start again and open Run
9. Type “%systemroot%system32oobemsoobe.exe/a” in the Run box and press Enter
10. A screen with the title “Let’s activate Windows” will appear
11. Select “Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to active Windows”
12. Now you will have an option to change the Windows XP product key
13. Type the new product key
14. Restart your PC for the new key to take effect
How to activate Windows XP without a key
It’s possible that none of the keys above are working for you. But there is a solution. Thankfully, you can install and then activate Windows XP without using a key. Here’s how to do it.
1. Click on the Start button in Windows
2. Now open the Run dialogue box
3. Type “Regedit” and hit Enter
4. Once the registry editor pops up, expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE entry
5. Open SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > WPAEvents located under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
6. Once you’ve opened the WPAEvents registry entry, you will see the OOBETimer in the right panel
7. Double-click OOBETimer to change its value
Microsoft Windows Xp Activation Key
8. Highlight all values and delete them
9. Enter the new value:
FF D5 71 D6 8B 6A 8D 6F D5 33 93 FD
10. Click OK
11. Now right-click on WPAEvents and click on Permissions
12. Once the Permissions window appears, click on the SYSTEM tab and click “Deny Full Control“
13. Now click OK, followed by YES on the next screen, and exit the registry editor
14. Restart Windows
15. After it restarts, press the Start button and bring up the Run dialogue box
16. Enter “%system” to bring up system information
17. Notice that your copy of Windows XP is now activated without using a Windows XP product key
We hope this article was useful. We update Windows XP keys regularly. If some of the keys aren’t working at this time, come back later for updated serial key lists.
Petr is a serial tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Apro Software, a machine learning company. Whenever he’s not blogging about technology for itechgyan.com or softwarebattle.com, Petr enjoys playing sports and going to the movies. He’s also deeply interested about mediation, Buddhism and biohacking.
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I ran a repair on XP and after the repair I got a message saying that I needed to activate windows before I can log in.Choosing 'No' would send be back to the login screen and choosing 'Yes' would begin to load Windows, but only as far as showing me the desktop with no icons.
I was able to fix this problem by starting the PC in safe mode with command prompt. I then typed 'explorer' into the command prompt to load Windows. Next I clicked on 'Start' - 'Run' and in the 'Run' box I typed
'Rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk'. This extended my activation to 30 days. Even though this extended my activation period, I was still unable to get the activation program to start up.
Microsoft Windows Xp Activation Online
I fixed that by going into 'regedit' and searching for the 'wpaevents' folder. I then changed the permissions to include 'User' for 'Full control'. I also went to my c: drive and changed the permissions to include 'User', 'Administrator', and 'System' for 'Full control'. I rebooted the machine and then was able to run Windows activation.
I got all my info from:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/55233-45-msoobe
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-security/this-copy-of-windows-must-be-activated-before-you/387f3367-5fc4-4aa1-937d-6788a626029d
6 Steps total
Step 1: Start the PC into Safe mode with command prompt
Power on the PC and press F8 right before Windows begins to load. Select 'Safe mode with command prompt'
Step 2: Run Explorer from the Command prompt to start Windows
Once the Command prompt loads, type in 'explorer' to start Windows within Safe mode.
Step 3: Run 'Rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk' from the 'Run' box.
Now click on 'Start' and in the 'Run' box type
'Rundll32.exe syssetup,SetupOobeBnk'. Press Enter. This will re-set activation to 30 days
Step 4: Modify the wpaevents folder in the Registry.
Once more, click on 'Start' then go to the 'Run' box and type in 'Regedit'. Make sure that in Regedit you are highlighting 'My Computer' at the very top. Now go up to 'Edit' then 'Find' and type in 'wpaevents' then press Enter. Right click on the 'wpaevents' folder and go down to 'Permissions'. Highlight 'User' and place a check mark in the box labeled 'full control'. Click 'Apply' and exit regedit.
Step 5: Modify the C: drives permissions.
Now double click 'My Computer'. Right click the C: drive and go down to 'Properties'. Now click on the 'Security' tab and modify 'User', 'Administrator', and 'System' so that they all have 'Full control'. Click 'Apply' and reboot the PC.
Step 6: Run Windows activation
Now Windows activation will run and the PC will become usable again.
This How-to is intended to assist in recovering a PC from a faulty repair install. It is not a tutorial on bypassing / extending the Windows activation grace period. I don't condone piracy, but I also don't believe in locking a user from their data with faulty control mechanisms.
References
- Toms hardware topic on Windows Activation
30 Comments
- Habanerob0b Jun 4, 2012 at 02:04am
Had to do the exact same only last week. Nice to have it documented here.
- Macehsc5775 Jun 12, 2012 at 06:32am
nice howto
thx for share - SonoraLawrence3545 Oct 18, 2012 at 01:15am
Thanks =), Good How to, Looking forward to more of your How To's, its helpful for the spicework community. Thanks again *beers*
- Pimientowill.beale Oct 29, 2012 at 07:43am
This is an awesome solution. Thanks very much for sharing.. I'm new at Spiceworx. So Far Awesome
- PimientoFlint Madziya Dec 26, 2012 at 06:18pm
Awesome!
- JalapenoBB8771 Mar 25, 2013 at 12:06am
Aaarrgh.. I was so hopeful, because this post added the permissions steps, but when I do as described, the login after saying 'yes' to activation just shows the wallpaper forever
[Update] I left the PC on the wallpaper, no Explorer, no icons all night long and discovered the PC must've logged-off or rebooted during the night. When I logged-on this next time, the expected Windows Activation screen greeted me and I was able to successfully activate!
- Pimientopvdchris Apr 28, 2013 at 06:59pm
I used this method, and still get the wallpaper screen forever. I am working to recover an old computer which has had it's ethernet controller fail, as well as the internal wi-fi. I have attached a USB wi-fi adapter, and run the installation software in safemode. When I reboot, I still get the 'This copy of Windows must be activated with Microsoft before you can log on. Do you want to activate Windows now?' Right back to the wallpaper.
This is the result of a Windows Repair, XP Home Edition SP3 Build 2600.xpsp.080413-2111
I have verified with Microsoft that the software is a legal copy, but they want $180 to talk me through validation.
Thanks for any further suggestions
- Pimientojjaytech Jun 12, 2013 at 03:26am
Thank you so much !
I'm also new here in spicework.
So far, so good ! :) - PimientoAshley1087 Jun 13, 2013 at 10:13am
Thanks, needed this today. It was getting critical. A new install would have taken days because of the support from a 3rd party vendor.
- PimientoKH Aug 2, 2013 at 12:09pm
WHAT A BLESSING IT IS TO HAVE FOUND YOUR INFORMATIVE, WELL-DOCUMENTED TUTORIAL. YOUR ASSISTANCE HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! MY SINCEREST APPRECIATION. WAY TO GO! YOU STAND OUT FROM THE REST -- BY FAR. YAY!
- Thai PepperJCastano Aug 2, 2013 at 04:44pm
Thank you guys for your kind words. I'm glad I was able to help.
- Pimientochandni.anand.5 Sep 10, 2013 at 12:42pm
Thankyou so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The problem is solved with my pc - Pimientopmusadiq Oct 2, 2013 at 05:37pm
If you want to activate windows xp at zero cost then visit see this tutorial
http://www.hacktheway.org/2011/03/activate-windows-xp.html - PimientoPatrickAnthony Oct 24, 2013 at 09:07am
thanks a lot sir. It was a life saver!!!! God bless you, hope you'll not stop helping people!.. ^_^.......
- ChipotleJohn5195 Oct 28, 2013 at 10:53pm
This just saved my life! was googling this, and low and behold the Mighty Spiceworks to the rescue. Should have looked here first.
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