Microsoft KB Archive/938351

Knowledge Base

How to troubleshoot activation error codes that you may receive when you try to activate a computer that is running Windows XP Home Edition Prepaid Computers or Windows XP Home Edition Subscription Computers

Article ID: 938351

Article Last Modified on 7/16/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers

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INTRODUCTION

This article describes activation issues that you may experience when you try to activate a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers. This article also lists the activation error codes and the troubleshooting information for the error codes.

MORE INFORMATION

When the computer tries to activate the Windows product key that is typed in the activation wizard, the product key is first submitted to Windows Product Activation (WPA). Then, the product key is submitted to the FlexGo provisioning servers.

After you use Sysprep to start the computer that is running Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers or Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers for the first time, Windows Welcome is loaded. Windows Welcome guides you to set up an Internet connection, to register the operating system with Microsoft, and to create a user account. After you complete Windows Welcome, you must activate the computer within the time that the solution provider determines. The default time is 10 hours.

Note Windows Welcome is also known as Out of Box Experience (OOBE).

Windows Welcome for prepaid or subscription computing only asks for the Windows product key. The Windows product key must be a valid prepaid key or subscription key. Windows Welcome does not prompt you to perform Windows product activation. Windows product activation is performed after you try to activate the computer by using the prepaid activation wizard or the subscription activation wizard.

Activation error codes and troubleshooting information

Error code	Error message	Cause	Resolution
80060005	An error occurred on the server. The server may be too busy, temporarily offline, or functioning incorrectly. Close the wizard and try activating Windows again later. If, after several attempts, you are still unable to activate Windows, contact customer support for assistance and reference error code #80060005.		To resolve this issue, try to activate the computer again after few minutes. If you cannot activate the computer after several tries, contact billing support for more troubleshooting.
80060006	The product key you entered is either not valid or has already been used. Close the wizard, and then try activating Windows again. If, after several attempts, you are still unable to activate Windows, contact customer support for assistance and reference error code 80060006.	This issue may occur if the user has entered an invalid product key or if the product key already exists. If the product key already exists, the billing agent must reregister the product key.	To resolve this issue, contact customer service or the billing agent. Inform customer service or the billing agent that you are trying to activate a Windows prepaid computer, but you have received this error message. You must also supply the product key information that is provided in the Certificate of Authenticity (COA). You can find the COA information on the side of the computer.
	An error occurred while trying to connect to the server. Verify that your computer is connected to the Internet, verify that your network connection and proxy settings are configured correctly, and then using the wizard again. Failed to connect to remote server.	This issue may occur if one of the following conditions is true: Network connection and proxy settings are configured incorrectly. The provisioning servers are unavailable. WPA was unsuccessful.	To resolve this issue, first, verify that the WPA was successful. To do this, type the following at a command prompt, and then press ENTER: %systemroot%\System32\OOBE\msoobe.exe /a If WPA reports that it has succeeded, check the proxy settings and network connectivity, or contact billing support to determine whether any issues exist with the provisioning server. If WPA is unsuccessful, make sure that you have entered a valid product key for Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers or Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers in the WPA window. Also, make sure that the system clock is accurate and that the correct time zone or region is set.

REFERENCES

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

938346 The expected behavior of Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers and Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers when you activate the computer

938347 How to configure proxy server settings for computers that are running Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers and Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers

938355 Error message after you change "Date and Time" or "Regional Options" on a computer that is running Windows XP with Service Pack 2:"Failed to connect to remote server"

Keywords: kbhowto kbinfo kbexpertiseinter KB938351

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