Windows XP How to Activate Windows XP via Phone Without Mouse Control

[seekermeister]

Due to a hardware change, I need to activate XP. Since it claims that it can't do so automatically, I have to use their telephone method, but I don't have mouse control yet, and I don't know how to use the keyboard to select my location in the dropdown window. Unless I can do so, it won't display a telephone number to use. Can someone help me here?

 

[patcooke]

Have a looke here to see how to simulate a mouse using the keyboard:

Link Removed

 

[Jimbo22]

Use your arrow keys.........

 

[seekermeister]

Thanks, I got it activated, but am having even more problems with the New Hardware Wizard. It is popping windows for a lot of missing drivers, which wouldn't be so bad, if I could see all of the wizard. However my firewall (Outpost) is displaying a large window of it's own, which is partially obscuring the hardware wizard. I would simply close the wizard entirely and run the motherboard's CD to install everything, but it doesn't autorun, and I haven't found a means to navigate to it.

I don't seem to have the patience to tackle it at the moment. XP has always been a hassle for me to run, that is why I like W7 so well, it seems to run and run, with very little problems...in comparison.

 

[Jimbo22]

Do you have access to the internet? If so, the first drive I'd install would be the video driver if it's an add on card. If it has an onboard GPU, check the screen resolution settings and set to maximum.

 

[seekermeister]

I'm assuming the reason for checking the resolution is that a better resolution would spread things out so the could be seen easier. That's a good suggestion, but I think that I'm going to wait until I move the HTPC back into the bedroom, so I can connect it to a much larger monitor than the one I'm using now. I was just trying to do as much as I could from the current setup because I can sit comforably while tinkering. The bedroom setup is not that comfortable.

EDIT: The thing that would be most helpful, is if I could get the mouse to work. XP doesn't automatically install the driver for it like W7 does.

 

[Jimbo22]

Is this a usb mouse...???? Do you have an old PS2 moust laying around....it's always a good idea to have one for just such occasions, same for a keyboard. You can get a set for about $15...well worth it. No drivers needed for PS2 devices.

 

[seekermeister]

Yes, it is an USB mouse. I don't think I have a PS2 mouse lying around. I don't like the idea of buying anything that I won't use much, but I might make an exception in this case.

 

[seekermeister]

The keyboard mouse keys works pretty well, but one function I didn't find...a right click.

 

[Pauli]

We need to get the mouse working.

USB is quite often a problem. One solution could be Microsoft Fix it 50052 - it leads me to the Finnish page, I hope you get the right page!

What does the Device Manager show? Screenshot?

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

You may be having some problems it the version of XP you are running doesn't have the service packs installed.
As it progressed some of the things like USB drivers etc. were added as the technology advanced.

A PS2 mouse would probably work, do you know any old geeks who might have one laying around?

I probably have half a dozen of them laying around someplace, it I knew where to look. LOL

Check out this page...

Link Removed

Mike

 

[seekermeister]

We need to get the mouse working.

USB is quite often a problem. One solution could be Microsoft Fix it 50052 - it leads me to the Finnish page, I hope you get the right page!

What does the Device Manager show? Screenshot?

I got detoured, but finally got around to trying to impliment this edit. However the instructions on that page don't reflect exactly what I see in that set of keys. It lists USBCCGP, USBECHI, USBHUB, USBOHCI and USBPRINT, but nothing just simply USB as per the instructions. I don't know whether to add the key, or use one of the other ones?

 

[seekermeister]

Hi

You may be having some problems it the version of XP you are running doesn't have the service packs installed.
As it progressed some of the things like USB drivers etc. were added as the technology advanced.

A PS2 mouse would probably work, do you know any old geeks who might have one laying around?

I probably have half a dozen of them laying around someplace, it I knew where to look. LOL

Check out this page...

Link Removed

Mike

SP 3 is the installed version.

 

[seekermeister]

It's fortunate that I have a PS2 Keyboard, because my USB keyboard doesn't work on it either.

 

[Pauli]

About the activation, which was the original cause (?), that you can do by calling Microsoft. Keep your computer running, and your product code at hand. As a matter of fact, you can activate your Windows without an Internet connection.

 

[seekermeister]

Yes, but that issue has already been resolved. I've been pondering the situation, and have come to the conclusion that I should have much earlier.

When I first attempted to boot to XP, it BSODed and continued to do so until I booted back to W7, which automatically ran chkdsk and found a rather long list of problems which it fixed. After that I was able to boot into XP, but with a lot of unexpected problems.

I ran HD Tune on that drive, and it only found one bad sector, but apparently at a critical location (3138MBs). At first I wrote that off as being a minor problem, but now I see that it is the cause of everything else that I've been trying to deal with. The only solution is to RMA the drive and reinstall XP again.