MICROHARD

I don't think those Seinfeld spots for the PC are going to do anything but hurt his reputation. That's based on the one I saw where he and Bill Gates have moved in with 'an ordinary family.'

Meanwhile, I received an update notice that XP SP3 was ready for me. I've never met or even heard of one Vista user to like it (indeed, they HATE it), and since I have SP2 and it seems stable and since I want to keep XP tip-top, I loaded SP3. BIG MISTAKE.

SP3 wants to be 'validated.' The validation key (XP was preinstalled on my computer, with the key documentation on a sticker on the actual computer tower) comes up as INVALID. The SP3 won't register and seems to have a 30 day time bomb built-in. I don't know what exactly happens when time's up. I contact Microsoft. The fella can't help - I need another level of tech support. I send the email. Here's the response below... and I simply post it so you might know what YOU can get into... the bottom line is, the key on the email doesn't match what's on my machine and the replacement .dll link is a dead page.

I am LOST. Without Kate.

Dear Robert,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Windows Update Support. My name is Annie and I am glad to work with you. You can contact me directly by sending an email to v-30azho@mssupport.microsoft.com with the case ID SRX1078962371 in the subject line.

From the case log, I understand that after loading Service Pack 3 and rebooting the computer, it would like to validate. When enter the product key on the sticker, it told that it was the one on the computer. The product key is MTPFX-KXF74-HBHH4-2WVXX-84Y6D. If I have misunderstood your concern, please do not hesitate to let me know.

I understand the inconvenience you have experienced. Please be assured that I will do my best to help you.

After checking the information you attached, I am glad to inform you that the Product Key MTPFX-KXF74-HBHH4-2WVXX-84Y6D is genuine for Windows XP Home Edition. I would like to explain that the issue appeared because the system has not been validated successfully. As there is a genuine key on hand, this issue can be caused by one of the following factors:

1. The system wasn’t installed with the genuine key.
2. The Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) engine hasn’t been installed correctly.

At this time, let’s try the following steps to check if the genuine key is installed on the system.

Run WGA Diagnostic Tool

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1. Please open Internet Explorer and visit the following link to download the WGA Diagnostic Tool:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012

2. Save the "MGADiag.exe" file to the "Desktop," and then double click on the file to run the tool.

3. Click the “Continue” button.

In the "Windows" tab, please check if the Validation Status and Product Key are the same as the information below.

Validation Status: Genuine

Product Key: XXXXX-XXXXX- HBHH4-2WVXX-84Y6D

If they are the same, we can take the following steps to see if the issue can be resolved.

Step 1: Temporarily disable the security programs for troubleshooting purposes only

==============================================================

The following programs can prevent the validation tool from running properly:

Norton Security programs

Panda Antivirus programs

Web Accelerator programs

Anti-Spyware programs

Pop-up Blockers

If any of the above programs cause the issue, please check if it can be re-configured to accept the WGA ActiveX control. Otherwise, please temporarily disable it to enable the WGA validation tool to work. Please ensure the program is re-enabled after we complete the troubleshooting steps.

Step 2: Install the WGA engine manually

==============================

The WGA engine may have been already installed, but is not working properly. We can use the following steps to install the latest version of WGA. This will ensure that the engine files will be copied and registered properly.

1. Click "Start"-> "Search".

2. Select "All files and folders", and then search for the following files:

legitcheckcontrol.dll

If you find the above file, please right click to rename it to something new, such as legitcheckcontrol.old.

3. Please download the update KB905474 from the following website link and save it to your Desktop:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=90&p=&SrcDisplayLang=en&SrcCategoryId=&SrcFamilyId=f8b8bc77-cfa1-47bd-b325-7a6d3893add8&u=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.microsoft.com%2fdownload%2f8%2f8%2fe%2f88e78788-5d68-49e4-afdd-3c8c9ab77843%2fWindowsXP-KB905474-ENU-x86-Standalone.exe

4. After downloading the update, please double-click the downloaded file on your Desktop, and it will be launched automatically. Please follow the instructions to install it.

After we have finished the above steps, please restart the computer and try to validate Windows again. If we still encounter issues after performing the above steps, please refer to Step 3.

Step 3: Visit the WGA Diagnostic webpage

================================

Please access the following website:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/diag/

On the website, we can test some system settings and confirm that there are no other blocking issues with your validation or Internet Explorer settings blocking the validation process.

If you have accessed the site but the validation issue persists, in order to narrow down the cause and provide more effective suggestions, we need to collect more information.

Please capture a screenshot when the error message occurs on the validation webpage.

Screenshot

=========

1. Please access the following website and click the “Validate Now” button on the webpage:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/Support.aspx?displaylang=en

2. When the error appears, please press the "Print Screen" key (PrtScn) on your keyboard.

3. Click "Start", click "Run", type "MSPAINT", and click "OK".

4. In Paint, click "Paste" under the "Edit" Menu, click "Save" under the "File" menu, type a file name for the screenshot, choose JPEG as "Save as type", click "Desktop" on the left pane, and click "Save".

5. Please find the screenshot on the Desktop and send it as an attachment to: v-30azho@mssupport.microsoft.com .

Note: When attaching files to emails, the process will vary depending on the email application being used. While you are composing the email, most applications will provide you with either an "Attach" button or Paper Clip Icon to click in order to attach a file. After clicking this button/icon you must browse to the file you wish to attach and select it by either double clicking it or clicking it once and then clicking on the "Attach" button.

However, if the Validation Status and Product Key are different with the information I provided, please collect the WGA Diagnostic Data for further research.

WGA Diagnostic Data

================

1. Please follow the steps at the beginning of this email on how to "Run WGA Diagnostic Tool".

2. Under the “Windows” tab, click the "Copy" button.

3. Open up an email, and paste (when editing the email, press Ctrl + V) the information collected by using the tool.

4. Please send the email to me at v-30azho@mssupport.microsoft.com

Thank you for your cooperation. Once I obtain the information, I will perform further research and get back to you as soon as possible. If there is anything unclear, please feel free to let me know. It’s my pleasure to be of assistance.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,

Annie Zhou

v-30azho@mssupport.microsoft.com

Microsoft Windows Update Support Professional

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Very satisfied customers are my top priority. Please let either myself or my manager know what you think of the level of service provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager, Tony Tang at v-30tont@mssupport.microsoft.com.

Windows Live OneCare: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=4416252

Give your computer continuous antivirus and firewall protection, along with regular tune-ups and back-ups to maintain its performance

GOD HELP ME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!