So, we're touching on the topic of Windows licensing again. This time - activation.
Let me note right away - this article will only be useful to those who work with a boxed (retail) copy of Windows, or who activated via a MAK key. Those of you using OEM Windows or lucky owners of corporate copies who activate via KMS - this article won't help you (and you don't need it anyway).
The main problem is that Microsoft only allows a certain fixed number of activations, and once that number is exceeded you'll have to call them so they let you keep using the operating system. For example, you reinstall the OS 3 times - and oops, on the 4th time activation no longer goes through.
Nevertheless, from time to time we have to reinstall Windows. Fine if it's rare. But there are situations where we're forced to do it.
So let's preserve the activation status - so that after reinstalling we don't have to go online and activate again, and it's as if no one reinstalled anything at all.
Note. This method only works with the same hardware configuration as before, and for the same edition of Windows. If you've changed something after the system crash, activation may quite possibly fail to work.
To do this we'll need to copy a few small files. In case the operating system is already dead but the file system is still alive - the hard drive will need to be hooked up somewhere else, or you'll need to boot from a LiveCD.
So, let's get started.
1) Write down the installation key that we used for the current copy of Windows. If you still have the box - great, that means you should have the key too. If not - copy down the current key (if Windows is still alive... otherwise - oh well).
2) Copy the files
\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetWorkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwarePlatform\Tokens.dat
\Windows\System32\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\pkeyconfig.xrm-ms
for the 64-bit version you also need to copy this file:
\Windows\SysWOW64\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\pkeyconfig.xrm-ms
somewhere to a separate location, for example onto a flash drive.
3) Perform the OS reinstall. When you're asked for the key - don't enter anything, leave the field blank and continue the installation.
4) After installation, open the command prompt (CMD) with administrator rights and stop the OS file integrity control service:
net stop sppsvc
5) Go to the folder:
\Windows\System32\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\
and grant yourself full rights to the pkeyconfig.xrm-ms file. To do this - right-click on it and select "Properties", go to the "Security" tab, click "Advanced", make yourself the owner, then close the properties window and reopen it, giving yourself full rights.
Now delete this pkeyconfig.xrm-ms file and copy it back from the backup copy we made in step 2.
For 64-bit OSes you also need to go to the folder:
\Windows\ SysWOW64\spp\tokens\pkeyconfig\
and perform all the same steps as for the previous folder with the pkeyconfig.xrm-ms file.
Now go to the folder:
\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetWorkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwarePlatform\
and perform the same actions, deleting the current tokens.dat file and replacing it with the backup copy.
6) Start the file integrity control service back up. Again open CMD with administrator rights and run:
net start sppsvc
7) You thought that was all? Nope. We didn't enter the key, remember? Now let's specify it via the slmgr.vbs utility, which comes built into the OS.
slmgr.vbs -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
where instead of xxxxx-... you enter your Windows key.
8) Well, that's basically it. Windows is now activated. You can verify this, for example, via the same utility:
slmgr.vbs /dli
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