05-03-2003 03:15									#1
	Help Monkspider fix his computer crisis or else he will face doom Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

Yes, literally,doom!
Allow me explain the present situation. I have been using a pirate copy of Windows XP for quite a while now. I have been pretty happy with it. How it works is it is hacked or cracked to restart the Windows activation every time it is restarted. A little over a week ago I spilled some water on my keyboard. I tried to clean it off, but in doing so I guess I hit some weird key combination that caused the it to start a Windows Activation Timer that my cracked version didn't seem to address. I was a little concerned about this. I figured that the hackers took this circumstance into account, and that everything and that everything would be okay, and that nothing woulrd occur once the timer ran out. Just to be on the safe side, I got some serial numbers from a winxp keygen I have seen floating around the net. I figured, should worse come to worst, I could just activate it with these ill-gotten product keys.
Well, the seventh day finally rolled around and Windows pressed the issue with a final ultimatum: activate Windows or die, pirate pig-dog! I reached into my desk and brought out my list of serials e I prepared a few days previous. Although, to my infinite rage, when I clicked on "yes"when asked if I wanted to activate, it did nothing and just brought me back to the same question again, leading to an eventual death spiral of infinite yes's but no progress.
This was obviously disturbing, but I was about to go to work anyway. I would just reinstall Windows and have it finished when I returned(I have been meaning to go back to ME anyway). So I restarted the computer with the Win ME disc, expecting a "Install Windows" screen, as has always been the case in the past, instead I get nothing! I repeat the progress with a myriad of other discs, ranging from my Pirate XP, to Win 98, to my fiance's legitimate XP, all did nothing but bring me back to the Activation screen, denying me even the option to format. Obviously this is a pretty pickle to be in.
Can any Apolytoners be so kind as to point to a way out of it? All I want to do is reinstall Windows, but I would be willing to format as a desperate final measure. Or will I have to buy a new hard drive? Thanks in advance.

	05-03-2003 03:16									#2
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

use windows 98

	05-03-2003 03:18									#3
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

format, install, use, crash. repeat as necessary.

use a boot disc, and format it in the cmd line.

	05-03-2003 04:11									#4
	Increase Your PM Length

If you have Win 98 Boot Floppy use it. I keep a Bootable DOS 6.22 Floppy with disk and file commands on it so I can go in and delete things if nessary.

	05-03-2003 04:30									#5
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Is there anything one can do without boot floppies? I can try to track one down, but for now...

	05-03-2003 04:34									#6
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

dont use pirated software next time

	05-03-2003 04:35									#7
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was prepared for the inevitable comment along those lines.

	05-03-2003 06:08									#8
	Tired of ads?

Does your BIOS allow using your CD as a bootable device? You could boot up from a WIN ME CD.

	05-03-2003 07:20									#9
	Increase Your PM Length

Try to breakout with <ctrl><alt><del>. If that doesn't work, just turn the damn thing off. Boot back into BIOS to make sure you boot from CD first, then restart with whatever setup CD you want.

	05-03-2003 08:36									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

how can i check to see if BIOS allows to boot from cd it always did before...

	05-03-2003 08:41									#11
	Tired of ads?

I assume you don't have an OEM box. Press <del> when you power up the computer usually works.

	05-03-2003 08:43									#12
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

If it did before, it should still. Find a bootable cd and try it out.

EDIT: Reading the rest of what you wrote, your cd is probably a lower boot priority than your h/d. You should be able to change this in the BIOS, but every bios is different so we probably won't be able to help beyond telling you to press "del"

	05-03-2003 08:50									#13
	Increase the size of your Attachments

thanks gang.

	05-03-2003 08:54									#14
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

argh, delete doesn't work, does anyone know of any other ways to access bios? I have hit delete repeatedly while booting up and after a few tries, still nothing. Any suggestions?

	05-03-2003 08:57									#15
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Try <F2> If that doesn't work, <F10>

What kind of computer do you have? It's not an OEM (Dell, Compaq, etc.) is it?

	05-03-2003 08:58									#16
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

it is a gateway, so I suppose ya.

	05-03-2003 09:19									#17
	Put an end to popups!

Ah. So that explains why <del> doesn't work. Try those other keys then.

	05-03-2003 09:25									#18
	Support Apolyton

Monk

Look at your screen when the puter boots, it will tell you what key to press to enter the BIOS.

In BIOS on the top of the screen there should be a menu item called "Boot" use the + key to move the CD to the 1st place and then re-boot from CD.

	05-03-2003 15:36									#19
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by Promethus Look at your screen when the puter boots, it will tell you what key to press to enter the BIOS.

Not when you have an OEM machine. Well not the ones I have seen.

	05-03-2003 16:01									#20
	Increase the size of your Attachments

My PC asks me to press Enter to get into the BIOS. You may just have to keep restarting it and pressing likely keys.

	05-03-2003 17:02									#21
	Put an end to popups!

Plus if you have a fast machine the bios screens can be by so fast that you dont see anything.

	05-03-2003 17:09									#22
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I was gonna ask what you mean by you get nothing but thats not what you get. I guess you dont get what you'd see without an OS either.

My advice is to use your win98se boot disk. Use the DOS commands to move your important docs to another HD and then format the HD with the OS. I wouldnt try to install anything on top of a pirated copy of XP.

	06-03-2003 09:24									#23
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

He said he didn't have a boot diskette. Even if he has one, the BIOS setting may still be HDD first.

	06-03-2003 11:00									#24
	Remove this text

one question, i have a usb external drive,is there anyway i could temporairly set it up to be the master drive? BTW, i have hit every key under the sun, and I still can't seem to get into bios. I don't think i have tried enter, i will try that tommorrow.

	06-03-2003 11:56									#25
	Get a bigger avatar today!

quote: Originally posted by monkspider one question, i have a usb external drive,is there anyway i could temporairly set it up to be the master drive?

Maybe, but only if you have access to the BIOS.

P.S. Call Gateway to find out if push comes to shove.

	06-03-2003 17:15									#26
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger He said he didn't have a boot diskette. Even if he has one, the BIOS setting may still be HDD first.

Lots of boot disks available on the web, but you're right he needs to get into his BIOS anyway. The USB external drive is gonna be tough though isnt it? You need more than just a driver on a diskette to make it work dont you?

	07-03-2003 03:24									#27
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

it's a windows computer, right?

there's also the wonderful be-all-end-all solution at www.linuxiso.org ....

	07-03-2003 04:13									#28
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

quote: Originally posted by Q Cubed it's a windows computer, right? there's also the wonderful be-all-end-all solution at www.linuxiso.org ....

personally, i'd rather try fixing a broken Windows system than go through a Linux setup!

	07-03-2003 07:51									#29
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

You don't know what you are talking about

	08-03-2003 06:55									#30
	Remove this text

Good news, I have had a breakthrough. I called Gateway and figured out how to get into BIOS, I changed the CD Rom to main boot priority, and I am installing Windows ME as we speak. God bless all of you.