[scottyx]

a few days ago i installed an automatic windows update and ever sinse, i have been getting a pop up when i turn my computer on and off, saying that "you might be a victim of software counterfeiting". also i have a blue gear icon now at the bottom of my screen that warns me every so often.
i have suspected that something was wrong for awhile now because when i got a new hardrive installed last october, i havent been able to download any updates from the windows update site, i kept getting a message saying that my version of windows was not legal, or something to that affect, but every so often the automatic windows WILL allow me to update, but just not from the site.

so, i clicked on the blue gear and clicked "validation failure details" to see what my options were, and one such option was "update your product key".

is that how i go about fixing this problem?
i think the problem is because the guy who installed the new hardrive on my computer, also installed windows on my computer using an illigal copy of xp and didnt use my discs, but if thats the case will i be able to update my product key?

hope that wasnt too confusing, any help is appreciated

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hmm i am not sure we can help you out with illegal software, but if you do have a legit key please use that one, a reinstallation is your saftest bet.

[†Gladiator†]

hmm i am not sure we can help you out with illegal software, but if you do have a legit key please use that one, a reinstallation is your saftest bet.

[coffeedrinker]

If you have the XP disk and a product key, put the disk in the CD drive, set your BIOS to start from CD and reinstall XP.

When you get to the screen asking for a product key, enter your key and procsss.

When I reformatted a while back, I got a screen telling me to call an 800 number which I did. Had to say a bunch of numbers, from the screen. Afterwhich they told me to enter a bunch of more numbers, which I did and everything is working great.

Hope this helps