Change Windows XP Product Key Without Re-Installation

Sometimes it becomes necessary to change the product key of Windows XP, but by default XP doesn’t provide any option to do that. As a result, many people may decide to re-install the operating system itself which is often a tedious and time consuming task .

However, here is a small hack using which it is possible to change the Windows XP product key without the need for re-installing it. This makes it possible to input a new product key and make your OS genuine. Here is a step-by-step procedure:

1. Open the Registry editor (Go to Start menu -> Run -> type regedit and hit Enter).
2. In the Registry editor navigate to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS NT\CURRENT VERSION\WPA EVENTS
3. In the right-side panel open “OOBE Timer”
4. Edit/Change at least one entry there, press OK and close registry editor. This will temporarily deactivate your Windows.
   
5. In “Run” type the following command and press Enter:
   %systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe /a
6. Activation wizard appears as follows:
   
7. Select the option “activation by phone” and click on “Next”. In the next page click on “CHANGE PRODUCT KEY” button, enter a new valid product key, press OK and close the wizard.
   
8. Reboot the computer. After the restart type the same command (as shown in step-5) in the “Run” box.
9. Activation wizard appears again and it shows the message WINDOWS IS ALREADY ACTIVATED.
   

That’s it! You have now successfully changed the product key of your Windows XP computer.