Windows XP SP2 activation not working?

[ChunkDaMan]

I understand it's obvious that XP is out of support for half a decade at this point. I'm trying to activate my copy for XP SP2 that I installed on my capture machine. Since the 30-day trial has ended, bypassing the activation screen is useless.

I heard rumors of users being able to activate the OS using the phone number, but the problem is that it doesn't work for me. The 9-block 6-digit activation number that my XP shows seem to be invalid to Microsoft. I tried the phone and smartphone link activation but no luck. Is it true that I need to use FRESH, UNUSED copies of XP for a successful activation? I'm sure XP is now abandonware since 2014.

Thanks.

[Sergei316]

I have recently activated three XP Pro SP2 systems with same MS code using the cell phone activation link method. My XP copy was not fresh or unused. I have used that disk many times for XP installs and activations.

You could try a fresh install of your XP and try the cell phone activation before the 30 days expires. I believe I had the same issue a few months ago and that is how I solved the issue. Not sure if you want to go through this route because you will lose all your data. You could install XP on another HDD and see if it works.

[JPMedia]

Hey ChunkDaMan. Send me a private message. I have something that will help you out.