Hi,
I have windows xp running on my computer. I want to reinstall with some minor hardware changes. I want to backup wpa.bak to avoid the activation process again. Where can i find this file?
Any and all suggestions are welcome.
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Hi,
I have windows xp running on my computer. I want to reinstall with some minor hardware changes. I want to backup wpa.bak to avoid the activation process again. Where can i find this file?
Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Microsoft allows installation of XP only on one machine. WPA i.e. Windows Product Activation is the key to check it is still installed on the same computer as last time it checked. When you open windows explorer enable the hidden files and folders from Tools ->Folder Options -> View Tab.
XP will activate if you install it on the same machine if you have activated it within last 120 days. You should not have a problem as long as you have the Product Key to install the OS. It can be restored from an image.
You can back up the activation status and then restore it after you reinstall the system again. To restore the wpa.bak file after reinstall:
- Start windows in Minimal Safe mode
- Change directory to the \%systemroot%\system32 folder
- Rename the wpa.bak to wpabak.nonactivated
- Copy your backed up wpb.bak file to the system32 folder
- Restart the system