Windows XP product key does not work

At present I am running windows 98 2nd edition but as it is too old now I wanted to upgrade it to Windows XP home edition. Hence I also upgraded little hardware in my system like HDD, RAM, etc. Now the problem is I bought a Windows XP from EBay without product key assuming mine Windows 98 product key will work with the same. But when I installed Windows XP, I found that it is asking me for the product key. Note the windows Xp bought was not the upgrade. Now can you guys please suggest me something? What should i do now?

What made you assume that Windows 98 key will work with the new Windows XP? As you said you upgraded your hard drive that means you changed your HDD and there is no window on the same. You installed XP on new hard drive and still you assumed that XP will pull the key from the older hard drive? Common dude.

You should know that even when you upgrade Windows, you need to enter the new product key for the version you upgraded. Now what you can do is ask EBay if they can provide you any product key that can work with the CD you bought. Or else there is no other choice than buying a new Xp installation Disc.

First of all I would like to say that if you bought a XP Disc without product key, you actually dealt an illegal copy. Because as far as I know no windows copy is sold out without product key. Other than this you should have bought an Upgrade copy instead of buying a fresh installation disc as you are already existing windows users. That would have cost you cheaper than the one you bought. You should also know that there are some conditions where existing product keys work and those are Retail vs. OEM, Home vs. Professional, and Full vs. Upgrade. Whatever you did was wrong,now the only thing you can do is buy again.

You have been cheated in short. Your disk is completely useless without serial key though it may or may not be genuine. Also FYI exception of some OEM versions no CDs contain install key. You get the keys on the cover of the CD and that would be the genuine license. So now you should contact your seller again and ask them for some help.

I too agree with you friend. Product wont get stored inside the CD but it use to be on the cover/sticker on the disc. If you brought XP Cd from me and a CD from Microsoft -branded OEM, do you think CD content will be different? Nope, both will be same. So if you dint get any separate sticker with the disc then you didn't get the product key and you will need to buy it again. Also note that there are two things, Product code, it identifies that operating system is already installed or not and the second is Product key, this is required to make your product licensed and genuine.

I got a computer from my ex, which was bought brand new, only registered to his grandmother before giving it to me along with the original copy of XP for this computer and it's product key. I attempted to reformat the hard drive, trying to get the computer back to its original OS and a clean start (He has a history of downloading files without checking for viruses). I assumed that the product key on the sticker on the top of the computer (same as the PK on the disc given with it) would work to reinstall the original OS to this system, but I cannot validate anything. I went directly to Microsoft to ask them advise but support for XP has been discontinued. Is there anything you can suggest or am I stuck without this computer passed the 30 days unregistered? I cannot afford to buy a new copy of XP and the computer doesn't have enough RAM to support anything more recent.

Hello there are many discussion available for this query. Even on a Microsoft site you will get the proper solution of it. While searching about this I found the following link of the same site. You just go through this and see what is helpful for you. I hope this will help you.
http://forums.techarena.in/windows-x...ort/991093.htm

Put the CD into a operating computer (close the window that will pop up), go into my computer, Right click on the running cd Icon and click Explore, at the top click the search tab like button, type "unattend.txt" (you can search all files and folders), open that file and in there will be "that cd's" key. If that will help you at all in the future than great. Good luck.