Windows 2003 KEy change

Use the Activation Wizard

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756  How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

If you do not have to change many Volume Licensing product keys, you can use the Activation Wizard.

Note We recommend that you run System Restore on Windows XP to create a new restore point before you follow these steps. For information about how to create a restore point by using System Restore, see the "To Create a Restore Point" help topic in Help and Support.

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. In the left pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
3. In the right pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
4. Change at least one digit of the OOBETimer value to deactivate Windows.
5. Click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:
   %systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
6. Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows, and then click Next.
7. Click Change Product key, type the new product key in the New key boxes, and then click Update.
   
   Note If the previous Activation Wizard screen appears again, click Remind me later, and then restart the computer.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to verify that Windows is started. Click OK when you receive the following message:
   Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.
9. Install any Windows service packs that you want to install.
   
   Note If you cannot restart Windows after you install a service pack, press F8 when you restart the computer, click Last Known Good Configuration, and then repeat this procedure.