This article applies to: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1 This article is used to describe how to change the serial number in Windows XP. You have 2 ways to modify the serial number on Windows XP that has already been installed. One is to use the GUI. The activation wizard in the interface is implemented using WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation). Modifying with the Activation Wizard Microsoft strongly recommends that you make a system restore point before making changes to avoid any unexpected events. 1. Click [Start], then click [Run]; 2. Enter regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. 3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MacHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\WindowsNT\\Current Version\\WPAEvents and right click on OOBETimer on the right. Then select Modify; 4. Modify at least one byte to determine the save. 5. Click [Start], then click [Run]; 6. Enter %systemroot%\\system32\\oobe\\msoobe.exe /a 7. Select Activate by phone after clicking Next; 8. Click Modify Serial Number; 9. Enter After the new serial number, select the update; if you return to the previous screen, then choose to activate later and restart; 10. Repeat 5-8 steps until the modification is successful; 11. Reactivate. 12. Click OK. 13. Install SP1. If you can't restart after installing SP1, press F8 at startup, choose to use [Last Known Good Configuration], and then repeat the above process. Using scripts There are 2 scripts, one for WinXP without SP1 installed, and one for WinXP with SP1 installed. The following is a script for WinXP that already has SP1 installed (ChangeVLKeySp1.vbs). The usage is the same as the script for WinXP without SP1 installed in the last paragraph of this article (example). ' ' WMI Script - ChangeVLKeySp1.vbs ' ' Windows XP With SP1 ' ' This script changes the product key on the computer ' '*********************** ************************************************** ** ON ERROR RESUME NEXT if Wscript.arguments.count<1 then Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument" Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX" Wscript .quit end if Dim VOL_PROD_KEY VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0) VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}") .InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation") result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY) if err <> 0 then WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number) Err.Clear end if Next This is a SP1 of WinXP (ChangeVLKey2600.vbs) is not installed. ' ' WMI Script - ChangeVLKey2600.vbs ' ' This script changes the product key on the computer ' '***************************** ********************************************** ON ERROR RESUME NEXT If Wscript.arguments.count<1 then Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument" Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX" Wscript.quit end if Dim VOL_PROD_KEY VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0) VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any Dim WshShell Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") WshShell.RegDelete "HKLM\\SOFTWARE \\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\WPAEvents\\OOBETimer" 'delete OOBETimer registry value for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation") result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD _KEY) if err <> 0 then WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number) Err.Clear end if Next Example: Script Usage The following example describes how to use it on the command line. VBS script program. 1. Click [Start], then click [Run]; 2. Enter C:\\ChangeVLKeySp1.vbs ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE Assume ChangeVLKeySp1.vbs is placed in the C: root directory ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE- ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE is the new serial number above ChangeVLKeySp1.vbs is applicable to WinXP with SP1 already installed. The same is true for the use of ChangeVLKey2600.vbs without SP1. 3. Then click [OK].