XP Home - Windows product activation error after update to SP3

Hi,

My father-in-law has a Toshiba Notebook with (obviously) an genuine Windows
XP Home (Dutch).
Last Thursday he used Microsoft Update to install SP3.
After the download, installation and reboot, he is now stuck with the
following error message (translated from Dutch):
Windows product activation.
Due to a problem Windows cannot verify the license for this computer.
Error code: 0x80004005
after which the computer can only be shut down. Dead-end.

The only way to prevent/suppress this error message, is to start in Safe
Mode WITHOUT Networking capabilities.
System recovery helps us to return to the previous state alright. Thank God
for that.
I've tried the offline SP3 installer instead of the one downloaded by
Microsoft Update, but that gave the same result.
Despite this being a truly genuine Windows XP Home version, SP3 thinks
something is fishy and gives us the FULL STOP.

Tomorrow I intend to give the C't Offline Updater a try. Hope that this will
see us through.
Any other suggestions?

Stephan

Hello Stephan,

0x80004005

-2147467259 E_Fail

Error message when you try to install Microsoft Update on a Windows
Vista-based computer: "Could not install Microsoft Update on the computer"

<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933528>


Good luck
- -- ---


"StephanP" wrote:

> Hi,
>
> My father-in-law has a Toshiba Notebook with (obviously) an genuine Windows
> XP Home (Dutch).
> Last Thursday he used Microsoft Update to install SP3.
> After the download, installation and reboot, he is now stuck with the
> following error message (translated from Dutch):
> Windows product activation.
> Due to a problem Windows cannot verify the license for this computer.
> Error code: 0x80004005
> after which the computer can only be shut down. Dead-end.
>
> The only way to prevent/suppress this error message, is to start in Safe
> Mode WITHOUT Networking capabilities.
> System recovery helps us to return to the previous state alright. Thank God
> for that.
> I've tried the offline SP3 installer instead of the one downloaded by
> Microsoft Update, but that gave the same result.
> Despite this being a truly genuine Windows XP Home version, SP3 thinks
> something is fishy and gives us the FULL STOP.
>
> Tomorrow I intend to give the C't Offline Updater a try. Hope that this will
> see us through.
> Any other suggestions?
>
> Stephan

Free unlimited installation and compatibility support is available for
Windows XP, but only for Service Pack 3 (SP3), until 14 Apr-09. Chat and
e-mail support is available only in the United States and Canada.

• US:
http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...3&gprid=522131

• CA:
http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...3&gprid=522131

• UK:
http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...3&gprid=522131

• AU:
http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...3&gprid=522131

• Other: http://support.microsoft.com/oas/def...spx?gprid=1173 | select
Windows XP | select Windows XP Service Pack 3
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

StephanP wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My father-in-law has a Toshiba Notebook with (obviously) an genuine
> Windows
> XP Home (Dutch).
> Last Thursday he used Microsoft Update to install SP3.
> After the download, installation and reboot, he is now stuck with the
> following error message (translated from Dutch):
> Windows product activation.
> Due to a problem Windows cannot verify the license for this computer.
> Error code: 0x80004005
> after which the computer can only be shut down. Dead-end.
>
> The only way to prevent/suppress this error message, is to start in Safe
> Mode WITHOUT Networking capabilities.
> System recovery helps us to return to the previous state alright. Thank
> God
> for that.
> I've tried the offline SP3 installer instead of the one downloaded by
> Microsoft Update, but that gave the same result.
> Despite this being a truly genuine Windows XP Home version, SP3 thinks
> something is fishy and gives us the FULL STOP.
>
> Tomorrow I intend to give the C't Offline Updater a try. Hope that this
> will
> see us through.
> Any other suggestions?
>
> Stephan

PA Bear,
Thanks for the pointers. I will approach Microsoft Support NL via e-mail.

Engel,
Error code 0x80004005 is popping up for a wide variety of problems.
Our problem is related to Windows XP Home SP3, not Vista.

Stephan

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914232
You may receive error code 0x80004005 or other error codes when you try to start a Windows
XP-based computer

--

TaurArian [MVP] 2005-2008 - Update Services
http://taurarian.mvps.org
======================================
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
Computer Maintenance: Acronis / Diskeeper / Paragon / Raxco


"StephanP" <> wrote in message
news:1D0443C9-A9E7-4304-BB47-...
| Hi,
|
| My father-in-law has a Toshiba Notebook with (obviously) an genuine Windows
| XP Home (Dutch).
| Last Thursday he used Microsoft Update to install SP3.
| After the download, installation and reboot, he is now stuck with the
| following error message (translated from Dutch):
| Windows product activation.
| Due to a problem Windows cannot verify the license for this computer.
| Error code: 0x80004005
| after which the computer can only be shut down. Dead-end.
|
| The only way to prevent/suppress this error message, is to start in Safe
| Mode WITHOUT Networking capabilities.
| System recovery helps us to return to the previous state alright. Thank God
| for that.
| I've tried the offline SP3 installer instead of the one downloaded by
| Microsoft Update, but that gave the same result.
| Despite this being a truly genuine Windows XP Home version, SP3 thinks
| something is fishy and gives us the FULL STOP.
|
| Tomorrow I intend to give the C't Offline Updater a try. Hope that this will
| see us through.
| Any other suggestions?
|
| Stephan