Help! XP Pro Upgrade Disables PC if loaded over Unactivated XP Home

From: JC (jcanale@acipower.com)
Date: 06/06/02 

From: "JC" <jcanale@acipower.com>
Date: Thu, 06 Jun 2002 11:32:52 GMT

We have a three week old laptop which came with WinXP home. The owner asked
me to upgrade it to XP Pro so we could join it to our company's domain.

Yesterday I used our XP PRO Media, keycode and one of our Open Licensing
Licenses to start the upgrade. The installation froze 5 times (no mouse,
hard drive access, keyboard, etc.). Each time I had to cycle the power
button to break the lockup. Each time Setup recognized that the
installation was incomplete, and resumed. But it always hung up, usually
in a different place. Finally, I got through the install. I arrived at a
login screen and was able to logon, but then a blank desktop with the
following message: "Windows Product Activation -- A problem is preventing
Windows from accurately checking the license for this computer. Error
Code:0X80004005". If I shut down, it just starts the
install/freeze/reboot/freeze cycle over again.

A support person said the problem is that the XP home never activated. And
you cannot intall Pro over an unactivated version of Home even if you have a
valid license and keycode. (I don't know if the box never activated, and
didn't think to check before I started the upgrade. It never occurred to me
that I would have to verify this, because I had a license and a keycode.)
He also said I must reformat the drive and reinstall. I don't WANT to
format (because I will have to reinstall extensive application software and
user accounts), but if I have to, I will. But the WinXP CD won't allow me
to do it anyway! The tech could not tell me if i could boot the laptop
from a DOS disk and do a format.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's Activation Group tells me Open License media and
keycodes cannot be used to upgrade XP Home. And they cannot "activate" the
Home installation, unless I can get them information off the drive. Catch
22.

This is another case of Microsoft mistreating paid customers in the interest
in stopping piracy. Shouldn't the installer have left me a way to backout
to XP Home if it detected the Home installation had not been activated?
Shouldn't Microsoft have warned me before doing the upgrade, and damaging
our entire installation?

Anyone know how I get around this problem? Is there a way to force it to go
out and activate?

Jim Canale
ACI