SERIOUS PROBLEM. WINXP not detected

[-spek-]

well the topic title may be wrong anyways I got a big issue...

The other day I got a new Motherboard, did some updates.. blah blah blah... then it asked me to register MSwindownsxp again! It wanted a cd key and everything... Though I never got a key because I baught it with gateway and it came preinstalled... Anyways I wanted to try and reformat... but when I put in the OPERATING system disc and restart, it does't say "BOOT FROM DISC" I'm very frusturated, and is there anyway to reactivate my windows? blah! Also if not is there a way in SAFE MODE that I can set it to boot from disc?

help?

[DGBaley27]

In the BIOS settings you need to change your first boot device to your CD-ROM drive. You usually access these settings by pressing the delete, or one of the F keys during the bootup (as indicated somewhere on your computer screen) After this setting is saved in your BIOS the computer will boot from the CD if it is bootable.

[pip22]

Even pre-installed versions of XP should have a CD-key supplied with it somewhere. On laptops it's usually on a sticker underneath, on desktop systems it will be on the Certificate of Authenticity or some other paperwork supplied with the system.
Anyways, whenever you change a vital piece of hardware like the mobo, you have to get your copy of XP re-activated '. This is Microsofts way of stopping you putting XP on more than one PC.
Windows knows the motherboard has been changed and it thinks your trying to install it on a different PC.

[patrickjb]

Idon't believe re-installing Windows XP will do you any good. You need to find your Windows XP CD activation Key. It should be somewhere with the documentation that you got from Gateway.

[-spek-]

actually I did find the key and everything works properly... now... when I restart it still asks for the activation... although when I click next, next and get to where I need to enter my key.. it says "THANK YOU FOR ACTIVATING" and I don't have to enter the key everytime.. just that stupid activating program comes up and it gets annoying

help?

[neil121183]

Go to run and type - msconfig.
Then click on the startup tab and have a look for the activation program.