Reinstall Product Key Trouble

T

TomSteber

Charter Member 2010
Having had to dump my install of FSX and reinstall, I get to the point in the process where it asks me to type in the product key. I type in the exact same one that I did the first install and now it says that it's invalid.
Do I need to get a new one from Microsoft?
What's the scoop?
 
Forgot to mention that I ran a registary cleaner after un-installing.
Someone at work told me that should have rebooted to PC first before reinstalling.
Does any of this matter as to why the product key doesn't work now?

Also, I seem to remember having to type in my name and whatnot the first time I installed FSX (I could be wrong here). There was none of that when reinstalling.
 
I read of this right after you posted it. I didn't have to register with anything but the serial numbers that came with the disks. I never had any trouble with the program(s) not accepting them through out the installs. Once each was installed, it would connect to the internet for verification. FSX would anyway. I don't remember if Acceleration did or not.

It seems as if there are remnants on your hard drive though. Somewhere. There is definitely traces of it in the registry though from the sounds of it, that is likely causing the trouble. A good registry cleaning should do the trick. But it sounds like it hasn't.

More curious than anything. Is the drive that FSX was on, a separate drive? Wishful thinking here, because you could just reformat the drive, and then clean out the registry for a fresh start.

If not, all I can think of is that you need to go through the drive by hand and delete/uninstall anything pertaining to, or used by the previous install. Then clean the registry once again. Then pop the FSX disk in and see if it will take.
 
Thanks OleBoy,
No, it was installed on my C drive. I'll try looking around to see if anything remains and try CCleaner again on the registary part. May have to call Microsoft on this one if all else fails.
 
I've gone through a heap of troubles with PC's recently and ended up in the same place as you. FSX said it had been installed too many times and needed a new key. WTF! I called the freephone number and talked to a nice man in India who gave me a new product key, which I typed in as he read it - thus re-enabling FSX. Strange thing is accelleration didnt require a new key.
Only a week later the HDD crashed - again, necessitating replacement - again. Soooo what was that key again? No clue, so tried reinstalling with the original key. Lo & behold, it worked fine.

LPXO
 
I've only installed it once before trying to reinstall it. I guess my count now would be going on install 3? I have the feeling this is going to end up with me talking to the man from India as well.
 
Hi,

This seems to be a recurrent problem. The recurrence rate is just long enough for me to forget how I solved the problem when I had it.
Here's a copy of a previous post of mine:
"If you used any type of registry cleaner after FSX was uninstalled this might help. "MS Software Reset Licensing". The name of the file is "mskb928080.exe".
I used it on XP and it solved my problem. In any event please post your findings."
Apparently registry cleaners tend to leave some bit of code behind and FSX regards this as an attempt to defeat it's anti-pirating measures. Please post one way or another if you try this or not. I hate to keep providing advice which may have only worked for me.
Jim F.
 
jandjfrench said:
Hi,

This seems to be a recurrent problem. The recurrence rate is just long enough for me to forget how I solved the problem when I had it.
Here's a copy of a previous post of mine:
"If you used any type of registry cleaner after FSX was uninstalled this might help. "MS Software Reset Licensing". The name of the file is "mskb928080.exe".
I used it on XP and it solved my problem. In any event please post your findings."
Apparently registry cleaners tend to leave some bit of code behind and FSX regards this as an attempt to defeat it's anti-pirating measures. Please post one way or another if you try this or not. I hate to keep providing advice which may have only worked for me.
Jim F.
Click to expand...
I did a search for that but found nothing. I ran CCleaner again. Found nothing. I did a file search for mskb928080.exe and found nothing. So, maybe it's gone too? Haven't had time to try re-installing again yet. Thanks for the response though.
 
Thanks for the links, Bill. I downloaded it and tucked it away, along with a text file with the "How to" information. This might come in handy some day.
 
I'm pretty sure you run it to clean up the problem, then install FSX as you normally would.
 
It may well be that your problem is in Documents and Settings, FSX uninstall does not remove FSX.cfg and leaves loads of other stuff in the FSX folder that messes up re installs.

This is where to look,the XXXX is whatever name you have your comp under ? Your name ??

C:\Documents and Settings\XXXX\Application Data\Microsoft\FSX

This is in XP, no idea about the whereabouts in Vista or Win7 maybe near the same loc
 
Forgot another place FSX leaves litter is in My Documents, this folder = saved flights and other bits.

Flight Simulator X Files
 
I posted over at another forum and said that I wasn't getting any error messages.
One person said that you're only allowed 2 installs before you need a new product key.
Now I wonder how easy that's gonna be getting? :isadizzy:

Why do I envision hours on the phone and still being frustrated when I hang up?
 
Having seen this issue several times in several forums IIRC the process has been pretty straight forward. There's only one way to know for sure...:icon_lol:
 
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