Difficulty level: Intermediate
If for some reason the Shortcut icon on the "All Programs" menu is
corrupt, or you just simply need to re activate Windows for some reason:
Choose Run from Start menu and type in this command:
%systemroot%system32oobemsoobe.exe /a
to get the activation screen
and go to the second option which is "Activate by phone".
You can change the product key safely using this procedure:
WARNING: Before editing the Registry, take the back up of it FIRST!
1. Again go to Start, then Run and type "regedit" and press Enter.
2. Go to "HKey_Local_Machine SoftwareMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrent VersionWPAEvents", on the right side double click on "oobetimer" and change at least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows.
3. Choose Run from Start menu and type in this command:
%systemroot%system32oobemsoobe.exe /a
to get the activation screen and go to the second option which is "Activate by phone".
4. In the new screen choose the option to change product key, and type in the new product key (corporate one only) .
5. Close that window, reboot your system and enter the command in step
2 for the second time to verify your activation, you should see "Windows is already activated".
