1. Double click My Computer.
2. Double click on the C drive.
3. Browse to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
4. Find the files called wpa.dbl and wpa.bak and copy them
to a safe location like a floppy or CD.
5. After you have reinstalled Windows XP on your reformatted
hard drive, click No when asked if you want to go through
the activation process.
6. Reboot your computer into
SafeMode.
7. Double click My Computer.
8. Double click on the C drive.
9. Go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder again.
10. Find the file wpa.dbl and wpa.bak (if it exists) and
rename them to wpadbl.new and wpabak.new.
11. Copy your original wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files from your
floppy disk or CD into the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
12. Restart your computer.