Computer trouble #1: change Windows Server 2003 Volume License Key

Recently, many of the computers I'm using/taking care of had problems. For starters, I'm using a Compaq Proliant server at work so I can log to it remotely doing things involving huge data transfer between a separtate data server. It's running Windows Server 2003 with a volume license. Starting early this year, the volume license provided along with the server by an outside vendor stopped working and I can't get microsoft update any more. The vendor provided another license but they told me to reinstall everything in order to update the license key.

After some searching, I found out that you do not have to reinstall Windows to change the license key. Here's an Microsoft support article:

Briefly, I need to modify the registry so the windows to deactivate Windows. Once deactivated, Windows will automatically remind you to activate windows through the Internet or phone a MS customer service representative to get a new license key.

So I pretended that I called Microsoft and get the new license key. Once entering the new key, and reactivate Windows registry, everything works.

One problem the MS support article didn't mention is that there's an activation code field which is the default of the activation process. I assume that this is the code the MS call center gives out. In my case, since I have a new volume license key, I had to specifically choose entering CD-key.

Now one problem is out of the way, I can come back to deal with the failed hard drive on my X61 tablet. The annonying part is that the new Intel X-25M 80G SSD I ordered from NewEgg failed also. I had to mail it back for replacement. Will update that later.