Windows XP Service Pack 2 Halts on “Checking Product Key”

15 October, 2007 at 1:33 pm by Phil Wiffen · Filed under Troubleshooting, Windows

If you’re installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 and it halts or hangs on you while it is allegedly “Checking Product Key”, you can fix it like so:

1) Please go into the CMD prompt (Start/Run –> cmd.exe )

2) Then type cd /d %windir%\inf and make sure we are in that
directory.

3) Then type ren oem*.inf oem*.old, it will go back to the prompt
after giving you some error (Do not worry about it)

4) Then type ren oem*.pnf oem*.old1, it will go back to the prompt
after giving you some error (Do not worry about it)

5) Then goto start - run - type “%windir%\inf” and you will see
the files in the folder.

6) Then find the file by name INFCACHE.1 and take a backup of it
to desktop (by copying it to desktop) and delete the INFCACHE.1
from c:\windows\inf.

7) Close all windows and reboot the computer to safe mode and
start the installation of SP2 and it should go fine.

This solution is dotted all around the internet, but I can’t find it’s original source. If you know the source, let me know and I’ll credit it correctly.

Permalink

9 Comments »

ankit soni said,

19 November, 2007 at 9:40 am

sir i have a windows service pack 2 but when i install this sofwhere the computer genrets the eaorr that the product key is not valid and i chacke the key is sme as write on the cd what can i do sir
Phil Wiffen said,

22 November, 2007 at 5:21 pm

Ankit, it sounds like you need to call Microsoft to verify that your Windows key is authentic.
Hafiz Pussah said,

23 November, 2007 at 11:15 am

Hi Sir, I want to install window service pack 2 but i misplace the product key. how can are retrieve the product?
Phil Wiffen said,

29 November, 2007 at 4:30 pm

Hafiz, please see my post, Retrieving your Windows Licence Key
Andy said,

9 February, 2008 at 10:56 pm

works like a charm…any reason to keep the “INFCACHE.1″ file that was copied to the desktop?
Phil Wiffen said,

13 February, 2008 at 11:27 pm

Hi Andy! It’s just a backup in case things go awry, so you’re free to delete it once SP2 installs properly
Niraj Parmar said,

7 June, 2008 at 12:04 pm

Hello Sir,

I have tried above trick but not working.
It still showing same error message “Your Product key is invalid.”.

Any clue?

Thanks in Advance.

Regards
Niraj
Phil Wiffen said,

26 June, 2008 at 10:23 am

Niraj, it sounds like you’ve got a PC with a pirated key. I’d take it up with your PC supplier.
keiod said,

2 July, 2008 at 1:34 am

Great tip! Worked perfectly! YAY