I went to the activation screen and chose telephone activation then selected my country (USA) and they gave me a number to call. I called the number which was 1(888)571-2048 then the machine answered and the automated lady asked me if i wanted to activate windows, i said yes. She then asked me to read the installation ID in groups of six. The code is found in the activation screen and its about 8 or 9 groups of 6 numbers each. After i read all of the code, she transferred me to a real person because the XP was used before.

Waited about two minutes then an indian guy spoke to me and he asked me which version of windows i was activating then he asked me if i have installed it on another computer before.I said no. He then asked me verify the first six and the last three numbers of the installation ID which i did. Then he gave me the activation code. Easy and takes only five minutes.