The latest round of Patch Tuesday updates left my Windows XP computer unbootable. ("Fatal System Error: The Windows Logon Process system process terminated unexpectedly.") After much messing around with the recovery console, an XP CD's repair mode, and manually copying registry files around, I have a system that can boot again. However, I overwrote my OEM XP installation's activation information while trying to run a retail XP CD's setup, so it needs reactivation.

Here's my problem: I cannot activate it at all. I log in, Windows tells me I have to activate to continue, I click Yes, and absolutely nothing happens: no windows, no response to keyboard or mouse, no response to Ctrl-Alt-Del, nothing. Safe mode works, but I can't activate in safe mode (EDIT: not even safe mode with networking). I read a trick online of pressing [Windows Key]+U to bring up the Microsoft Narrator, and that works, but clicking its Microsoft Web Site link does nothing.

My last attempt to resolve this was to reinstall Windows off of the OEM CD. Now I have two parallel Windows installations, both on the same hard drive, one with all of my stuff and no way to activate it, one fully activated with no usable programs.

Any ideas? Any way to activate in safe mode? Any way to copy activation information from my activated installation to my unactivated installation (since they're both on the same hard drive)?