Perhaps it would be simpler to install my cloned C: drive from a month ago.
You likely reached the 30 days on this cloned not original drive and got locked out of your system as a result of this on that drive.
This newer drive was the hardware change, but for some reason it thinks its activated and yet also thinks that it is not. Seen this before with cloning drives on occasion. You have 30 days of use in non microsoft activated state to use the system. Usually you are warned repeatedly via pop ups to register and activate with microsoft. But once the limit is reached it pretty much bricks itself into the state you currently have it in with that other drive. If you are unable to enter an activation code or new key anywheres then it may be that the clone copied with a small amount of corruption, so its a broken copy of Windows.
On one occasion I brought a system back from an image and used it for a day and didnt activate it because I didnt think I had to from image state. Shut system down, life got busy, went to fire up this computer over 30 days later and faced the same issue where it was non functional, however I was able to activate it clicking on an option which brought up a phone number to call and a series of boxes for the activation code to be entered in. After the phone call to India trying to understand some gentlemen with very poor english I was able to activate and be back up and running. But if you have no option for activation code etc then its best to swap drives back and create a new backup of this original system.
The good thing is that even though you dont have your original CDs you still have this one healthy (original) drive which activation should not be broken on.
BTW... what software did you use to clone the drive?
