Server 2003 Key issues

I bought the MS Press book for 70-291 online. I installed virtual box on my machine today and began installing server 2003 on the virtualbox. When I entered the CD key, it said the key is invalid. I tried it a couple of times but the key is not accepted and I cannot install it.
What can I do to install it? The book is brand new and the CD was sealed before I opened it. I need it to continue my studies.
Any suggestions?

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Comments

earweed

Try activating over the phone. It'll take a while but it's better than nothing. The only other alternative is to not activate it at all.

dadaji

Well, I am trying to install it first. It would not let me install because of the CD key. I don't care about activating it because this is just for my studies and not for production purposes. Can I get another key or have them help me in installing it with the CD key that I have?
Any ideas?

Mojo_666

Make suere you are using the media and key that came with the book, using a different media/key combination will give the results you are getting.

If you are sure you are using the correct media and key combination then call MS.

dadaji

I finally got it to install and then activate.
I was using the same media and key that came with the book. I had to uninstall Virtualbox, restart the machine, install Virtualbox again and then install Windows server 2003. It was wierd but it was successful. Now I can proceed with the studies.