Flight Simulator Deluxe

I recently bought a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator Deluxe. When I
installed it, it wouldn't let me activate the software and would shut down
after 30 minutes. I went to the help page and followed the directions to do a
"clean boot for XP" and then I had to do a RegEdit change to "PartMgr" from a
0. It then allowed me to activate and play the game. Then I downloaded your
Microsoft Flight Simulator Deluxe SP1, and it told me I needed to activate
the game again. As you can imagine it won't allow me to do this. So I called
Microsoft's tech support line and after we tried a restore that didn’t work,
I was told that there is nothing I can do except reinstall my Window's
operating system or call Microsoft's refund center and get a refund. Any
other suggestions