I have Vista Ultimate 32; on a second hand laptop I bought in February (I have my back up disc), it came installed.
It has worked fine but in recent weeks I have been getting messages which for all the world look genuine asking me for ‘Windows Activation’ or windows will stop working.
It always says ‘within 27 days it will stop working’ and asks for the serial number of my Vista. I downloaded Belarc to get it.
Is it possible the previous owner registered it for a year, or some such, or ha a pirate copy he has sold me?
I have to say it’s a brill laptop for what I paid.Could I have done something to disable it - I was fiddling between administrator and home a couple of weeks ago (when I had a problem I should add, Java stopped working on Firefox, still unsolved, though works on IE!) and Belarc shows this (admin and guest both have x beside them):
"local user accounts last logon
home 20/11/2007 08:57:22 (admin)
local system accounts
x Administrator 02/11/2006 14:02:01 (admin)
x Guest never
DISABLED x Marks a disabled account; LOCKED OUT Marks a locked account "
Another question, if this is not a VIRUS message, but real, will I have to change or download a whole new system or will I just be given a new key to type in? I’d like to keep this Vista as I like it but I gather it is over £100!!!
Thanks for any answers. Last thought, where do i get a number to ring Microsoft, or can I get a key online, if it is genuine?
There isn’t a one-year registration, afik. The owner of the computer could have used the key in another computer. When you try to register yours, it fails. I think the best will be contacting MS or, if you can, the old owner of this computer.
When I clicked on buy a new key now, after putting in my key number in the box,I got:
'Unable to verify site certificate pa.one.microsoft.com
Could be a site pretending to be, etc…
Surely if it was a microsoft site this is very unlikely???
Sorry rhuds I forgot to say I am in Slovenia not the US, but thanks for number anyway. does anyone have a microsoft support phone number (UK or better still Slovenia!). Thanks!
I did this from control panel system where I got the message to renew within 28 days
I would try contacting Microsoft. ( Sorry I dont know the number for your Country) WGA does sometimes mistake genuine systems as invalid. This once Happened to My XP system and they were quite helpful. At the very least they can tell you if its a error in WGA or if the previous owner sold you a pirated copy
Tech many thanks. Mac thanks also, it is all very weird. Our tech is now shut so I will try tomorrow (hoping my 28 days aren’t up!).
Mac, do you think there is a chance it will just continue working despite the ‘warnings’? I have been getting them for some time. What happened with your situation, did you have to buy a new key and how complex was it?
I promise I will update when the matter is - hopefully - sorted!
In my case my key was correct but it was being fagged as not genuine. They issued me a new key once I faxed them proof of purchase (The reason I always keep the box and receipt) and that solved the issue.
I've just had the error message saying that 'the key is already in use' - but I have been using it for nine months!
This would suggest that the person you bought the machine from is using that key on another machine. as Tech said
If you can show proof of ownership to Microsoft they can help with a new key. They may kill old key also. When a person sells machine including OS they really should not try to reuse it.
I’m trying to figure out how they did it, if it’s an OEM product key (from say HP or Dell) then it would be a bit more difficult for him to re-use the product key.
Windows Vista activation is very different from XP, it isn’t put in the product key and go (well for retail and regular OEM copies it is). The OEM keys that manufacturers receive are different, they are licensed for a large number of machines (i.e. 1000 desktops). But you cannot just grab the key and enter it and be done. You require to validation files which the manufacturer embeds in the hardware. A hardware embedded BIOS ACPI validation file (to validate the PC the key is used on), and a certificate file from MS that validates the BIOS ACPI validation file.
Once those two files are present Vista will activate (and be considered genuine) regardless how many machines it is used on (i.e. I can install it on 1200 machines even though it is licensed for 1000 and the extra 200 will still be considered genuine), but like I said this is only for the OEM Manufacturers, and since this is a laptop, I would assume it was purchased at a store, which means this applies.
So unless he purchased a separate copy, and put it on the notebook, it doesn’t seem likely that he is using the key, because we can assume that those two files which are required are embedded in the hardware and very difficult to copy.
Last saturday, i formated an old PC with Win 2000, i installed Win XP Home(this PC is for my Mummy :D) and i used a “legal key” of a friend. He renewed his PC and purchased Win Vista, and gimme a present, his XP key ;D. When i installed the ystem and i try to validate the key, tell me the key isn’t genuine. Then i phoned Windows support, and the asked me questions, i answered them and i validated my new key.
A lot of times, with genuine keys, there are problems, but if you are sure is a genuine key, phone to Windows.
In the end I gave in and bought a new Vista. Luckily with the help of the Microsoft tech people, I was able to insert the key which was accepted without having to uninstall/reinstall and now all appears to be perfect and I have the ‘legitimate’ symbol in my system window.
It is amazing that you can pick up a Vista in store (I am most certainly NOT recommending this, as it is of course theft!!!) and could simply write down the key number, which appears on the OUTSIDE of the box, without buying it, and if you had a pirate Vista presumably could just type in the legitimate number with no disc required.