Windows 7 is asking to activate again?
Hello, I have been using Windows 7 for a few months now. I upgraded back in November 2009 and it was activated. I boot my PC today and I am suddenly getting messages saying I need to activate Windows and the Activation server determined that the specified key could not be used. Nothing has changed so why do I suddenly need to activate again and why does it fail when I try to?
March 23rd, 2010 12:31am

Many reason why, if you are sure you have a legal version then you use the phone to call MS and get a new key code. If you purchased it off say ebay the chances are good that you will be buying a new copy of win 7. Even legit copies can be tagged if the key code was used more than once.
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March 23rd, 2010 1:12am

I bought a Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade from Best Buy. I'm quite sure it's legal, as it had activated already when I initially installed it. It's just now saying that it needs to be activated.
March 23rd, 2010 1:40am

I bought a Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade from Best Buy. I'm quite sure it's legal, as it had activated already when I initially installed it. It's just now saying that it needs to be activated. HiSince the online activation failed, you will need to perform the activation manually. 1. Press the Windows Logo Key+R. This will bring up the Run dialog box.2. In the Open: box, type slui 4 and press OK. This will start the manual activation wizard. 3. Select your Country in the drop down menu and click Next.4. The wizard will display a Toll Free phone number. Leave the wizard open on the computer and call that phone number.You will be given some recorded options. Select the option to talk to a live representative. The representative will manually activate that system for you.Let us know if you have any more problems Ronnie Vernon MVP
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March 23rd, 2010 9:33am

Yeah I know that. What I am trying to figure out is why this is happening. My copy of Windows 7 was already activated and suddenly I boot my PC and it wants to activate again. Will it happen again in a few months? If its a bug, it should be addressed.
March 23rd, 2010 1:29pm

Did you change or upgrade any of the computer's hardware? Did you dual boot with Bootcamp and a Virtual machine? Something you did may have convinced Windows that you changed enough of your computer to require reactivation. -Noel
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March 23rd, 2010 2:31pm

Did you change or upgrade any of the computer's hardware? Did you dual boot with Bootcamp and a Virtual machine? Something you did may have convinced Windows that you changed enough of your computer to require reactivation. -Noel I changed nothing. I just turned on my PC yesterday and it's telling me to activate windows.
March 23rd, 2010 2:46pm

Any chance that someone else used your box and the product code to install another copy, then tried to activate theirs? That would cause just what you're seeing. -Noel
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March 23rd, 2010 4:05pm

I hate to speculate but this is not the first time I heard that the activation key is not valid from users that have purchased machines at Best Buy. Just throwing it out there. There was another customer complaining regarding his OS not being valid after purchasing his/her machine at Best Buy. -OR- Your machine has been comprimised by a virus. My best bet is to take it back so they can scan it for viruses or to check what has changed since you last turned it on. -EC "There's a time and place for that. The time is... Never. You can figure out the place on your own".
March 23rd, 2010 11:30pm

Did Windows Update install the latest Windows Genuine Advantage update the last windows session before the boot?
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March 23rd, 2010 11:53pm

Ok, I'm the only one that used the disk and the key. I didn't buy the PC at Best Buy, I just bought a sealed upgrade copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. All the latest updates are installed. I just got home now and booted up again and got a dialog box telling me I need to get genuine. I clicked the activate button and now it activated no problem. I hadn't even called yet to try manual activation. So why couldn't I activate yesterday but after a reboot I could? I hope this doesn't happen again.
March 24th, 2010 12:51am

I had the same issue with my Windows but the culprit was Zone Alarm Extreme. It was not allowing the activation to get through. Once I got it installed, I didn't have any issues. This is probably not your case but in an event that you think this will happen again, go to the windows control panel, click on System and Security, click on Windows Update and select "Change Settings". Under Change Settings, where is says "Important Updates", choose "Download Updates but let me choose whether to Install them" feuture. I personally don't like Windows updating my machine automatically. The only updates you should received is for Virus Definitions. In my personal point of view, I want to make sure I have control of what is being installed. You will be able to check what packages will be installed. -Esteban"There's a time and place for that. The time is... Never. You can figure out the place on your own".
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March 24th, 2010 3:56am

I absolutely agree: Configure Windows to notify you when updates are available, then review them. It also keeps your computer from rebooting and losing work you might have left open. In general, however, Windows Updates are great! A giant corporation is working all the time on the software to make your computer work better. Windows Update is the ultimate value added. Food for thought: Are the antivirus companies somehow magically better at making automatic software updates than Microsoft? I doubt it. Their software is no doubt simpler than an entire operating system, and so they have an advantage: Focus. I'm curious, Esteban... Why do you feel the need for ZoneAlarm? The Windows firewall is quite likely better (you actually identified one of the reasons why in your post). -Noel
March 25th, 2010 9:36am

Yeah, I know about auto updates and all. I'm an IT consultant and do stuff like that all the time. I don't use a software firewall, they tend to screw up the computer too much. I use a hardware firewall in my router. I'd just like to know why this happened or if it is common before advising my clients to upgrade from XP. I don't want to start getting 20 calls a day from people saying they are being asked to activate after it was activated previously.
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March 25th, 2010 12:39pm

I absolutely agree: Configure Windows to notify you when updates are available, then review them. It also keeps your computer from rebooting and losing work you might have left open. In general, however, Windows Updates are great! A giant corporation is working all the time on the software to make your computer work better. Windows Update is the ultimate value added. Food for thought: Are the antivirus companies somehow magically better at making automatic software updates than Microsoft? I doubt it. Their software is no doubt simpler than an entire operating system, and so they have an advantage: Focus. I'm curious, Esteban... Why do you feel the need for ZoneAlarm? The Windows firewall is quite likely better (you actually identified one of the reasons why in your post). -Noel I was doing Beta testing for Zone Alarm Extreme. They have a new version 9.1.8 which suppose to work better with Windows 7. Their firewall is pretty good but their Anti-Virus Package is extremely bad (Sorry if I offend any Zone Alarm supporters). Anyway, the issues I tested with Zone Alarm Beta were related to Virtualization in Windows 7 64bit. Appearently, ZA Beta does not work well with Virtual PC. It crashes constantly so watch out if you install it. I provided a lot of feedback and crash dumps to the ZA Tech Support. I finally got tired of Zone Alarm on my Windows 7. I'm currently running NOD32 64BIT and Windows Native firewall. I must say, NOD32 is far cleaner, faster and superior than any other antivirus I have loaded on Windows 7. When I boot up my system, NOD32 engine loads up in a few seconds. When I had Zone Alarm, the engine used to take too long to load and my machine is not that slow. I'm running 8GB Mem, 2x3.5 Core2 Duo Intel CPU and 1 TB Barracuda. -Esteban "There's a time and place for that. The time is... Never. You can figure out the place on your own".
March 25th, 2010 6:05pm

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