Lenovo Vista Product key doesn't work!

I'm running Windows 7 right now and I'm looking to reinstall my Vista 64 business. But for some reason my Vista business product key doesn't work. It states it being invalid. So i even tried the product key that is under my lenovo laptop with the genuine sticker. Windows also says that key was invalid. what the heck is going on O_O? ???

 

How did you re-install it?

 

You could always call MS and have them manually give you a code. A valid key is valid, just depends on what media you used since OEMs generally have OEM specific stuff where the key won't just work on any old install media. But if you call MS they will give you an authorization code basically to input.

 

What product key are you using, other than the one found on the sticker on the bottom of the machine?

 

I had a similar problem pop up yesterday. I'm also running Win 7, and went to log into Vista yesterday for the first time in over a month (original factory installation). Upon login, I was met with a screen saying I had to activate Vista, and I tried to use the code on the bottom of my T400. That logged me in, but now Windows says that it isn't genuine.

Anyone have any ideas or a fix?

 

hmm thats very strange. maybe your just very very unlucky getting double keyed or maybe some crack software somehow matched your key? i dunno...just possiblities.

 

I think you guys are going to have to call Microsoft to activate it, which shouldn't be a big deal. I've gotten the impression that the key on the sticker on the bottom of the machine is not necessarily valid for re-activation. The image on the machine was pre-activated at Lenovo, so to re-activate it, you would need to have first extracted the activation key from within the base Windows environment so that you could re-apply it on subsequent reinstalls. See the "Clean Windows Install" guide in this forum for details.

 

I think you'r abit too jovial about microsoft. I've had legimate copies receive legit patches which turned the system off. Upon calling microsoft, they wanted to say it was a Lenovo problem and lenovo wanted to say it was a microsoft problem. I was lucky, after clean installing another MSDN copy and manually installing corrected patches it worked. However the guy I gave the machine too wasn't as lucky and now has a dead machine.

 

We're not talking about technical difficulties here. We're talking about simple product activation. I've not heard of any widespread instances of people being refused activation of their legitimate Windows license.

 

Well now you've met one...and I can get the person I gave the system to, this addy so you can hear of two.

-Renee

 

Mine differs too... ABR (Activation Backup and Restore) program shows different key ...

 

I'm sorry, but without additional information on the sequence of events surrounding your particular machine, that's anecdotal at best. It still demonstrates only one case (activation of same machine was attempted by two people).

I guess I can see where Microsoft may not be quick to validate a key, if it isn't the one that was used by the OEM to activate the OEM version of the OS in the first place.

 

Can you get into Windows and get to a command prompt? If so type at the command prompt "slmgr -dli" without the quotes and post a screen shot.

 

There's two cases of 'anecdotal' evidence. Of course any rules of evidence will sound anectdotal. The exception of course is on actual cases which meet the criteria that was invalidated, this happened a couple of years ago where it was Microsoft's fault where a patch invalidated legal systems. The thing is my ex-office mate just went through the same thing with the same hardware.
But dont worry, its anetdotal. Look up an N200 and see how anecdotal that is. You'll find that it had a legal license.

 

The reason is the oem product key is only valid for specific OEM manufature! Not only Lenovo, most products' key from other brand won't work for the original copy of OS.

There is a clean install guide, follow up that one, you can get this work. Otherwise, call MS.

 

This happened on a Friday night. I would have had to wait three days. I'm a professional. can't wait. Going with a machine for three days would have been lethal. I took a day and put an MSDN os version of XP in. Although my freind had been through it was me, it just got him after I gave him the machine. We knew about the key and the patch for him but it still got him.

 

So the clean install guide doesn't work? It would probably takes 2-3 hours to completing every installation.

 

I don't care about the "Clean Install Guide", I care that I know how to do an instalation and I do. Secondly, I have a whole lot of installing to do after the installation.

 

If you created the factory restore discs or at least still have the restore partition on your hard drive, you should be able to reinstall and reactivate. If you wiped the restore partition without creating restore discs, I don't know how easy it's going to be (or even if it's possible) to get another key from Microsoft.

 

I didn't create the factory install discs. I wouldn't want them because I have never used a factory install disc. I've alwaya switched to an MSDN copy soon afterwards. I didn't in this case.
To be precise, i did not want the two additional partitions lenovo puts on. Still I didn't want my disk marked unsupported either.

Ok lets get out of the anectdotal department. OS was XP pofessional. License was the orginal. I don't have the license number. It worked one moment and was logged off the next after receiving two patchs from ms. I did not make restore disks. I didn't wan't them. A little later I bought a new t61p also with a license with Vista which developed no problems.

Renee

 

That does sound like a raw deal. You're just the first person I've ever heard of who was running Windows legally and had it deactivated by a patch. I'm not saying that's any sort of indication in itself that it wasn't Microsoft's fault. Take it for what it's worth. :shrug:

 

The really weird thing is that this key worked before. I had done the "Clean Install" guide when i first bought my Lenovo. I extracted the Vista install DVD from the windows folder and burned it into a DVD and i used ABR to extract the product key. I formatted my comp and reinstalled Vista. Everything worked flawlessly...

1 year later, i had installed Win7 and now tried to install Vista onto the second partition using the same product key that was saved by ABR and WinVista DVD... Microsoft says it's an invalid key... so.. ?

 

Just an information
Most oem keys won't be able to be used to activate after 5 times clean install, that's what my experience says (My friend reformate the pc more thatn 5 times (a hp tablet pc), then the serials won't work later). This one is WinXp
Solution, use phone activation, maybe it will work
The MSDN version however (and some FPP) can be re-installed so many times... no wonder XP msdn will work

 

I believe it. This also happen in Netware 5 and ESX 3.5 so MS is not alone in this type of screw up.

 

Did you by any chance change any hardware? I've seen the problem occur on both Vista and Windows 7 on a simple hard drive change.

http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1239770,00.html

 

I don't remember changing to any non-lenovo parts. In fact I don't remember adding parts to the N200 as it was very complete except for the phone interface to the internet. Although at some point I installed a new system disk. I remember now. the N200 failed somewhat after I changed the system disk because I changed it almost immediately after recept.

-Renee

 

Running slmgr -dlv will tell you if a hardware threshold violation occurred.

 

Well....here is another instance...I have a Lenovo 3000 N200, set Windows Updates to ON (after a pretty long time of them being off), and, after a reboot after one of the patches, the windows activation is bad...and I've worked with Microsoft, used the key they gave me, I've used the one on the back, I've done the telephone activation, done all of the things I can find on the internet, and still no luck. Microsoft has advised that their fix (reinstalling license files) works for all other makes of machines but Lenovo. I thought he was giving me a line, but, now I'm not so sure. I'm about to call Lenovo...I see they have an option to purchase a downgrade to Win XP and I may take them up on that...Vista has been nothing but trouble.

 

Lynmarti,
I know exactly what you mean except when I went thruogh it Microsoft said get help from Lenovo and lenovo said to get help fom Microsoft. I finally just replaced the OS. with an MSDN copy.
-Renee

 

Yeah it's completely ridiculous.. Microsoft are retards. First of all, it pisses me off how manufacturers no longer include CD/DVD media with the OS on it. Instead they make some huge 20GB partition to put everything on. What happens if your HD dies? And yeah I know that you can burn it to DVD and remove the partition - but everybody knows that CD-Rs and DVD-Rs have a shelf life. Sometimes they become unusable in just a few years.

And the thing about OEM keys not activating more than a few times is also stupid. I reinstall my operating system pretty frequently. This is why I never use the key that comes written on the bottom of the computer, I always do it the OEM way (by backing up the oem certificates and key, and then restoring them after the clean install).

Seriously.. Microsoft should make sure that we all get factory-pressed DVD-ROM backup media, which for all practical purposes has unlimited shelf life, and they should allow unlimited re-installations on the same machine. It's none of Microsoft's business how often I choose to re-install my OS, and I don't think we agreed to any crap like that in the EULA.. I wish somebody would take Microsoft to court over this.