Windows 7 is not genuine!?

Gah! I have been getting this on every PC I own lately. Some machines have Technet, a couple OEM, and a couple retail copies. All have yelled at me telling me my copy of Windows is not genuine. I go to activate again, and says to click here to visit MS Website to see what to do. All they say is to buy a new version of Windows.

I even re-entered my key in a couple instances and it accepted it. In another, with retail key even, I had to activate with a technet key, then reboot, then I reentered my retail key and then it accepted it. So I waste a couple activations.

Anyone else have this happen to them? What is the deal? It's happened to every PC now, just at different times. I don't get it.

 

Yeah, it made me do that when I activated Windows "2" times.

Sucks.. really.

There is no way but to contact Microsoft to allow you to reuse the key.

I did, and they said the previous installations will be de-activated, so it worked out for me.

 

buy retail key, do you mean a new one every time ?

Could just be the key you used has been banned ?

however, does it mean Windows phone home even after activation ?

 

I was getting an invalid product key for about two days after I clean-installed on my MSI. Not even the phone system was taking my key.

I was getting worried that, I don't know, a keygen or something had stolen my key. But after that second day I tried authenticating the number online, and it went without a hitch.

But, strangely, I've never had an instance where I've been told I'm not genuine. Hmm. Are you clean installing, or just putting a new key over another installation?

 

All clean installs, but it's been installed and activated for months.

 

so you mean all of a sudden it tells you it is not genuine ?

 

It happens when the key is pirated or something...

That's what happened to my eBay bought Win 7 Keys..

How many times did you activate Windows with the same key?

 

Yes. Happened last night to the old media center PC in my kids room. Been running fine for six months, then I boot up and says "This Windows is not genuine". I rebooted a couple times, tried to re-enter my key, said it wasn't genuine. I entered another technet key, said it wasn't genuine, so re-entered the original key, said it wasn't genuine, decided to activate anyways and then it accepted it. Similar issues with my other PC's in the past.

ALL of my keys, smattering of Technet, OEM, Retail? I don't think so. If it was during initial activation, then I can see if there's a problem. But out of the blue, some being used for many months? Then I RETYPE my keys and it accepts it? Weird.

 

If you have the patch for WPA health check installed it periodically goes out to the authentication servers and checks for WPA validity. If i'm not mistaken using MSE might cause more health checks.

Ebay keys are/were notorious for resells of legit and stolen keys including Technet. Not saying your Technet keys were stolen but don't rule that out. If the problem persist call MS and ask them why all of a sudden you are getting invalid status on all of your licenses.

 

Oh in that case, it could be just a recent windows update that invalidate the activation and requires you to do it again.

 

Thanks, and maybe another reason not to use MSE. Just irritating when it happens. If it happens again I'm definitely going to phone Microsoft and ask what's up. I don't know how my keys could have been stolen though, my network is secure (WPA2 AES 5GHz band), I don't have anyone else that comes to my home that is ever around when I'm not (and it's not often people are here these days). If it was just my technet I would think that account was compromised but it's not just Technet.

Anyhow, I'll see if this occurs again.

Could be, but this time only one PC and not others? But when I did try to activate it said it wasn't genuine, until I used another Technet key, which said it was invalid, then used the original again, and activated then it worked. Whatever. All this while my kids were crying to see their show I said they could watch. sigh.

 

Damn, I hope my MSDNAA keys don't go bad like this...

 

Horrifying Thought: It was the two-year-old!

(Or however old he or she is now.)

 

Theoretcally if one uses an enterprise key on a home machine, what are the chances of getting caught? Thanks J
Great thread guys, I learned a lot from these posts!

 

If your employer gave you the company's enterprise key, it would just count as one more system on that license, and unless it puts the license over the number of licensed systems allowed, it should work.

On the other hand, if you were naughty and got some random enterprise key from eBay or a guy on the street selling software, it will get blacklisted by Microsoft at some point. People like that are greedy enough to sell so many copies of the same key that it becomes pretty obvious to Microsoft that something funny is going on with that key.

 

tee hee, yeah oldest is 3 and he's starting to learn mouse a bit and even toy with the touchpad. I fear the day when he can get on nick online on his own. He'll be a web nerd like his daddy-o.

 

My laptop makes that when hibernate. If i don't hibernate and just restart nothing happens. Any idea?