Problem with (legal) Windows 7 Activation

On Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:19:42 -0800, Enrie Membership <> wrote:

>I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM version
>Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before delivery to the
>customer I activated windows.
>
>Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for activation
>via entry of the product key. When the product key is entered (key taken
>from COA which I fixed to the machine) the software says the product key
>is invalid. This cannot be true because the same key was used to install
>Win 7 in the first place.
>
>I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased had
>not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was installed
>when I did all of the updates before delivery of the machine.
>
>Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
>installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
>the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?
>
>No hardware changes have been made.
>
>How can I re-activate the software?


Over the phone, to Microsoft ?

--

On 21/12/2011 00:19, Enrie Membership wrote:
> I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM version
> Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before delivery to the
> customer I activated windows.
>
> Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for activation
> via entry of the product key. When the product key is entered (key taken
> from COA which I fixed to the machine) the software says the product key
> is invalid. This cannot be true because the same key was used to install
> Win 7 in the first place.
>
> I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased had
> not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was installed
> when I did all of the updates before delivery of the machine.
>
> Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
> installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
> the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?
>
> No hardware changes have been made.
>
> How can I re-activate the software?

Sure your customer hasn't tried to install it on another machine too? Or
perhaps (s)he has significantly changed the hardware?

Enrie Membership wrote:
> I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM
> version Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before
> delivery to the customer I activated windows.
>
> Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for
> activation via entry of the product key. When the product key is
> entered (key taken from COA which I fixed to the machine) the
> software says the product key is invalid. This cannot be true because
> the same key was used to install Win 7 in the first place.
>
> I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased
> had not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was
> installed when I did all of the updates before delivery of the
> machine.
> Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
> installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
> the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?
>
> No hardware changes have been made.
>
> How can I re-activate the software?

Follow the automated phone service.

On 20/12/2011 17:56, Tired wrote:
> Enrie Membership wrote:
>> I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM
>> version Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before
>> delivery to the customer I activated windows.
>>
>> Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for
>> activation via entry of the product key. When the product key is
>> entered (key taken from COA which I fixed to the machine) the
>> software says the product key is invalid. This cannot be true because
>> the same key was used to install Win 7 in the first place.
>>
>> I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased
>> had not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was
>> installed when I did all of the updates before delivery of the
>> machine.
>> Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
>> installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
>> the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?
>>
>> No hardware changes have been made.
>>
>> How can I re-activate the software?
>
> Follow the automated phone service.
>
>

What - twice?

DCA wrote:
> On 20/12/2011 17:56, Tired wrote:
>> Enrie Membership wrote:
>>> I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM
>>> version Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before
>>> delivery to the customer I activated windows.
>>>
>>> Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for
>>> activation via entry of the product key. When the product key is
>>> entered (key taken from COA which I fixed to the machine) the
>>> software says the product key is invalid. This cannot be true
>>> because the same key was used to install Win 7 in the first place.
>>>
>>> I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased
>>> had not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was
>>> installed when I did all of the updates before delivery of the
>>> machine.
>>> Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so
>>> the installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If
>>> this is the case why won't the installation recognise the valid
>>> product key? No hardware changes have been made.
>>>
>>> How can I re-activate the software?
>>
>> Follow the automated phone service.
>>
>>
>
> What - twice?

Yes, obviously some event has triggered a reactivation.

I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM version
Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before delivery to the
customer I activated windows.

Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for activation
via entry of the product key. When the product key is entered (key taken
from COA which I fixed to the machine) the software says the product key
is invalid. This cannot be true because the same key was used to install
Win 7 in the first place.

I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased had
not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was installed
when I did all of the updates before delivery of the machine.

Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?

No hardware changes have been made.

How can I re-activate the software?

On 12/22/2011 03:41 AM, Enrie Membership wrote:
> On 20/12/2011 16:19, Enrie Membership wrote:
>> I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM version
>> Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before delivery to the
>> customer I activated windows.
>>
>> Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for activation
>> via entry of the product key. When the product key is entered (key taken
>> from COA which I fixed to the machine) the software says the product key
>> is invalid. This cannot be true because the same key was used to install
>> Win 7 in the first place.
>>
>> I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased had
>> not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was installed
>> when I did all of the updates before delivery of the machine.
>>
>> Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
>> installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
>> the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?
>>
>> No hardware changes have been made.
>>
>> How can I re-activate the software?
>
>
> This is now sorted.
>
> My customer had tried numerous times to re-enter the product key without
> success. When I arrived today I copied the key from the COA and entered
> it in the activation window only to have it rejected.
>
> The text on the COA is tiny to say the least and upon further inspection
> with a magnifying glass we found we had both copied down one letter of
> the product key incorrectly IE: 8 and B
>
> It was hard to tell even under a glass but that was the problem. F*****g
> Microsoft
>
That has happened to me several time and not just with M$, the most
recent one was just last week when I installed Quake 3 Arena on an XP
virtual machine to test the experimental VirtualBox Direct 3D offering.
F*****g ID.

On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:41:51 -0800, Enrie Membership <> wrote:

>On 20/12/2011 16:19, Enrie Membership wrote:
>> I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM version
>> Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before delivery to the
>> customer I activated windows.
>>
>> Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for activation
>> via entry of the product key. When the product key is entered (key taken
>> from COA which I fixed to the machine) the software says the product key
>> is invalid. This cannot be true because the same key was used to install
>> Win 7 in the first place.
>>
>> I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased had
>> not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was installed
>> when I did all of the updates before delivery of the machine.
>>
>> Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
>> installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
>> the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?
>>
>> No hardware changes have been made.
>>
>> How can I re-activate the software?
>
>
>This is now sorted.
>
>My customer had tried numerous times to re-enter the product key without
>success. When I arrived today I copied the key from the COA and entered
>it in the activation window only to have it rejected.
>
>The text on the COA is tiny to say the least and upon further inspection
>with a magnifying glass we found we had both copied down one letter of
>the product key incorrectly IE: 8 and B
>
>It was hard to tell even under a glass but that was the problem. F*****g
>Microsoft
>
>As soon as I corrected the transposed letter the software activated.
>
>Problem solved.


I've sone that before !

Glad it's sorted.


--

On 20/12/2011 16:19, Enrie Membership wrote:
> I supplied a customer with a new PC system and installed an OEM version
> Windows 7 Home Premium. After installation and before delivery to the
> customer I activated windows.
>
> Mu customer is now telling me that the machine is asking for activation
> via entry of the product key. When the product key is entered (key taken
> from COA which I fixed to the machine) the software says the product key
> is invalid. This cannot be true because the same key was used to install
> Win 7 in the first place.
>
> I wonder if this is because the OEM version of Windows 7 I purchased had
> not got service pack 1 on the DVD when I purchased it. SP1 was installed
> when I did all of the updates before delivery of the machine.
>
> Maybe I forgot to activate the installation before delivery and so the
> installation has gone beyond the 30 day activation period. If this is
> the case why won't the installation recognise the valid product key?
>
> No hardware changes have been made.
>
> How can I re-activate the software?


This is now sorted.

My customer had tried numerous times to re-enter the product key without
success. When I arrived today I copied the key from the COA and entered
it in the activation window only to have it rejected.

The text on the COA is tiny to say the least and upon further inspection
with a magnifying glass we found we had both copied down one letter of
the product key incorrectly IE: 8 and B

It was hard to tell even under a glass but that was the problem. F*****g
Microsoft

As soon as I corrected the transposed letter the software activated.

Problem solved.

On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:52:45 -0000, John Jordan <> wrote:

> On 22/12/2011 03:41, Enrie Membership wrote:
>>
>> The text on the COA is tiny to say the least and upon further inspection
>> with a magnifying glass we found we had both copied down one letter of
>> the product key incorrectly IE: 8 and B
>
> It's actually even worse on the early XP COAs. I suspect this is why a
> lot of people think that old COAs don't work with later service packs.
>
>

I'm a little late to this party due to the disruptions of the festive
season and illness but I'll add my tuppence worth just the same.

The avoidance of transcription errors is a real pain when copying out
those awkwardly placed CoA stickers onto a piece of paper[1]. This is
especially true of the ones on laptops and the required diligence has
always struck me as being out of all proportion to the task in hand.

One fine day, about 6 months ago (possibly longer), it struck me that it
might be worth using my digital camera to photograph them (I'm not using a
crappy Sony so the convenience factor is actually workable) so that, come
the time to enter those pesky alphanumeric character groups, I could
simply zoom the captured images in the camera's display and unambiguously
decipher the characters sans any typos (other than at the keyboard itself).

It might seem a blindingly obvious solution but force of habit can be
such a cruel taskmaster. :-(

This is the one time when I allow the camera to use auto-flash since I
need to be a minimum of 40cm away on maximum zoom (the macro mode of 1cm
only works in wide angle and the non macro with 6x zoom and flash is the
best option). The main thing to keep in mind when using built in flash is
to remember to take the photo at a slight angle to avoid specular
reflections from the flash illumination wiping out the desired image.

Now, whenever I need to re-install windows against a CoA licence sticker,
I don't have to suffer the "transcription blues" any more. Believe me, it
does make a difference!

[1] Digital photography is also a useful boon when it comes to recording
all those other stickers with model number information so often required
when trawling the manufacturers' web sites for driver software and user
manuals.

--
Regards JB Good