Vista - Why am I being asked to activate Windows again?

I bought a new PC less than 8 weeks ago with Vista Home Premium. Activated
Vista on day 1. Today I get a message telling me I have 3 days left to
activate Windows following a hardware change. When I try to I'm told the
product key is already in use (of course it is...on my PC!!!).

The only hardware change I have made was to replace the RAM modules (2x1GB)
as one was faulty and was replaced under warranty. This was 3 weeks ago. I
DID NOT get any messages then to reactivate Windows.

Any thoughts on what is going on?

Thank you.

Steve

contacted wrong place.
call activation phone number and explain.



mikeyhsd@comcast.net



"Hughie2001" <Hughie2001@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:4ABA7531-9264-4B91-9AAA-2866BC3B76BA@microsoft.com...
I bought a new PC less than 8 weeks ago with Vista Home Premium. Activated
Vista on day 1. Today I get a message telling me I have 3 days left to
activate Windows following a hardware change. When I try to I'm told the
product key is already in use (of course it is...on my PC!!!).

The only hardware change I have made was to replace the RAM modules (2x1GB)
as one was faulty and was replaced under warranty. This was 3 weeks ago. I
DID NOT get any messages then to reactivate Windows.

Any thoughts on what is going on?

Thank you.

Steve

Should I also do this? the reason is I basically had this problem except I
didn't replace ANYTHING, I simply downloaded the drivers it said (granted,
they were optional but if updated I thought they would work better and be
more reliable etc) and now it says the same thing : "You have 3 days to
activate windows" and then when I try it says it's already in use...so
uh..should I contact the same people? and how?

"mikeyhsd" wrote:

> contacted wrong place.
> call activation phone number and explain.

On Fri, 18 May 2007 09:00:12 -0700, Swain

Hey mikeyhsd, we shouldn't sweep this under the rug - if we have:
- 1 poster who changed nothing other than RAM
- 1 poster who changed no hardware, only drivers

We're told that activation thresholds in Vista are the same as in XP,
and that activation monitoring is not buggy.

One of those assertions must be false, if these two posters are
correct (or if either one of them is correct), given that XP's
activation tolerates up to 4 changes to monitored items.

>Should I also do this? the reason is I basically had this problem except I
>didn't replace ANYTHING, I simply downloaded the drivers it said (granted,
>they were optional but if updated I thought they would work better and be
>more reliable etc) and now it says the same thing : "You have 3 days to
>activate windows" and then when I try it says it's already in use...so
>uh..should I contact the same people? and how?

>"mikeyhsd" wrote:

>> contacted wrong place.
>> call activation phone number and explain.

I'd say they contacted the right place - these issues need to be
spotlighted, not handled off-radar at some vendor call center.



>------------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
The rights you save may be your own
>------------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

I agree 100% with you. I have the same problem after flashing bios only (I
do not have floppy, but now vista shows floppy drive to me) and tells same
**** about key in use like to Hughie2001 and others. I will call but if they
provide to me new key what with sticker on my pc? If I add or upgrade any
little part will be the same again and again? It's cr@p.
Something wrong is with Vista. I hope for SP1 soon.



"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" wrote:

> On Fri, 18 May 2007 09:00:12 -0700, Swain
>
> Hey mikeyhsd, we shouldn't sweep this under the rug - if we have:
> - 1 poster who changed nothing other than RAM
> - 1 poster who changed no hardware, only drivers
>
> We're told that activation thresholds in Vista are the same as in XP,
> and that activation monitoring is not buggy.
>
> One of those assertions must be false, if these two posters are
> correct (or if either one of them is correct), given that XP's
> activation tolerates up to 4 changes to monitored items.
>
> >Should I also do this? the reason is I basically had this problem except I
> >didn't replace ANYTHING, I simply downloaded the drivers it said (granted,
> >they were optional but if updated I thought they would work better and be
> >more reliable etc) and now it says the same thing : "You have 3 days to
> >activate windows" and then when I try it says it's already in use...so
> >uh..should I contact the same people? and how?
>
> >"mikeyhsd" wrote:
>
> >> contacted wrong place.
> >> call activation phone number and explain.
>
> I'd say they contacted the right place - these issues need to be
> spotlighted, not handled off-radar at some vendor call center.
>
>
>
> >------------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
> The rights you save may be your own
> >------------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
>

I've just developed this problem too. I was trying to sort out my drivers as
well. Now windows thinks I've installed new hardware and wants me to
re-activate. When I try to activate it tells me the product key is already in
use and I need a new one.
I've only got 1 day left. I'll give the product registration people a call
tomorrow.

"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" wrote:

> On Fri, 18 May 2007 09:00:12 -0700, Swain
>
> Hey mikeyhsd, we shouldn't sweep this under the rug - if we have:
> - 1 poster who changed nothing other than RAM
> - 1 poster who changed no hardware, only drivers
>
> We're told that activation thresholds in Vista are the same as in XP,
> and that activation monitoring is not buggy.
>
> One of those assertions must be false, if these two posters are
> correct (or if either one of them is correct), given that XP's
> activation tolerates up to 4 changes to monitored items.
>
> >Should I also do this? the reason is I basically had this problem except I
> >didn't replace ANYTHING, I simply downloaded the drivers it said (granted,
> >they were optional but if updated I thought they would work better and be
> >more reliable etc) and now it says the same thing : "You have 3 days to
> >activate windows" and then when I try it says it's already in use...so
> >uh..should I contact the same people? and how?
>
> >"mikeyhsd" wrote:
>
> >> contacted wrong place.
> >> call activation phone number and explain.
>
> I'd say they contacted the right place - these issues need to be
> spotlighted, not handled off-radar at some vendor call center.
>
>
>
> >------------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
> The rights you save may be your own
> >------------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
>

I called and they sorted my activation, but how long will it be active? Who
knows...

"Nigi" wrote:

> I called and they sorted my activation, but how long will it be active? Who
> knows...


Same problem here. Trying a different version of drivers on my nForce
motherboard for my hard drive AND I formated a drive that Windows was NOT
installed on - and the box popped up for 3 days to activate.

This is a pain in the butt, reading 48 numbers back and forth across to an
'english as a secondary language' invididual.

"Henry Thomas" wrote:

> This is a pain in the butt, reading 48 numbers back and forth across to an
> 'english as a secondary language' invididual.


Yes! You are right. But even bigger pain is to do it when both are 'english
as a secondary language' inviduals! LOL