Vista - Activation Error 0xC004F061

I'm getting an Activation Error Code: 0xC004F061 when I try to activate my
Vista Home Premium upgrade. I was running XP Pro on this machine, and when I
was doing the install, the installer said I had to do a clean install from XP
Pro. Now The error message is giving me the description "The Software
Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only be used
for upgrading, not for clean installations." Does this mean that even though
I had a Genuine Windows XP Pro on my computer, I can't use the upgrade to
Vista?

To top it off, it keeps telling me that my 90 day free support call period
has expired, although I've never called it before, and just installed Vista a
few days ago. Anyone have any ideas how I can fix this issue?

"edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote

> I'm getting an Activation Error Code: 0xC004F061 when I try to activate my
> Vista Home Premium upgrade. I was running XP Pro on this machine, and
> when I
> was doing the install, the installer said I had to do a clean install from
> XP
> Pro. Now The error message is giving me the description "The Software
> Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only be
> used
> for upgrading, not for clean installations." Does this mean that even
> though
> I had a Genuine Windows XP Pro on my computer, I can't use the upgrade to
> Vista?
>
> To top it off, it keeps telling me that my 90 day free support call period
> has expired, although I've never called it before, and just installed
> Vista a
> few days ago. Anyone have any ideas how I can fix this issue?

To use an upgrade version you have to start the upgrade from within an
installed, activated and genuine copy of XP. It will then allow either an
in place upgrade (for certain upgrade paths) or only a custom installation
(programs and data are not migrated). There has been published a work
around to allow the installation of an upgrade version w/o XP being
installed. Here is one link for it. Use at your own risk.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932

If you want to migrate data and settings from the XP installation use the
Windows Easy Transfer (WET) on the XP installation before the upgrade.

--
Rock [MVP - User/Shell]

I did start the upgrade from within XP...so it sounds like I'm pretty much
hosed because I did what the upgrade told me I needed to do? Am I completely
unable to upgrade from Windows XP Pro to Windows Vista Home Premium?

"Rock" wrote:

> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>
> > I'm getting an Activation Error Code: 0xC004F061 when I try to activate my
> > Vista Home Premium upgrade. I was running XP Pro on this machine, and
> > when I
> > was doing the install, the installer said I had to do a clean install from
> > XP
> > Pro. Now The error message is giving me the description "The Software
> > Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only be
> > used
> > for upgrading, not for clean installations." Does this mean that even
> > though
> > I had a Genuine Windows XP Pro on my computer, I can't use the upgrade to
> > Vista?
> >
> > To top it off, it keeps telling me that my 90 day free support call period
> > has expired, although I've never called it before, and just installed
> > Vista a
> > few days ago. Anyone have any ideas how I can fix this issue?
>
> To use an upgrade version you have to start the upgrade from within an
> installed, activated and genuine copy of XP. It will then allow either an
> in place upgrade (for certain upgrade paths) or only a custom installation
> (programs and data are not migrated). There has been published a work
> around to allow the installation of an upgrade version w/o XP being
> installed. Here is one link for it. Use at your own risk.
>
> http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932
>
> If you want to migrate data and settings from the XP installation use the
> Windows Easy Transfer (WET) on the XP installation before the upgrade.
>
> --
> Rock [MVP - User/Shell]
>
>

"edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote

>I did start the upgrade from within XP...so it sounds like I'm pretty much
> hosed because I did what the upgrade told me I needed to do? Am I
> completely
> unable to upgrade from Windows XP Pro to Windows Vista Home Premium?
>
> "Rock" wrote:
>
>> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>>
>> > I'm getting an Activation Error Code: 0xC004F061 when I try to activate
>> > my
>> > Vista Home Premium upgrade. I was running XP Pro on this machine, and
>> > when I
>> > was doing the install, the installer said I had to do a clean install
>> > from
>> > XP
>> > Pro. Now The error message is giving me the description "The Software
>> > Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only
>> > be
>> > used
>> > for upgrading, not for clean installations." Does this mean that even
>> > though
>> > I had a Genuine Windows XP Pro on my computer, I can't use the upgrade
>> > to
>> > Vista?
>> >
>> > To top it off, it keeps telling me that my 90 day free support call
>> > period
>> > has expired, although I've never called it before, and just installed
>> > Vista a
>> > few days ago. Anyone have any ideas how I can fix this issue?
>>
>> To use an upgrade version you have to start the upgrade from within an
>> installed, activated and genuine copy of XP. It will then allow either
>> an
>> in place upgrade (for certain upgrade paths) or only a custom
>> installation
>> (programs and data are not migrated). There has been published a work
>> around to allow the installation of an upgrade version w/o XP being
>> installed. Here is one link for it. Use at your own risk.
>>
>> http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932
>>
>> If you want to migrate data and settings from the XP installation use the
>> Windows Easy Transfer (WET) on the XP installation before the upgrade.


You can use an upgrade edition to go from XP Pro to VHP, but only as a
custom installation, not an in place upgrade. It sounds on the surface like
what you did was right. To rehash this, XP Pro was installed, activated and
genuine. From the XP desktop you inserted the Vista DVD, did the
preliminaries, entered the upgrade product key, then chose a custom install
because that's all that was available, and did the installation?

If it won't activate on line, phone in for activation.

--
Rock [MVP - User/Shell]

"Rock" wrote:

> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>
> >I did start the upgrade from within XP...so it sounds like I'm pretty much
> > hosed because I did what the upgrade told me I needed to do? Am I
> > completely
> > unable to upgrade from Windows XP Pro to Windows Vista Home Premium?
> >
> > "Rock" wrote:
> >
> >> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
> >>
> >> > I'm getting an Activation Error Code: 0xC004F061 when I try to activate
> >> > my
> >> > Vista Home Premium upgrade. I was running XP Pro on this machine, and
> >> > when I
> >> > was doing the install, the installer said I had to do a clean install
> >> > from
> >> > XP
> >> > Pro. Now The error message is giving me the description "The Software
> >> > Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only
> >> > be
> >> > used
> >> > for upgrading, not for clean installations." Does this mean that even
> >> > though
> >> > I had a Genuine Windows XP Pro on my computer, I can't use the upgrade
> >> > to
> >> > Vista?
> >> >
> >> > To top it off, it keeps telling me that my 90 day free support call
> >> > period
> >> > has expired, although I've never called it before, and just installed
> >> > Vista a
> >> > few days ago. Anyone have any ideas how I can fix this issue?
> >>
> >> To use an upgrade version you have to start the upgrade from within an
> >> installed, activated and genuine copy of XP. It will then allow either
> >> an
> >> in place upgrade (for certain upgrade paths) or only a custom
> >> installation
> >> (programs and data are not migrated). There has been published a work
> >> around to allow the installation of an upgrade version w/o XP being
> >> installed. Here is one link for it. Use at your own risk.
> >>
> >> http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932
> >>
> >> If you want to migrate data and settings from the XP installation use the
> >> Windows Easy Transfer (WET) on the XP installation before the upgrade.
>
>
> You can use an upgrade edition to go from XP Pro to VHP, but only as a
> custom installation, not an in place upgrade. It sounds on the surface like
> what you did was right. To rehash this, XP Pro was installed, activated and
> genuine. From the XP desktop you inserted the Vista DVD, did the
> preliminaries, entered the upgrade product key, then chose a custom install
> because that's all that was available, and did the installation?
>
> If it won't activate on line, phone in for activation.
>
> --
> Rock [MVP - User/Shell]
>
>

That sums up what I went through. I will try the phone activation, thanks!

"Rock" wrote:

> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>
> >I did start the upgrade from within XP...so it sounds like I'm pretty much
> > hosed because I did what the upgrade told me I needed to do? Am I
> > completely
> > unable to upgrade from Windows XP Pro to Windows Vista Home Premium?
> >
> > "Rock" wrote:
> >
> >> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
> >>
> >> > I'm getting an Activation Error Code: 0xC004F061 when I try to activate
> >> > my
> >> > Vista Home Premium upgrade. I was running XP Pro on this machine, and
> >> > when I
> >> > was doing the install, the installer said I had to do a clean install
> >> > from
> >> > XP
> >> > Pro. Now The error message is giving me the description "The Software
> >> > Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only
> >> > be
> >> > used
> >> > for upgrading, not for clean installations." Does this mean that even
> >> > though
> >> > I had a Genuine Windows XP Pro on my computer, I can't use the upgrade
> >> > to
> >> > Vista?
> >> >
> >> > To top it off, it keeps telling me that my 90 day free support call
> >> > period
> >> > has expired, although I've never called it before, and just installed
> >> > Vista a
> >> > few days ago. Anyone have any ideas how I can fix this issue?
> >>
> >> To use an upgrade version you have to start the upgrade from within an
> >> installed, activated and genuine copy of XP. It will then allow either
> >> an
> >> in place upgrade (for certain upgrade paths) or only a custom
> >> installation
> >> (programs and data are not migrated). There has been published a work
> >> around to allow the installation of an upgrade version w/o XP being
> >> installed. Here is one link for it. Use at your own risk.
> >>
> >> http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932
> >>
> >> If you want to migrate data and settings from the XP installation use the
> >> Windows Easy Transfer (WET) on the XP installation before the upgrade.
>
>
> You can use an upgrade edition to go from XP Pro to VHP, but only as a
> custom installation, not an in place upgrade. It sounds on the surface like
> what you did was right. To rehash this, XP Pro was installed, activated and
> genuine. From the XP desktop you inserted the Vista DVD, did the
> preliminaries, entered the upgrade product key, then chose a custom install
> because that's all that was available, and did the installation?
>
> If it won't activate on line, phone in for activation.
>
> --
> Rock [MVP - User/Shell]
>
>
That pretty well sums up the action I had taken. I'll try the phone
activation, and see if I have more luck there. Thanks!

Ok, good luck.

"edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote

> "Rock" wrote:
>
>> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>>
>> >I did start the upgrade from within XP...so it sounds like I'm pretty
>> >much
>> > hosed because I did what the upgrade told me I needed to do? Am I
>> > completely
>> > unable to upgrade from Windows XP Pro to Windows Vista Home Premium?
>> >
>> > "Rock" wrote:
>> >
>> >> "edenney" <edenney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>> >>
>> >> > I'm getting an Activation Error Code: 0xC004F061 when I try to
>> >> > activate
>> >> > my
>> >> > Vista Home Premium upgrade. I was running XP Pro on this machine,
>> >> > and
>> >> > when I
>> >> > was doing the install, the installer said I had to do a clean
>> >> > install
>> >> > from
>> >> > XP
>> >> > Pro. Now The error message is giving me the description "The
>> >> > Software
>> >> > Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can
>> >> > only
>> >> > be
>> >> > used
>> >> > for upgrading, not for clean installations." Does this mean that
>> >> > even
>> >> > though
>> >> > I had a Genuine Windows XP Pro on my computer, I can't use the
>> >> > upgrade
>> >> > to
>> >> > Vista?
>> >> >
>> >> > To top it off, it keeps telling me that my 90 day free support call
>> >> > period
>> >> > has expired, although I've never called it before, and just
>> >> > installed
>> >> > Vista a
>> >> > few days ago. Anyone have any ideas how I can fix this issue?
>> >>
>> >> To use an upgrade version you have to start the upgrade from within an
>> >> installed, activated and genuine copy of XP. It will then allow
>> >> either
>> >> an
>> >> in place upgrade (for certain upgrade paths) or only a custom
>> >> installation
>> >> (programs and data are not migrated). There has been published a work
>> >> around to allow the installation of an upgrade version w/o XP being
>> >> installed. Here is one link for it. Use at your own risk.
>> >>
>> >> http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932
>> >>
>> >> If you want to migrate data and settings from the XP installation use
>> >> the
>> >> Windows Easy Transfer (WET) on the XP installation before the upgrade.
>>
>>
>> You can use an upgrade edition to go from XP Pro to VHP, but only as a
>> custom installation, not an in place upgrade. It sounds on the surface
>> like
>> what you did was right. To rehash this, XP Pro was installed, activated
>> and
>> genuine. From the XP desktop you inserted the Vista DVD, did the
>> preliminaries, entered the upgrade product key, then chose a custom
>> install
>> because that's all that was available, and did the installation?
>>
>> If it won't activate on line, phone in for activation.
>>
>> --
>> Rock [MVP - User/Shell]
>>
>>
> That pretty well sums up the action I had taken. I'll try the phone
> activation, and see if I have more luck there. Thanks!



--
Rock [MVP - User/Shell]

Have a similar problem. I was reinstalling Win XP pro when I realized I have
lost the cd key. So I then decided to try out the Vista Business I had
purchased but was forced to do a clean install due to my previous problem.
Now I recieve the 0xc004f061 error upon activation.

Both XP and Vista are legal copies and I have the digital reciepts. Is there
anyway to bypass this problem as I cant even ask Microsoft for help without
paying 60$?

"Rock" wrote:

Try these

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930373/en-us
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951287/en-us


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