Activation problem with Vista

[Guest]

I had to reinstall Vista from an OEM disk because I had attempted to put
Linux on in a dual boot setup. It ended up destroying my Windows partition.
Now I have reinstalled Vista, but when it comes to activation it says the key
I have used is already in use. Is this normal? How do I get around it? When I
go through the official technical support system it says my PID is not
recognised as well, so I can't get official technical support for it. I'm
currently wishing I'd brought XP instead of Vista with my new machine.

 

[AJR]

You would have had the same problem with XP (need to reactivate). Use the
phone option to activate.

 

[Guest]

I reinstalled Windows XP a number of times without this happening on my old
machine. Yes, I had to reactivate it, but during activation the system
correctly identified that I was reinstalling on the same machine. This time I
am reinstalling Vista on the same machine, but the system 'thinks' it is an
attempt to install it on a different machine.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You can get started with phone activation by typing "slui.exe 4"
in the search field in the Start Menu and pressing Enter.
The phone activation process takes about 6 minutes.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

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:

I had to reinstall Vista from an OEM disk because I had attempted to put
Linux on in a dual boot setup. It ended up destroying my Windows partition.
Now I have reinstalled Vista, but when it comes to activation it says the key
I have used is already in use. Is this normal? How do I get around it? When I
go through the official technical support system it says my PID is not
recognised as well, so I can't get official technical support for it. I'm
currently wishing I'd brought XP instead of Vista with my new machine.

 

[Guest]

I assume this dials microsoft from a standard phone modem. I don't have one
of those though because my internet connection is through a LAN.

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Terry

A reinstall on XP was the same as Vista. If it has been over 120 days since
you last activated, the online activation will succeed. If not, then you
must use the telephone option.

The only change appears to be with the telephone option. When you first
call, you will get a recording that walks you through the activation, if
this still does not work, just stay on the line and a customer service rep
will complete the activation for you.

 

[Guest]

This is a brand new machine I built myself two weeks ago, so it certainly
hasn't been over 120 days. Am I right in guessing that it should reactivate
as normal?

 

[Guest]

I see what you were saying now. I will try that by calling the number for
activation.

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone. Telephone activation worked, although I had to speak to an
operator. The operator said the online activation only works once, after that
you have to use telephone activation every time you reinstall. If that is
true it is a very annoying limitation on Windows Vista, especially for those
who need to reinstall frequently.

 

[Vigilante]

Yes I have complained about this myself.
A system format & install is always faster than a scan and repair with some of the trojans out there anymore.
I don't mean to be negative but somehow I would venture this trend will continue.
The phone activation is really an obsolete format for this in every way.

Thanks everyone. Telephone activation worked, although I had to speak to an
operator. The operator said the online activation only works once, after that
you have to use telephone activation every time you reinstall. If that is
true it is a very annoying limitation on Windows Vista, especially for those
who need to reinstall frequently.

 

[Paul Randall]

Hi, Terry
Those who need to reinstall frequently should make a drive image with
something like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image, immediately after
activation and before installing any other software. I like Norton Ghost
because I can create the image from a DOS boot floppy or CD. This image can
be used to quickly return to 'clean system, just activated' state, as long
as it is restored to the same partition on the same hard drive. For some
systems, a different hard drive may work just as well. For WXP, this image
would fit on a bootable CD. If you need the convenience of having your
favorite applications restored with the OS, image it again after installing
the applications. The resulting image may now require more than one DVD.

-Paul Randall

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Terry

Glad this worked for you.