Cannot Activate Windows Vista??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jeff
  • Start date Start date
J

Jeff

I recently formatted my hard drive so I could set up a RAID array. Windows
Vista is now asking me to activate it again, but it wont accept my product
key because it says it is an upgrade edition. I already upgraded from
Windows XP to Windows Vista, I don't know why it wont accept the key. Is
there anything I can do?
 
Jeff said:
I recently formatted my hard drive so I could set up a RAID array. Windows
Vista is now asking me to activate it again, but it wont accept my product
key because it says it is an upgrade edition. I already upgraded from
Windows XP to Windows Vista, I don't know why it wont accept the key. Is
there anything I can do?
Click to expand...



AFAIK an upgrade has to be done OVER Windows XP. Install XP and then UPGRADE
it to Vista. Is that not what you did first time?
 
Hi,

It doesn't know you previously upgraded. An upgrade key only allows for an
upgrade installation. If you got through this install, then I would
speculate that you didn't enter your Product Key when prompted during setup,
or you wouldn't have been allowed to continue. Here's what you *can* do:
Reinsert the Vista disk into the running installation, then follow the
prompts to do an in-place upgrade. Even though it's not really an upgrade,
the installer will see it as one and allow for use of your Product Key. This
is a commonly known work-around for using an upgrade disk for a clean
installation. The downside is that you have to go through the whole thing
again.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
 
Jeff said:
I recently formatted my hard drive so I could set up a RAID array. Windows
Vista is now asking me to activate it again, but it wont accept my product
key because it says it is an upgrade edition. I already upgraded from
Windows XP to Windows Vista, I don't know why it wont accept the key. Is
there anything I can do?
Click to expand...


That's because Vista records whether it was installed clean or as an
upgrade. You will have to to an in-place upgrade i.e. upgrade Vista with
Vista. There are a few sites on the web that tell you how to do so. My
website does an exhaustive step-by-step ( a regular Bataan Death March of
the process), but you probably can figure out what to do from the website
posted in the SIW2's reply or from Paul Thurrott's Winsupersite.com:

[How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media]
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp

Saucy
 
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