Cannot navigate the Activation jungle

[Guest]

I am using Vista Home Premium and it is a reinstall on a new machine. I was
pretty sure that I had activated it but, now, I see a message in the Control
panel that the activation must be done within 13 days. The online activation
does not work and, when I try the phone activation, entering the ID number
first, it says that this option has expired. I seem to have run into a road
block and cannot decipher what to do from all the available information.
Can some kind soul please spell out what I must do to sort this out?

 

[Mike Brannigan]

I am using Vista Home Premium and it is a reinstall on a new machine. I
was
pretty sure that I had activated it but, now, I see a message in the
Control
panel that the activation must be done within 13 days. The online
activation
does not work and, when I try the phone activation, entering the ID number
first, it says that this option has expired. I seem to have run into a
road
block and cannot decipher what to do from all the available information.
Can some kind soul please spell out what I must do to sort this out?

Just don't hang up when the initial telephone activation fails you will be
transferred to a human who will then complete the activation for you.
You are seeing normal and correct behavior - just don't hang up so soon
after you hear that the telephone activation has failed.

 

[Guest]

Mike,

I may have been going about this incorrectly but I was navigated to the
Microsoft website and its call-in service, where one has to enter the
software ID. I did not "hear" anything because all the interaction was
between me and my screen.

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Mike,

I may have been going about this incorrectly but I was navigated to the
Microsoft website and its call-in service, where one has to enter the
software ID. I did not "hear" anything because all the interaction was
between me and my screen.

Why did you just say in your original post that you did the telephone
activation ??
If that fails you just stay on the line and speak to someone.
There is no need to be going to any web site etc.
So just try and activate again - let the Internet one fail - call the number
and do the telephone one - that too will fail then stay on the line and a
person will speak to you.

Or are you trying to do something completely different to what you
originally posted ?

 

[Guest]

What I typed in was correct. The problem was that the on-screen instruction
referred me to the Microsoft Support site with various options, without
saying which to use. I chose one that required me to ender an ID. That did
not work. After re-reading your message, I went back and used the toll-free
line, eventually talking to someone in India. They were unable to resolve
the problem and apparently Microsoft is having a problem with their own
software today, so someone is going to call me back to resovle the problem
tomorrow. My system is not responding in the expected manner. Thank you
for pointing me in this direction, Mike. I hope that eventually it bears
fruit.