How to correct failed Windows XP registration and Vista Express Up

[Guest]

Bought a new Gateway system with XP. Upon initial startup, the dialog for
registering Windows XP and with Gateway came up but failed because my
Internet providers domain service was down at the time. Subsequently I
registered the system by phone with Gateway, and they said to forget
registering XP with Microsoft. Now I am trying to register with Microsoft
for my free express upgrade to Vista, but Microsoft apparently cannot
validate my XP Certificate of Authenticity because I never registered. I can
find no way on my computer system to trigger the registration process. How
do I get all this fixed?

 

[Vanguard]

Bought a new Gateway system with XP. Upon initial startup, the
dialog for
registering Windows XP and with Gateway came up but failed because
my
Internet providers domain service was down at the time.
Subsequently I
registered the system by phone with Gateway, and they said to forget
registering XP with Microsoft. Now I am trying to register with
Microsoft
for my free express upgrade to Vista, but Microsoft apparently
cannot
validate my XP Certificate of Authenticity because I never
registered. I can
find no way on my computer system to trigger the registration
process. How
do I get all this fixed?

You have an OEM version of Windows. Gateway is the OEM, not
Microsoft.

So, there is a "free" upgrade to Vista for Windows XP users? What's
the URL for that?

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

After looking, the Microsoft site sends you to another site.
And the other site is managed by the computer manufacturer.
The different manufacturers I checked went to different pages.
The Microsoft site is just a convenient place for anyone to see who
participated and also easily get directed to the appropriate page.
No where did I see reference to registration or activation.

What has Gateway support said?
If not already, you may need to ask since the computer came from Gateway.

 

[Vanguard]

Actually, the free upgrade has restrictions and is done through a
Microsoft
site, in conjuction with OEMs. So my problem is that Microsoft does
not know
of my purchase becasue it was never registered with them.

The upgrade site is www.windowsvista.com/expressupgrade, and you can
see the
restrictions there, e.g., the system must have been purchased after
10/26/2006.

Damn, I never buy pre-builts. They're full of crappy hardware that
changes even within a model (to meet the sales specs for that model
using whatever components their purchasing agents happened to buy that
week) and at higher prices. I build my own but Microsoft obviously
won't have me listed as a manufacturer or [retail] pc builder.

So why can't you "register" with Microsoft? Registration is not the
same as validation (although Microsoft includes registration screens
that you can skip when validating). So why not call the toll-free
telephone number shown if the validation fails?

Also, that page says you buy a computer with Windows already
pre-installed. That is an OEM version. That means the express
upgrade would also have to come through the OEM. What did Gateway
say? You may have to push beyond the 1st-level script-reading
pseudo-tech that answers your call. As Jupiter already pointed out,
when you go to that URL and select "Gateway", you end up going to a
gateway.com page, so it is Gateway that has to provide the upgrade.