Vista Home Premium Activation

[Doug]

In February 2007 I bought a new PC built with XP Home installed with the
right to upgrade to Vista Home Premium. In April 2007 my Vista CD arrived
and I installed it. With the accumulated small annoyances resulting from the
early Vista-barely-compatible applications and hardware drivers, and then a
crash I couldn't recover from, I felt that the time had come to reinstall
Vista. As a matter of normal good housekeeping, I reformatted my drive and
reinstalled the critical and recommended Windows updates along with my
various applications. Now, a week on, and just as the system is settling
down nicely, up pops a message saying I have 24 days left inviting me to
activate Vista. So I entered my product key and up pops a further message:

! The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:
Code: 0xC004F061
Description: The Software Licencing Service that this specified product key
can only be used for upgrading, not clean installations. [OK]

Any suggestions as to how best to proceed. The thought of spending another
week rebuilding my system is disquieting. I live in the UK.

 

[DX]

Hi Doug,

Was your vista cd an upgrade or a full version ?

Has vista accepted your product key ?

If it hasn't all you need to do is is run setup again from the cd entering
your product key this time, and do an upgrade,
this will not wipe out anything you have done already, once the upgrade has
complete, you should then be able
to activate windows.

 

[Doug]

Hi DX

My Vista CD was an upgrade from XP.
On my initial installation in April 2007 Vista accepted my product key. On
this recent installation activation failed as indicated. I see that one of
the reasons given in MS FAQ for this behaviour is reformatting the hard
drive. Perhaps some hidden file has gone that was needed? Or does one of
these upgrades from XP expire after a few months?
Doug

Hi Doug,

Was your vista cd an upgrade or a full version ?

Has vista accepted your product key ?

If it hasn't all you need to do is is run setup again from the cd entering
your product key this time, and do an upgrade,
this will not wipe out anything you have done already, once the upgrade
has complete, you should then be able
to activate windows.

In February 2007 I bought a new PC built with XP Home installed with the
right to upgrade to Vista Home Premium. In April 2007 my Vista CD arrived
and I installed it. With the accumulated small annoyances resulting from
the early Vista-barely-compatible applications and hardware drivers, and
then a crash I couldn't recover from, I felt that the time had come to
reinstall Vista. As a matter of normal good housekeeping, I reformatted
my drive and reinstalled the critical and recommended Windows updates
along with my various applications. Now, a week on, and just as the
system is settling down nicely, up pops a message saying I have 24 days
left inviting me to activate Vista. So I entered my product key and up
pops a further message:

! The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:
Code: 0xC004F061
Description: The Software Licencing Service that this specified product
key can only be used for upgrading, not clean installations. [OK]

Any suggestions as to how best to proceed. The thought of spending
another week rebuilding my system is disquieting. I live in the UK.

 

[DX]

Officially you cannot do a clean install from an upgrade disk.

However if you install Vista Home Premium without entering a product key,
then re-installing it on top of the new installation as an upgrade (entering
the product key) it will activate ok, that's why I wondered if it had
remembered your product key when you tried to enter it, if not you could
just run the installation again as an upgrade on top of your currently
installed Home Premium entering your product key on installation and windows
should allow you to activate.

Hi DX

My Vista CD was an upgrade from XP.
On my initial installation in April 2007 Vista accepted my product key. On
this recent installation activation failed as indicated. I see that one of
the reasons given in MS FAQ for this behaviour is reformatting the hard
drive. Perhaps some hidden file has gone that was needed? Or does one of
these upgrades from XP expire after a few months?
Doug

Hi Doug,

Was your vista cd an upgrade or a full version ?

Has vista accepted your product key ?

If it hasn't all you need to do is is run setup again from the cd
entering your product key this time, and do an upgrade,
this will not wipe out anything you have done already, once the upgrade
has complete, you should then be able
to activate windows.

In February 2007 I bought a new PC built with XP Home installed with the
right to upgrade to Vista Home Premium. In April 2007 my Vista CD
arrived and I installed it. With the accumulated small annoyances
resulting from the early Vista-barely-compatible applications and
hardware drivers, and then a crash I couldn't recover from, I felt that
the time had come to reinstall Vista. As a matter of normal good
housekeeping, I reformatted my drive and reinstalled the critical and
recommended Windows updates along with my various applications. Now, a
week on, and just as the system is settling down nicely, up pops a
message saying I have 24 days left inviting me to activate Vista. So I
entered my product key and up pops a further message:

! The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:
Code: 0xC004F061
Description: The Software Licencing Service that this specified product
key can only be used for upgrading, not clean installations. [OK]

Any suggestions as to how best to proceed. The thought of spending
another week rebuilding my system is disquieting. I live in the UK.

 

[Doug]

Thanks - am trying it - here's hoping! -Doug

Officially you cannot do a clean install from an upgrade disk.

However if you install Vista Home Premium without entering a product key,
then re-installing it on top of the new installation as an upgrade
(entering the product key) it will activate ok, that's why I wondered if
it had remembered your product key when you tried to enter it, if not you
could just run the installation again as an upgrade on top of your
currently installed Home Premium entering your product key on installation
and windows should allow you to activate.

Hi DX

My Vista CD was an upgrade from XP.
On my initial installation in April 2007 Vista accepted my product key.
On this recent installation activation failed as indicated. I see that
one of the reasons given in MS FAQ for this behaviour is reformatting the
hard drive. Perhaps some hidden file has gone that was needed? Or does
one of these upgrades from XP expire after a few months?
Doug

Hi Doug,

Was your vista cd an upgrade or a full version ?

Has vista accepted your product key ?

If it hasn't all you need to do is is run setup again from the cd
entering your product key this time, and do an upgrade,
this will not wipe out anything you have done already, once the upgrade
has complete, you should then be able
to activate windows.


In February 2007 I bought a new PC built with XP Home installed with
the right to upgrade to Vista Home Premium. In April 2007 my Vista CD
arrived and I installed it. With the accumulated small annoyances
resulting from the early Vista-barely-compatible applications and
hardware drivers, and then a crash I couldn't recover from, I felt that
the time had come to reinstall Vista. As a matter of normal good
housekeeping, I reformatted my drive and reinstalled the critical and
recommended Windows updates along with my various applications. Now, a
week on, and just as the system is settling down nicely, up pops a
message saying I have 24 days left inviting me to activate Vista. So I
entered my product key and up pops a further message:

! The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:
Code: 0xC004F061
Description: The Software Licencing Service that this specified product
key can only be used for upgrading, not clean installations. [OK]

Any suggestions as to how best to proceed. The thought of spending
another week rebuilding my system is disquieting. I live in the UK.

 

[Peter Foldes]

Doug

What you might want to try in your case (maybe it will work) is to call and use the Telephone Activation and explaining to a real live person the issue that you are experiencing. It just might work but you need to give it a shot over the phone.

You will find the phone number on your activation screen and when calling hang in there until you get a live person on the other end.

 

[Doug]

Hi DX

Thanks so much for your help and encouragement. The upgrade worked perfectly
and the installation shows up as activated. I had to reinstall ESET Smart
Security which claimed that its files had been corrupted, but that was
hardly surprising and and easily corrected.

Supplementary question - do you think it safe for me to delete the two
hidden folders dated 23/11/2007 named $INPLACE.~TR (680MB) and $WINDOWS.~Q
(1.16GB)? Though, come to think of it, I probably did that last time and
maybe that's what messed up my previous install-followed-by-upgrade
procedure (?) - Doug.

Officially you cannot do a clean install from an upgrade disk.

However if you install Vista Home Premium without entering a product key,
then re-installing it on top of the new installation as an upgrade
(entering the product key) it will activate ok, that's why I wondered if
it had remembered your product key when you tried to enter it, if not you
could just run the installation again as an upgrade on top of your
currently installed Home Premium entering your product key on installation
and windows should allow you to activate.

Hi DX

My Vista CD was an upgrade from XP.
On my initial installation in April 2007 Vista accepted my product key.
On this recent installation activation failed as indicated. I see that
one of the reasons given in MS FAQ for this behaviour is reformatting the
hard drive. Perhaps some hidden file has gone that was needed? Or does
one of these upgrades from XP expire after a few months?
Doug

Hi Doug,

Was your vista cd an upgrade or a full version ?

Has vista accepted your product key ?

If it hasn't all you need to do is is run setup again from the cd
entering your product key this time, and do an upgrade,
this will not wipe out anything you have done already, once the upgrade
has complete, you should then be able
to activate windows.


In February 2007 I bought a new PC built with XP Home installed with
the right to upgrade to Vista Home Premium. In April 2007 my Vista CD
arrived and I installed it. With the accumulated small annoyances
resulting from the early Vista-barely-compatible applications and
hardware drivers, and then a crash I couldn't recover from, I felt that
the time had come to reinstall Vista. As a matter of normal good
housekeeping, I reformatted my drive and reinstalled the critical and
recommended Windows updates along with my various applications. Now, a
week on, and just as the system is settling down nicely, up pops a
message saying I have 24 days left inviting me to activate Vista. So I
entered my product key and up pops a further message:

! The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:
Code: 0xC004F061
Description: The Software Licencing Service that this specified product
key can only be used for upgrading, not clean installations. [OK]

Any suggestions as to how best to proceed. The thought of spending
another week rebuilding my system is disquieting. I live in the UK.

 

[DX]

Hi Doug,

Glad it worked!

According to some text I have just read they can be removed, apparently the
disk cleanup tool will remove them
automatically for you.

If you are unsure you can always delete them and keep them in the recycle
bin for a bit if your like.

Hi DX

Thanks so much for your help and encouragement. The upgrade worked
perfectly and the installation shows up as activated. I had to reinstall
ESET Smart Security which claimed that its files had been corrupted, but
that was hardly surprising and and easily corrected.

Supplementary question - do you think it safe for me to delete the two
hidden folders dated 23/11/2007 named $INPLACE.~TR (680MB) and $WINDOWS.~Q
(1.16GB)? Though, come to think of it, I probably did that last time and
maybe that's what messed up my previous install-followed-by-upgrade
procedure (?) - Doug.

Officially you cannot do a clean install from an upgrade disk.

However if you install Vista Home Premium without entering a product key,
then re-installing it on top of the new installation as an upgrade
(entering the product key) it will activate ok, that's why I wondered if
it had remembered your product key when you tried to enter it, if not you
could just run the installation again as an upgrade on top of your
currently installed Home Premium entering your product key on
installation
and windows should allow you to activate.

Hi DX

My Vista CD was an upgrade from XP.
On my initial installation in April 2007 Vista accepted my product key.
On this recent installation activation failed as indicated. I see that
one of the reasons given in MS FAQ for this behaviour is reformatting
the
hard drive. Perhaps some hidden file has gone that was needed? Or does
one of these upgrades from XP expire after a few months?
Doug


Hi Doug,

Was your vista cd an upgrade or a full version ?

Has vista accepted your product key ?

If it hasn't all you need to do is is run setup again from the cd
entering your product key this time, and do an upgrade,
this will not wipe out anything you have done already, once the upgrade
has complete, you should then be able
to activate windows.


In February 2007 I bought a new PC built with XP Home installed with
the right to upgrade to Vista Home Premium. In April 2007 my Vista CD
arrived and I installed it. With the accumulated small annoyances
resulting from the early Vista-barely-compatible applications and
hardware drivers, and then a crash I couldn't recover from, I felt
that
the time had come to reinstall Vista. As a matter of normal good
housekeeping, I reformatted my drive and reinstalled the critical and
recommended Windows updates along with my various applications. Now, a
week on, and just as the system is settling down nicely, up pops a
message saying I have 24 days left inviting me to activate Vista. So I
entered my product key and up pops a further message:

! The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:
Code: 0xC004F061
Description: The Software Licencing Service that this specified
product
key can only be used for upgrading, not clean installations. [OK]

Any suggestions as to how best to proceed. The thought of spending
another week rebuilding my system is disquieting. I live in the UK.

 

[Doug]

Thanks, Peter, for another approach. I am not good at thinking when
telephoning and fear that I might have too easily succumbed to a verbal
instruction to pay for a new activation code. The activation failure had
already led me straight to their pay-up-or-else page coupled with endearing
references to software pirates: a bit abusive I felt, having paid for XP
plus the extra fee for an upgrade to Vista! - Doug

Doug

What you might want to try in your case (maybe it will work) is to call and
use the Telephone Activation and explaining to a real live person the issue
that you are experiencing. It just might work but you need to give it a shot
over the phone.

You will find the phone number on your activation screen and when calling
hang in there until you get a live person on the other end.