Guys I'm stumped here

[Puppies04]

I built a PC for my brother in laws mother about a year ago (this means I am responsible for anything that goes wrong with it until the end of time obviously). I purchased a proper copy of windows from www.scan.co.uk and have a proper windows key sticker on the side of the machine however no matter how many times I go round and authenticate it a few months later it goes back to "not genuine" again.

Any ideas what is going on or how I can fix it?

 

[oynaz]

Try activating it by phone. Search for "activate" in the Start menu, and choose the phone option.

 

[PliotronX]

Yep, give phone activate a shot. Write down the numbers, go through the stupid automated menu (for funsies, press 2 for Spanish), punch them in, probably answer the question of how many machines this key is being used on, write down more numbers, punch them into the PC, profit.

It would be exceedingly rare, but it's possible somebody generated the same key as the one installed on it, causing the activation system to trigger this question.

 

[hoorah]

Wait - does it activate, then later change to 'not activated'?

I wonder if someone wrote down the key before sending it to you (not sure if that would have been possible based on the packaging).

I know if you try to use a Win 8 key too many times it will give an error message that says "this key is already in use on another system". Perhaps they have some sort of recording keeping that keeps track of the same key being online from too many places at once.

 

[alkemyst]

OP, it sounds like someone else is activating that key elsewhere.

You may have gotten scammed with a key that was reused.

 

[inachu]

I built a PC for my brother in laws mother about a year ago (this means I am responsible for anything that goes wrong with it until the end of time obviously). I purchased a proper copy of windows from www.scan.co.uk and have a proper windows key sticker on the side of the machine however no matter how many times I go round and authenticate it a few months later it goes back to "not genuine" again.

Any ideas what is going on or how I can fix it?

A young family member copied the sticker on the side to install the OS onto a different pc. Thus it is the reason it is no longer valid as it is seen as a shared licence code which Microsoft does not do.


Now if you are swimming in cash then you could buy a VL(VOLUME LIC.) with Microsoft.

A good example would be a super large family from utah who has three floors and over 20 bedroom and 7 bathrooms in their house so yeah just maybe you would need a pc for each family and perhaps your extended family would be even larger growing into the hundred in which yes A volume purchase plan would be better to suit your needs.

So I would talk with your extended family members son or daughters and ask if they copied the code for other computers.

Also this may not be their fault. Many times a virus or malware would read the code in the registry and send it back to home base then they would illegally sell the code online.

The code can be used like 5 times or so before it becomes a red flag to microsoft. In which case they(microsoft) would just ask you purchase another windows key from them.

 

[denis280]

OP, it sounds like someone else is activating that key elsewhere.

You may have gotten scammed with a key that was reused.

Yes make the phone call.before the other one do it.

 

[Puppies04]

OP, it sounds like someone else is activating that key elsewhere.

You may have gotten scammed with a key that was reused.

Not saying that it couldn't have happened but Scan is one of the largest if not the lagest PC compontents reseller in the UK. Not talking about some dodgy backstreet shop or ebay sale here. The windows disc was sealed when I got it, I would have noticed otherwise.

Nobody else has written the code down, at least none of the family as I build and maintain every one of their PCs. I suppose someone could have copied it when visiting her house but she is a mid 50's business woman, I doubt she has many teenagers looking for a free windows code over very often.

I will try the phone call suggestion and see what happens. Thanks guys.

 

[alkemyst]

Not saying that it couldn't have happened but Scan is one of the largest if not the lagest PC compontents reseller in the UK. Not talking about some dodgy backstreet shop or ebay sale here. The windows disc was sealed when I got it, I would have noticed otherwise.

Nobody else has written the code down, at least none of the family as I build and maintain every one of their PCs. I suppose someone could have copied it when visiting her house but she is a mid 50's business woman, I doubt she has many teenagers looking for a free windows code over very often.

I will try the phone call suggestion and see what happens. Thanks guys.

There have been legit keys leaked into the wild. It happens.

I'd call Microsoft as they can tell you what's going on.

There isn't many things other than major hardware changes or another activation that will cause windows to deactivated.

 

[MongGrel]

Phone usually works for me, I've had times in the past I've upgraded hardware and have had to do it over time even when restoring RAID arrays trying them in different ways.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Not saying that it couldn't have happened but Scan is one of the largest if not the lagest PC compontents reseller in the UK. Not talking about some dodgy backstreet shop or ebay sale here. The windows disc was sealed when I got it, I would have noticed otherwise.

Nobody else has written the code down, at least none of the family as I build and maintain every one of their PCs. I suppose someone could have copied it when visiting her house but she is a mid 50's business woman, I doubt she has many teenagers looking for a free windows code over very often.

I will try the phone call suggestion and see what happens. Thanks guys.

I blame Microsoft, myself.

I bought a few RETAIL UPGRADE packages of Win7 Home and Pro, at NEWEGG and AMAZON (not 3rd-party seller), during the PRE-ORDER period, and installed one of the Home editions to a friend's relative's computer, and six months later, it came up as NOT GENUINE.

Not sure what to tell you, other than, MS sometimes invalidates GENUINE licenses.

 

[hoorah]

I blame Microsoft, myself.

I bought a few RETAIL UPGRADE packages of Win7 Home and Pro, at NEWEGG and AMAZON (not 3rd-party seller), during the PRE-ORDER period, and installed one of the Home editions to a friend's relative's computer, and six months later, it came up as NOT GENUINE.

Not sure what to tell you, other than, MS sometimes invalidates GENUINE licenses.

I've heard this from a few other sources as well. I was skeptical at first, but now I've heard it a few times.

I also heard that some malware is scanning for windows product keys and sending them back home. Can't say I've seen it myself but it would fit the scenario and I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[alkemyst]

I blame Microsoft, myself.

I bought a few RETAIL UPGRADE packages of Win7 Home and Pro, at NEWEGG and AMAZON (not 3rd-party seller), during the PRE-ORDER period, and installed one of the Home editions to a friend's relative's computer, and six months later, it came up as NOT GENUINE.

Not sure what to tell you, other than, MS sometimes invalidates GENUINE licenses.

A phone call will usually solve these problems.