Windows not genuine..

[Yugo]

loader

[blazeaglory]

OP said he can find the key and it says its invalid...Sounds like something is corrupted as meaty said?

I can find the "key code" by right clicking on my computer and then going to properties but when I try to re-enter that code through the microsoft link provided to authenticate, it says that the characters I'm entering are invalid....very frustrated here.

[Brianguy]

Where/how do I check this??

Control panel > Administrative Tools > Services
Double check to make sure its set to Automatic or Automatic (Delayed)

[oso grande]

v7601

7601 is the trial version of W7.
I believe it's only good for a short time.

[the86d]

I just had to reinstall for my brother's girl's rig. It had like 7 home basic installed and after I did updates it said that it needed activation, I tried the key, and low and behold the key was for 7 Home Premium, and she never reinstalled Windows (which is why she had me take a look at it).

My only guess in this case is that Besy Buy convinced her to pay for the initial cleanup (or whatever they call it) and they just reinstalled a version that would work at the time. She has had it a few years too... I set the restore partition bootable, and did a factory restore, and all was good with 7 Home Premium. I thought maybe the eMachine had the wrong image on it, but the OEM install of Home Basic was Acer OEM... Weird.

[meaty-btz]

Ahhh, Bestbuy... lol

How about a post from the MS Diag tool. Or try the magic bean to get your key.

[the86d]

Quick-down-dirty solution would be to install Windows 7-actual-legit (any you can get your hands on).

(Grey area with M$ only ) But is in fact a legit version, with a valid key that was never used:

http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=Windows+7+oem&gallery=1&sortby=price&condition=new&discounted=2

If you already have a key stuck to the side of the case, use that key and a dupe of a disc (Home basic, home premium, pro, Ultimate it doesn't matter if OEM disc [not restore disc, but some are incorrectly labeled as that] as long as the version "Home Premium" for example matches the key you have "Home premium"] or retail, and use your current key. If using true Bios-checking OEM, and the bios-check fails, use the key to activate. If someone you know has a dead machine, have them remove the sticker, and hand it to you (grey-area with Microsoft, but works, and they don't have like 3 flavors of Pro, or 3 of Home premium [all incompatible with each other's key i.e. OEM key didn't used to work with Retail discs] that you, as the end-user have to deal with).

[EvolutionGSR]

Google or youtube windows 7 rearm

Remove windows update KB971033

[Darryl Licht]

Where/how do I check this??

There should be a sticker on the bottom of laptop with CDKey.

[sbrad39]

install Linux...

[Peter.Steele]

Those numbers on the sticker are not valid for authentication.

BZZZT, wrong.

That number is just fine for authentication. If you re-install Windows, that's the key you're supposed to use to do it. I've done this many, many times, and yes it was with Windows 7. I'm currently running Win7 Home Premium on a home-build system ... using the key from the sticker on the bottom of my old HP laptop. Works just fine, as did the previous home-build system that I used the same key on.

The version of windows that comes on manufacturer laptops authenticates off the BIOS and uses a universal key (I know because I was able to use one dell disk without a key entered to WDS entire labs of Dell computers and all authorized correctly).

BZZZT, wrong.

This may be the case with Pro - I've tried installing Pro with an unused OEM key on a home-build system and it failed - but it's not the case with Home Premium, nor is it the case with Enterprise. My workstation at the office is a Dell Precision, and the install disk for Win 7 Enterprise that I used after my SSD upgrade is from an HP Z200. Worked just fine.

The actual key is embedded in the installer disk you can find it if you know where to look on the disk itself.

This part is correct [EDIT]if you're using an installer with a VLK. If you're using a generic OEM disk or a retail disk, then no, that's also BZZZZT, wrong.[/EDIT]

If this is a laptop from a brand that does not use that form of OEM authentication then it will use a normal key. That should be only for small outfits, HPs use the authentication schema I outlined above.

No they don't. Not even for their actual OEM keys. I've used the Hewlett-Packard OEM key - retrieved with Magical Jellybean, and different from the key on the sticker - to install Win 7 HP on a home-build system. No problems. So, unless Gigabyte (GA-MA785G), Asus (Z87 Pro), and ASRock (something or other, AMD 770 chipset) are all copying HP's bios settings, this is not correct.

Now, it is possible that the key got corrupted or windows is corrupted. The best bet is to reinstall windows from the install disk, you must use the HP install disk.

No, you really don't. You can download the ISO from Microsoft, and use either the key recovered with Magical Jellybean or the key from the sticker.

[blazeaglory]

BZZZT, wrong.

That number is just fine for authentication. If you re-install Windows, that's the key you're supposed to use to do it. I've done this many, many times, and yes it was with Windows 7. I'm currently running Win7 Home Premium on a home-build system ... using the key from the sticker on the bottom of my old HP laptop. Works just fine, as did the previous home-build system that I used the same key on.






BZZZT, wrong.

This may be the case with Pro - I've tried installing Pro with an unused OEM key on a home-build system and it failed - but it's not the case with Home Premium, nor is it the case with Enterprise. My workstation at the office is a Dell Precision, and the install disk for Win 7 Enterprise that I used after my SSD upgrade is from an HP Z200. Worked just fine.






This part is correct.





No they don't. Not even for their actual OEM keys. I've used the Hewlett-Packard OEM key - retrieved with Magical Jellybean, and different from the key on the sticker - to install Win 7 HP on a home-build system. No problems. So, unless Gigabyte (GA-MA785G), Asus (Z87 Pro), and ASRock (something or other, AMD 770 chipset) are all copying HP's bios settings, this is not correct.






No, you really don't. You can download the ISO from Microsoft, and use either the key recovered with Magical Jellybean or the key from the sticker.

WAH BAM! Lol

I thought so, I just didnt feel like arguing last night

Even if it was a "universal key", they could have still put that universal key on the sticker anyways...

Anyways, the OP said he found the key but its saying its invalid

[meaty-btz]

BZZZT, wrong.

That number is just fine for authentication. If you re-install Windows, that's the key you're supposed to use to do it. I've done this many, many times, and yes it was with Windows 7. I'm currently running Win7 Home Premium on a home-build system ... using the key from the sticker on the bottom of my old HP laptop. Works just fine, as did the previous home-build system that I used the same key on.






BZZZT, wrong.

This may be the case with Pro - I've tried installing Pro with an unused OEM key on a home-build system and it failed - but it's not the case with Home Premium, nor is it the case with Enterprise. My workstation at the office is a Dell Precision, and the install disk for Win 7 Enterprise that I used after my SSD upgrade is from an HP Z200. Worked just fine.






This part is correct.





No they don't. Not even for their actual OEM keys. I've used the Hewlett-Packard OEM key - retrieved with Magical Jellybean, and different from the key on the sticker - to install Win 7 HP on a home-build system. No problems. So, unless Gigabyte (GA-MA785G), Asus (Z87 Pro), and ASRock (something or other, AMD 770 chipset) are all copying HP's bios settings, this is not correct.






No, you really don't. You can download the ISO from Microsoft, and use either the key recovered with Magical Jellybean or the key from the sticker.

I guess you just missed the part where I was not referring to HOME editions. I never touch the stuff. Home keys may be valid but the pro-keys from major manufactures exterior labels are NOT valid keys. At least not on the non-consumer product lines.

So in fact I am totally correct, as I was never referring to home products. You misread my comment on small manufacturers, they use normal OEM keys (white box versions) which the sticker IS a key. HP, Dell, on the PRO versions do not. The key is embedded on the disk and is the same for every computer. For the home version? No frikken clue because I don't deal with CONSUMER PRODUCTS. With good reason too.

So BZZZZT, guess you are wrong. I supported roughly 6000 windows 7 computers. We of course no longer use the normal key model as we use a KMS Server for easier product key management and don't even use the dell installs as every computer gets imaged on arrival to be "standard" to our desktop configuration.\

microsoft made the licensing models for windows 7 overly complex, really.

[blazeaglory]

Damnit meaty, this is a home build. Dont make me break out the horse whip!!

[meaty-btz]

Damnit meaty, this is a home build. Dont make me break out the horse whip!!

Home people with brains used win7pro.

then again I use linux and win7pro dual boot still.. spend 99% of my time under linux these days.

Home versions are just evil man! Evil! The stuff of the deeeeeeeeeeeeevvvilllll...

comes from a man who runes Daemons on his computer.. badump-tish!