Activated Win7 No Longer Activated

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I bought a HP 2510p laptop, rebuilt, from an online vendor. The laptop was to come with Win XP pro or Vista. It came with a clean install of Win 7 Ultimate.
It was activated. I did the usual new install WU; installed MSE. I wanted to get rid on the recovery partition and repartition the way I like. Installed dual boot with Ubuntu 12.10; reinstalled Win 7 Ultimate; activated it. I think that when it checked for updates and checked for genuine windows something kicked me out of activation because now it fails to reactivate. I get the “counterfeit” message. There is no phone number with the options that I could call. The nag wants me to buy a new copy or key; or to call HP. Why would I need to call HP? This laptop is 6 years old and only an occasional travel companion. The key should be good as it worked and was activated several times successfully. I’ve made no physical changes to the hardware. Is this common–I’m new to Win 7–and how do I determine if, indeed, the key is valid?

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I bought a HP 2510p laptop, rebuilt, from an online vendor.

I’m very curious about the above. Who exactly rebuilt it and with what type of install disks?

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You could attempt to trigger the activation wizard, get the activation codes from that and then call the Microsoft activation hotline using the method outlined in this MS Support article (use Method 2).

I’m curious about why a re-installation was needed after setting up dual boot. Even fiddling with the partitions and installing Ubuntu as dual boot would not have required a re-install of Windows 7. Also, which installation disks did you use – you say you wanted to get rid of the recovery partition as part of the partitioning clean-up, but there would not have been a recovery partition after a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate. Indeed, a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate would not have left any trace of anything to do with HP on the laptop.

As alluded to by CLiNT: It seems to me that “refurb” by the online vendor was somewhat questionable.

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I would definitely be contacting the online vendor, although I’m sure they will undoubtedly claim that the OPs changes are what facilitated the problem. I would want assurances from them on where the key came from.

The phone activation should work satisfactorily. I have used this support a couple of times in the past when changing OSs and reinstalling my Office products. MS is generally very accommodating with these requests.

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The online company is pc-infinity.com. I am waiting, a little longer, to hear from them. I changed no hardware. I received no cd of win7, nor a built in restore partition, so I dl’d a copy of win7 ultimate from an online retail site that I have bought other product keys and os’s from in the past; burned the iso and re-installed win7 to the new partition. It was activated with the product key I had obtained from the win7 that was on the laptop when I got it. Did I do something I shouldn’t have? I’ve done this with xp many times. After this activation and subsequent install of sp1 and MSE is when it was determined that I had a counterfeit copy and it won’t activate now.

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It sounds like something has gone wrong in the installation or partitioning somewhere. Why? Because if you performed a full, clean installation, why would it know anything about HP to tell you to call them for assistance.

If indeed there was a recovery partition on the machine as you indicated in your first post, this tells us that it had a factory installation not a full clean install from pc-infinity.

At a basic level, using a genuine Windows 7 ISO and the key that was already used to activate the OS should have caused no real problems other than perhaps a need to call MS to re-activate. However, it’s not clear why a re-install was necessary, not why the re-install is referring to HP.

Is there any chance the online retail site you obtained the copy of Win7 could have been an OEM installation disk from HP? That would make sense with the references to calling HP and would then cause an activation issue.

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You could try the official Win 7 with SP1 site at Digital River. Burn the ISO file to DVD, then start over. Your method should have worked.

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Willo,

I did a Google search on their parent company, X-Infinity, inc. , and found they have a Better Business Bureau “F” rating ; also, check under “Rip-off Report” listing[/SIZE]:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/directory/x-infinity.aspx

[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]Zig

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I also found this site is very poor. I suspect the license might not be valid. The things you are doing is not anything abnormal. If the license was truly not valid, they might have changed something to make it appear valid initially, but when you reinstalled, you wiped out the work around and the true nature came forth. Or the key was always invalid, and when you attempted the WU, the Genuine app checked the installation and found it was not genuine. Sorry, you might have been ripped off. This company does not have a good track record for resolving problems satisfactorily.

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I agree with Ted: although it would be near impossible here in The Lounge to determine the exact nature of the issue at hand, the presence of non clean installation screen prompts (from HP etc) suggests that perhaps a cloned OS has been installed onto a disk and the activation tampered with.

I think we need also be be careful to let due process take its course and not make absolute statements when we simply don’t have enough evidence. If you agree that there is at least some evidence of piracy on the machine that has been supplied, I suggest you report your suspicions to Microsoft on their Anti Piracy site.

Lastly, if you feel that there is little or no chance of seeking redress from the vendor, you do have an option open to you that will cost less money than buying a new Windows 7 key. Install Vista using the licence key on the COA attached to the machine. You then have the opportunity to upgrade to a completely clean and genuine installation of Windows 8 using the discounted upgrade scheme – but that’s perhaps for a different thread.

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I was also going to suggest the possibility of Win 8 Pro, but I thought perhaps it’s premature. Contacting the online seller, even one that has a very poor reputation, should be the first alternative.

This just points out the fact that we all have to be extremely careful on where we spend our money. I suppose if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. I do sympathize with the OP, but there is most likely little we can offer for remedies in this situation.

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Thanks for all the good advice. The vendor has offered to reinstall and activate Win7 for me if I send it back to them. I want to try it again myself. I have the key pid text that says the product key is valid and is OEM. This means that I must install an upgrade copy of Ultimate since the original install and key were for Vista. I will follow Fred L’s method to do a clean install of it. I thought I did but I’ll try it again with a new copy of Ultimate w/sp1. I’ll post the results. Anything I’m missing, here?

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Quick update: ms told me the product key was disabled and that probably it was used on more than 1 pc. He said that everything I did before that would not have cause the reactivation error. I have contacted the vendor and they are willing to reinstall and reactivate; but do I want to? Should I buy a new retail product key and start over?

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Quick update: ms told me the product key was disabled and that probably it was used on more than 1 pc. He said that everything I did before that would not have cause the reactivation error. I have contacted the vendor and they are willing to reinstall and reactivate; but do I want to? Should I buy a new retail product key and start over?

Why does not the vendor provide you with a valid key? It’s not your fault that it was used elsewhere, is it?

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I was going to say, make them supply you with a valid key, even if they have to buy a legal one for you. You can just as easily reinstall the OS as they can, perhaps better because you can install a garbage free copy from the ISO download file.

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interesting
i reformatted my hard drive reinstalled my windows 7 home premium and I’m gettting the same message

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interesting
i reformatted my hard drive reinstalled my windows 7 home premium and I’m gettting the same message

That’s to be expected. Choose the option to activate it over the phone and describe the situation to the person who you will talk with.

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I hope this is not considered hijacking but my problem is very similar and I couldn’t find anything more specific in the archives.

I have an HP Pavilion DV7 laptop running Win 7 Home Premium and a few days ago I fitted a Crucial 480 GB SSD in place of the original 320 GB primary hard drive that I cloned using Macrium.

Everything seemed to have gone extremely well until this morning when I started getting “Windows not genuine” messages. This has obviously blocked Windows Update and apparently several other things (e.g. browsing history), but I can’t even seem to get support from the HP website where I went to seek the Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers that some forums seem to think necessary in order to resolve such an issue. I wanted to try and activate the product but I am told that Win 7 is already activated and so there is no option to do so. I am not sure how it can be activated if it’s not genuine but there you are. In short it seems a bit of a vicious circle so I would be very grateful if someone could suggest a way out.

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Does the computer include a Windows key COA somewhere? If it does, you could try that or simply call Microsoft and explain your problem.

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MS Activation Support.

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I do have the windows key on the laptop’s underside, actually I’m not really sure activation is the problem because it does say it is activated followed by the code (xxxx – OEM – xxxxxxx – 00010). For some reason it fails the “Genuine Windows” test.

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I would call Microsoft about it.

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When I run the validation tool it says:

Install genuine Windows.
Files that Windows needs to work properly have been modified, removed, or disabled. To resolve, you need to install genuine Windows. Not to worry, we can help you with that.

And then expects me to pay 79 pounds for the privilege of purchasing Home Premium 😡

I have now downloaded the MGA diagnostic tool (had to use Chrome as IE wouldn’t let me) and this is what I get, I can see something about tampered files and mismatches but don’t really understand what it all means:

Diagnostic Report (1.9.0027.0):
—————————————–
Windows Validation Data–>

Validation Code: 0x8004FE21
Cached Online Validation Code: 0x0
Windows Product Key: *****-*****-73CQT-WMF7J-3Q6C9
Windows Product Key Hash: KaFG+RmurcM3ZxzWyfEP9WtPUJw=
Windows Product ID: 00359-OEM-8992687-00010
Windows Product ID Type: 2
Windows License Type: OEM SLP
Windows OS version: 6.1.7601.2.00010300.1.0.003
ID: {4B11B23C-8ECB-4BF5-87CF-3E0878564884}(3)
Is Admin: Yes
TestCab: 0x0
LegitcheckControl ActiveX: Registered, 1.9.42.0
Signed By: Microsoft
Product Name: Windows 7 Home Premium
Architecture: 0x00000009
Build lab: 7601.win7sp1_gdr.130828-1532
TTS Error:
Validation Diagnostic:
Resolution Status: N/A

Vista WgaER Data–>
ThreatID(s): N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Version: N/A, hr = 0x80070002

Windows XP Notifications Data–>
Cached Result: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
File Exists: No
Version: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
WgaTray.exe Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
WgaLogon.dll Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002

OGA Notifications Data–>
Cached Result: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Version: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGAExec.exe Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
OGAAddin.dll Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002

OGA Data–>
Office Status: 100 Genuine
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 – 100 Genuine
OGA Version: N/A, 0x80070002
Signed By: N/A, hr = 0x80070002
Office Diagnostics: 025D1FF3-364-80041010_025D1FF3-229-80041010_025D1FF3-230-1_025D1FF3-517-80040154_025D1FF3-237-80040154_025D1FF3-238-2_025D1FF3-244-80070002_025D1FF3-258-3_E2AD56EA-765-d003_E2AD56EA-766-0_E2AD56EA-134-80004005_E2AD56EA-765-800a_E2AD56EA-766-191_E2AD56EA-148-80004005_16E0B333-89-80004005_B4D0AA8B-1029-80004005

Browser Data–>
Proxy settings: N/A
User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Win32)
Default Browser: C:Program FilesInternet Exploreriexplore.exe
Download signed ActiveX controls: Prompt
Download unsigned ActiveX controls: Disabled
Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins: Allowed
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe: Disabled
Allow scripting of Internet Explorer Webbrowser control: Disabled
Active scripting: Allowed
Script ActiveX controls marked as safe for scripting: Allowed

File Scan Data–>
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32watwatadminsvc.exe[7.1.7600.16395], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32watwatux.exe[7.1.7600.16395], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppobjs.dll[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppc.dll[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x800b0100
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppcext.dll[6.1.7600.16385], Hr = 0x800b0100
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppwinob.dll[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32slc.dll[6.1.7600.16385], Hr = 0x800b0100
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32slcext.dll[6.1.7600.16385], Hr = 0x800b0100
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppuinotify.dll[6.1.7600.16385], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32slui.exe[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppcomapi.dll[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x800b0100
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppcommdlg.dll[6.1.7600.16385], Hr = 0x800b0100
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32sppsvc.exe[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32driversspsys.sys[6.1.7127.0], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32driversspldr.sys[6.1.7127.0], Hr = 0x80092003
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32systemcpl.dll[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x800b0100
File Mismatch: C:Windowssystem32user32.dll[6.1.7601.17514], Hr = 0x800b0100

Other data–>
Office Details: {4B11B23C-8ECB-4BF5-87CF-3E0878564884}1.9.0027.06.1.7601.2.00010300.1.0.003×64*****-*****-*****-*****-3Q6C900359-OEM-8992687-000102S-1-5-21-3383447145-1327606879-3041315135Hewlett-PackardHP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PCHewlett-PackardF.0420090910000000.000000+000B2423207018400FE08090409W. Europe Standard Time(GMT+01:00)03HPQOEMSLIC-MPC100100Microsoft Office Home and Student 20071259BCB8FACBA8F3AKoCVCNKzGtFnxre9siKeUY7ny1Y=81602-925-0518266-686651

Spsys.log Content: 0x80070002

Licensing Data–>
Software licensing service version: 6.1.7601.17514

Name: Windows(R) 7, HomePremium edition
Description: Windows Operating System – Windows(R) 7, OEM_SLP channel
Activation ID: d2c04e90-c3dd-4260-b0f3-f845f5d27d64
Application ID: 55c92734-d682-4d71-983e-d6ec3f16059f
Extended PID: 00359-00178-926-800010-02-1033-7600.0000-2802009
Installation ID: 001125195244534034993185753240419413232095389835320872
Processor Certificate URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=88338
Machine Certificate URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=88339
Use License URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=88341
Product Key Certificate URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=88340
Partial Product Key: 3Q6C9
License Status: Licensed
Remaining Windows rearm count: 2
Trusted time: 07/12/2013 16:09:18

Windows Activation Technologies–>
HrOffline: 0x8004FE21
HrOnline: N/A
HealthStatus: 0x000000000001EFF0
Event Time Stamp: 12:7:2013 15:55
ActiveX: Registered, Version: 7.1.7600.16395
Admin Service: Registered, Version: 7.1.7600.16395
HealthStatus Bitmask Output:
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppobjs.dll
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppc.dll|sppc.dll.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppcext.dll|sppcext.dll.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppwinob.dll
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32slc.dll|slc.dll.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32slcext.dll|slcext.dll.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppuinotify.dll|sppuinotify.dll.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32slui.exe|slui.exe.mui|COM Registration
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppcomapi.dll|sppcomapi.dll.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppcommdlg.dll|sppcommdlg.dll.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32sppsvc.exe|sppsvc.exe.mui
Tampered File: %systemroot%system32driversspsys.sys

HWID Data–>
HWID Hash Current: MgAAAAEAAQABAAEAAAACAAAABAABAAEAln3ct7bQsJ44dpgLyiweCjDwfk1iC5AFdlY=

OEM Activation 1.0 Data–>
N/A

OEM Activation 2.0 Data–>
BIOS valid for OA 2.0: yes
Windows marker version: 0x20001
OEMID and OEMTableID Consistent: yes
BIOS Information:
ACPI Table Name OEMID Value OEMTableID Value
APIC HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
FACP HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
HPET HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
BOOT HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
MCFG HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
ASF! HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
SLIC HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
ASPT HPQOEM SLIC-MPC
SSDT PmRef CpuPm

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See if the advice here is of any use: http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/272506-genuine-validation-error-installing-updates-fails.html

I am thinking especially of reply #7.

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See if the advice here is of any use: http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/272506-genuine-validation-error-installing-updates-fails.html
I am thinking especially of reply #7.

I was reading through that thread and in the end the problem seems to have resolved itself, I eventually managed to install the Intel RST driver and am currently downloading a couple of updates manually. IE history is now showing and I am able to download again so fingers crossed the message doesn’t come back again next time I boot up. I suppose I should really use the diagnostic tool again but am a bit afraid to do so in case it rocks the boat.

Anyway thanks to everyone who replied.

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Let us know how it goes. Hope it doesn’t misbehave again.

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Spoke too soon, the message about not running genuine Windows is back again :angry:

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Not completely surprising. Try the advice given in that link.

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Bit too early to tell but despite the message (that incidentally just appeared without rebooting), so far everything is still working including Windows Update. I subsequently rebooted and so far this is still true. Am closing down for the day, tomorrow I’ll see what happens and if need be try the advice given in the link about rebuilding the database.

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Ok :).

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Did as suggested and now after visiting http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/validate it tells me my Windows is genuine, however it’s a bit soon to start believing so I’ll report back in a day or so or if something changes.

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Ok, hopefully it will remain like that.

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Everything still working OK after 4 days so looks like one or more of these tips did the trick.

Thanks again!

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Great :). Thanks for letting us know.

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