Product Key in use?! wtf?!

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 5, 2007

So I had installed my power together copy of Windows Vista Business back in early February and was not happy with the driver support from Nvidia or Creative back then so I reformatted and put XP Pro back on. Just yesterday, I wanted to try Vista again so I installed. I'm actually quite pleased with how it is running and the drivers so I went to activate it. Every time I put in my product key that is on my vista cardboard sleave thing that the power together copy came in, it says that the key is in use. I don't even remember if I had activated this copy in February when I first installed but why should that matter?? I reformatted my harddrive all the time with XP Pro and used the same key that I legally own and it never said anything about it being in use.....

I'm going to e-mail microsoft about it but I'm sure they will claim that I wasn't allow to reformatt or something which is BS.....

Any ideas??

Shell · Apr 5, 2007

Where did you buy this?

I know places like BB have keys slolen very often.

And are you running this on the same computer? Any hardware changes?

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 5, 2007

It was the power together version as I mentioned that you got for doing the videos online.

No, I purposefully waited until I had my new motherboard installed back in February before I decided to try my copy of Vista Business out as I read that you could not reinstall if you had changed your motherboard.

EDIT: also, yes, its on the same computer. The ONLY piece of hardware that has changed since february is my video card. I went from an x1950 pro to an 8800gts 320

Deanzo · Apr 5, 2007

If you didnt unclick the box that say activate when you first go on line, then it would have done it by its self.

10cents says if you phone them they will ask if its only on one pc and give you the code.

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 5, 2007

Deanzo said:
10cents says if you phone them they will ask if its only on one pc and give you the code.

I can only hope so because I am NOT paying for another code when this copy is ONLY on this computer and a reformatt should not matter.

redrumy3 · Apr 5, 2007

this is why i dont activate my copy yet lol i have 120 days to use it and well i usually vlite my vista when new versions come out so i would have to format again lol, should call them and find out, now i have the power together one as well are these oem or retail ?

johnz · Apr 6, 2007

redrumy3 said:
now i have the power together one as well are these oem or retail ?

Neither. They're NFR(Not For Resale) copies. They basically give you all of the rights you get with retail, but your not legally allowed to sell it. Calling MS should get the problem fixed up right away. I wouldn't worry about it.

Deanzo · Apr 6, 2007

blitzkrieg1110 said:
I am NOT paying for another code

Mate, dont get me wrong Im not getting at you, but..... You didnt pay for that one

Have you given them a call yet ?

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 6, 2007

Deanzo said:
Mate, dont get me wrong Im not getting at you, but..... You didnt pay for that one

Have you given them a call yet ?

Lol, I know

, but this is a perfectly good copy and I put myself through hours of boring videos to get it

Oroka Sempai · Apr 6, 2007

That is why I did a Complete PC Backup after my last fresh install of Vista, I dont have to reinstall and activate for a clean install, just restor to that backup point.

::edit:: Here is a thought, did they even impliment that 'deactivate' thing I heard about back in the fall? If so, maybe you need to deactivate your key before you can install it again?

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 6, 2007

Hmmm, I haven't heard about any sort of deactivate thing but it's a little too late now as I reformatted way back at the beginning of February to put XP Pro back on.

I asked microsoft help center and the guy emailed back and so far it sounds positive that they should be able to fix it however I'll post back with whatever the outcome is.

TheCheat · Apr 6, 2007

You're not the first user who has had to activate more than once.

I've had to activate 3 times :

1st time when i bought the OS

2nd after I replaced my IDE dvd drive with a SATA drive

3rd after I changed my HD configuration into a Raid setup.

Most likely its complaining because the vid card is different.

EmAn · Apr 6, 2007

If you read in the license agreement it says that once you use the key and you reformat the drive or roll back then you HAVE to talk to microsoft about unlocking the key so you can use it again

and yes it is BS!!!

aftermath · Apr 6, 2007

forget people steeling the key from any where you can brute the registration/validation by throwing keys through a few proxies sooner or later you get the reply you want. Sooner or later someone will use a valid key before one of us nice guys who is trying to install a shrink raped cd.

as a side note I had to reactivate 2k3 for a new nic and a raid card in a different slot, went though no problem, too darn picky.

snafumaster · Apr 8, 2007

It's a pain to have to reactivate at all, but it is real quick and easy typically. If you have to call the phone center that is usually quick and easy too. I had to just this past Friday. I have the volume license for work and with the testing I have been using, I have reactivated through the net about 25 times. So this last time it told me that I was using a key that was already taken. I make the call and get the automated voice...no dice. That redirects me to nice girl in India and about a minute late, my copy is activated again.

Windows has made a lot of changes in the activation for Volume Licensing. There is longer a copy that you can buy that will let you be activation free. With XP Pro, I never had to activate because of the version I bought. This is the ONLY problem I have had with Vista.

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 9, 2007

Called Microsoft's tech support today and got the issue resolved after about 25 or so minutes (!) on the phone. Overall, I talked to 3 female employees of which two of them I could not understand a single word. I'm happy that I got windows activated and all, but I like to reformatt fairly often and I'm not looking forward to calling them every few months like that.....why couldn't the activation be just like on XP?!

redduc900 · Apr 9, 2007

I can't understand why activation took you "25 or so minutes". I just now got off the phone with a MS representative, in order to complete the activation of my copy of Vista Ultimate... and the entire process took almost exactly 5 min. I timed the whole process (which isn't any different than activating XP BTW), from the time I dialed the activation number to the time I hung up the phone. I provide the same answers each time I need to call, and they are...

1. Have you activated this product before?... "Yes"
2. Why are you reactivating Vista / XP?... "I reinstalled Windows"
3. How many computers is this copy of Vista / XP installed on?... "Just this one"

There's no need to go into any more detail than that. Only provide the information the representative asks for, and nothing more. Don't get into a debate / argument over the whole activation process... activation is necessitated by MS, and there's no need to discuss it w/ the MS phone rep.

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 9, 2007

I did not "go into extra detail". When I say it took 25 minutes....it took 25 minutes. I'm happy that you were able to get off the phone in 5 minutes, unfortunately, that did not happen to me.

It's also different from activating XP because after a reformatt of XP it won't say your product key is in use. I have reformatted XP probably 20 times since I bought it a few years ago and not once has it said that my key was in use. The first time I reformatt with Vista and it claims the key is in use. I'm just saying that they could have made it a little better for the power users out there who format their computers often.

Deanzo · Apr 9, 2007

Im pleased you got it all sorted, must just be bad luck who you got on the phone, the two woman that you couldnt understand would have taken up a lot of that time Im sure.
So far its only taken me about 5 min's like redduc900 to complete the activation.

blitzkrieg1110 · Apr 9, 2007

Deanzo said:
Im pleased you got it all sorted, must just be bad luck who you got on the phone, the two woman that you couldnt understand would have taken up a lot of that time Im sure.
So far its only taken me about 5 min's like redduc900 to complete the activation.

Well for one, the online tech support gave me the number to microsoft's tech support, not their activation line, so that's why it took so long (I had to go through a long process just to be transfered to the activation section). Next time, I will have to just dial the phone number for the activation.

Product Key in use?! wtf?!

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