BleepingComputer.com: Win Vista OS informs me Vista Not Activated/Product key invalid

Computer Spec's

Power Supply: 650 Watt NZXT PRC-650 SLI Ready

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6850 (2 X 3.0GHz) / 4MB L2 Cache / 1333 FSB

Motherboard: Asus P5N32-E SLI nForce 680i SLI Chipset w/ 7.1 ssound/ Gb LAN/ S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E Mobo

RAM: (4096MB) 1024mb X 4- DDR2-800- PC6400 Memory Modules- Corsair XMS2 XTREME w/ Heat Spreader

Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS 320Mb memory

Hard Drive 1 Hitachi 320GB ( Serial-ATA-ll, 3Gb 7200 RPM, 16Mb Cache) Windows XP Pro SP 2 with all updates to date

Hard Drive 2 ( Same as HD 1 ) Windows Vista Home Premium with all updates to date

Easy BCD BootLoad Manager to toggle between Operating Systems/ Windows XP Pro is my DeFault OS.

Monitors: Dual Widescreen Viewsonic 20" Color Flatscreens

Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Extreme


This Machine was custom built to my spec's by a reputable custom build computer company and I have both my OEM Operating System recovery disks that came with this machine when I

purchased it.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PIRATED SOFTWARE ON MY MACHINE WHICH INCLUDES BOTH OPERATING SYSTEMS AND ALL ANCILLARY APPLICATIONS!!!!!!!!



_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Ok Folks!

Here is the gist of my problem.

Win XP Pro is my default operating system and is the OS that I use most of the time on this machine. I am hooked to the Internet via Satellite which is the only way I can have High-speed internet

where I live in rural U.S.

When I fire up this system win xp pro loads automatically and if I want to boot into Win Vista I restart the machine and choose Vista from the bootload manager.

I keep both operating systems updated on a regular basis and am diligent about this. Yesterday I booted into Vista to do my regular updates and had no problem doing so.


I run these following security applications on Vista : Comodo free firewall.....AVG (not free) anti-virus program.....SpyWareBlaster....Spybot Search and Destroy ...... Windows Defender...ASquared

Free Malware software....CrapCleaner...Diskeeper Pro 2008 Defragmenter..


Yesterday I updated all of these apps and also did my Microsoft windows vista updates of which there were 7 or 8 updates. It is my habit to restart my machine after each software app is updated so

as to save the settings.

yesterday i followed my own habit of restarting after each set of updates without any incidents until I did the windows updates and then restarted the machine to save the settings and it restarted

normally and brought me to my password protected login screen. When I entered my password the system produced a window which advised me that vista needed to be activated and gave me a

few options on how to do it...

My system in fact has been properly activated since my last OS re-install over a year ago. This thing came at me out of the blue...I have the Windows Genuine Advantage software loaded on this

machine and Microsoft has been satisfied that my copy of Vista is legal and has been all along.



The first thing I did was to restart my machine and re-attempt to login into windows once again but the same thing happened so this time I dug out my Microsoft Product Key Activation numbers and

attempted to re-activate the OS and was informed by a new window that my product key is invalid and that for a small fee I could get a valid copy of Vista.

Well; Bravo Sierra wrapped around a WTF???

MY COPY OF VISTA IS LEGAL AND MY PRODUCT KEY IS LEGAL AND SHOULD BE VALID!


I restarted my system once again right back into Vista and got my password protected login screen once again, entered my password, and again was prompted by a windows activation pane. I

chose "type my product key" and once again entered my Product key and was prompted by a "Invalid Product Key Pane" which reads:


The following failure occurred while trying trying to use the Product Key:

Code: OxCOO4FO5O

Description: The software licensing service reported that the product key is invalid.


Now, there is nothing else to do but select "Cancel" to get out of this Pane and doing so once again returns me to my Password Protected Login Screen.


I restart my machine back into Vista and tap F8 and choose "Start Windows Normally" No Joy, Same thing occurs, I restart once again into Vista,Tap F8 and select "Start windows using last known

good configuration"...No Joy..same thing occurs....so I restart into Vista again and this time I select "Safe Mode" and attempt to utilyze " Safe Mode"...System Restore informs me that I have no

system restore points to restore to...(very strange because when I do my Microsoft updates in Vista The system has Instructed me all along that it is creating restore points before installing new

updates)...So it seems I am not able to restore Vista to a previous state when Vista was working properly.

I do have my OEM vista disk but I have not yet tried to repair vista...I would like to try and find out what is happening here before I try to repair Vista or do a clean re-install.


I have never had anything like this happen to me before and I don't know what I can do next.....Does anybody have any ideas as to what may be wrong or what to do to try and find out what the

problem is?

Thank you very much,

ranger72

Hi, a smilar thing happened to me. All you have to do is contact MS and they will help you through it.

Thank you Monty 007 for the response.


Do you mean contact Microsoft through the automated telephonic product activation?

ranger72

This post has been edited by ranger72: 18 February 2009 - 06:43 PM

theres usually a number with the microsoft OS software, either on the CD case or with the documentation that you call if you have problems.

I have the validation stickers which were attached to my tower and have my product key activation numbers on them and I have my two O.E.M. recovery disks (one for Win XP Pro) and (one for Windows Vista Home Premium) none of which contain any phone numbers to MicroSoft. The stickers and recovery disks were provided to me by the custom build company who built my machine.

I appreciate the response.

ranger72

This post has been edited by ranger72: 18 February 2009 - 07:49 PM

This article may help: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940315

Depending on the make/model of your system, the product key installed may be different than the product key on the case. It may be that the installed product key has been compromised - and that's why the system is requiring reactivation.

The "If you cannot activate Windows Vista over the Internet" section contains a reference to using the telephonic method. I've had great success with this at work. If it won't activate then, access the human help there (can't recall the option). What the humans look for is that this is the only computer that that product key is used on.

In most cases all they do is ask you to change the product key using the button provided in the activation window for that purpose.
If they're unable to fix it, then you'll either be referred to your OEM manufacturer, or to purchase a legitimate copy of Windows.

Thank you very much; Sergeant Major!


Problem solved.


ranger72


RLTW