suddenly asking for activation

Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to activate
windows.

I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is telling
me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now that
windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?

Scott Martinez wrote:
> Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to activate
> windows.
>
> I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is telling
> me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now that
> windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?

You need to use phone activation to call for permission to use that for
which you've paid. You might want to jot the phone number down on a
post-it note and stick it on you monitor for future reference.

Alias

Hi Scott,

It was probably a driver update that triggered it, it's a known issue. Call
the phone activation, but get a real person on the line to reactivate by
hanging on the line after the automated version fails.

And yeah, this shouldn't happen, but it does.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"Scott Martinez" <Scott > wrote in message
news:11A63BC4-3630-41C6-9652-...
> Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to
> activate
> windows.
>
> I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is
> telling
> me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now
> that
> windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?

Hi,

I hate to kind of hijack this thread... the same thing is happening to me
now as well. I tried phone activation once.. and they said they would send me
to a technician.. however I was out of normal business hours. Now I am out on
business and when I get back it will be locked up.

I re-installed Vista and stupidly forgot to see if I still had my CD case
(which I can't find, especially that I'm gone on business for a month).. but
I have retrieved my key, which of course says it is in use.

When I tried to do phone activation again in the daytime I didn't have that
option anymore.. so my question is.. is there a number I can call to get
ahold of a live person to get this sorted out before I get back home so it
will activate fine?

Thanks!

Daniel

"Rick Rogers" wrote:

> Hi Scott,
>
> It was probably a driver update that triggered it, it's a known issue. Call
> the phone activation, but get a real person on the line to reactivate by
> hanging on the line after the automated version fails.
>
> And yeah, this shouldn't happen, but it does.
>
> --
> Best of Luck,
>
> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
> My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
>
> "Scott Martinez" <Scott > wrote in message
> news:11A63BC4-3630-41C6-9652-...
> > Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to
> > activate
> > windows.
> >
> > I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is
> > telling
> > me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now
> > that
> > windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?
>
>

--
Ian

"Daniel Lollman" <Daniel > wrote in message
news:1B121DD0-3728-471E-AB90-...
> Hi,
>
> I hate to kind of hijack this thread... the same thing is happening to me
> now as well. I tried phone activation once.. and they said they would send
> me
> to a technician.. however I was out of normal business hours. Now I am out
> on
> business and when I get back it will be locked up.
>
> I re-installed Vista and stupidly forgot to see if I still had my CD case
> (which I can't find, especially that I'm gone on business for a month)..
> but
> I have retrieved my key, which of course says it is in use.
>
> When I tried to do phone activation again in the daytime I didn't have
> that
> option anymore.. so my question is.. is there a number I can call to get
> ahold of a live person to get this sorted out before I get back home so it
> will activate fine?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Daniel
>
> "Rick Rogers" wrote:
>
>> Hi Scott,
>>
>> It was probably a driver update that triggered it, it's a known issue.
>> Call
>> the phone activation, but get a real person on the line to reactivate by
>> hanging on the line after the automated version fails.
>>
>> And yeah, this shouldn't happen, but it does.
>>
>> --
>> Best of Luck,
>>
>> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
>> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
>> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
>> My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
>>
>> "Scott Martinez" <Scott > wrote in
>> message
>> news:11A63BC4-3630-41C6-9652-...
>> > Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to
>> > activate
>> > windows.
>> >
>> > I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is
>> > telling
>> > me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now
>> > that
>> > windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?
>>
>>

Don't know where you live, but guess this is an international toll free
number. I have had to help people do this many times with XP and now Vista.
It is like any phone answer service these day's complicated by the number
choice system but give you the auto log in or a voice.

On your screen, if you followed the "Activate Now" request on your computer
it will give you the phone number and will have nine sets of six numbers
that you either need to key in or speak in, no mean feat if you have a slow
coordination ability like me, but these are meant to identify your CD.

If you pass this test OK, but if not, you will be transferred to a voice,
who will ask you to confirm why you need to use the CD more than once (its
in the small print). It you pass muster you will need to key in the six
sets of four numbers he gives you verbally. Then "walla", you are a
legitimate user.

Daniel Lollman wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I hate to kind of hijack this thread... the same thing is happening to me
> now as well. I tried phone activation once.. and they said they would send me
> to a technician.. however I was out of normal business hours. Now I am out on
> business and when I get back it will be locked up.
>
> I re-installed Vista and stupidly forgot to see if I still had my CD case
> (which I can't find, especially that I'm gone on business for a month).. but
> I have retrieved my key, which of course says it is in use.
>
> When I tried to do phone activation again in the daytime I didn't have that
> option anymore.. so my question is.. is there a number I can call to get
> ahold of a live person to get this sorted out before I get back home so it
> will activate fine?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Daniel
>
> "Rick Rogers" wrote:
>
>> Hi Scott,
>>
>> It was probably a driver update that triggered it, it's a known issue. Call
>> the phone activation, but get a real person on the line to reactivate by
>> hanging on the line after the automated version fails.
>>
>> And yeah, this shouldn't happen, but it does.
>>
>> --
>> Best of Luck,
>>
>> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
>> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
>> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
>> My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
>>
>> "Scott Martinez" <Scott > wrote in message
>> news:11A63BC4-3630-41C6-9652-...
>>> Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to
>>> activate
>>> windows.
>>>
>>> I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is
>>> telling
>>> me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now
>>> that
>>> windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?
>>

Sick of the activation and genuine hoops? Check out Ubuntu at
www.ubuntu.com No activation, not virus or malware prone and, best of
all FREE.

Alias

what if you don't activate does this unistall vista that installed from a cd
it was not the original for my computer. I had xp sp2
--
JoAnne


"Scott Martinez" wrote:

> Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to activate
> windows.
>
> I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is telling
> me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now that
> windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?

Hi,

No, it goes into a limited use mode until you do activate. There is no
uninstalling this upgrade. There is a method of reverting to the XP
installation if a windows.old folder exists, but it is a manual process with
no guarantees.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"Joannie" <> wrote in message
news:CCF1B3C9-C987-459E-8A2F-...
> what if you don't activate does this unistall vista that installed from a
> cd
> it was not the original for my computer. I had xp sp2
> --
> JoAnne
>
>
> "Scott Martinez" wrote:
>
>> Out of the blue I have a task bar bubble telling me I have 3 days to
>> activate
>> windows.
>>
>> I've been using vista for 3 months. Online and phone activation is
>> telling
>> me the key has already been used. (by me obviously). What do I do now
>> that
>> windows tells me it will shut down in 72 hours?