WINDOWS ACTIVATION

I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my computer
I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and repair
the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the installation
disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key saying
that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean installation.
ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
1 To buy a new key
or
2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?

"gaudonville" <> wrote in message
news:88C6D0C6-05EF-43E4-B4B2-...
>I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my
> computer
> I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and
> repair
> the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the
> installation
> disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key
> saying
> that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean
> installation.
> ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
> 1 To buy a new key
> or
> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?

YOu have a third option.
Just reinstall the previous OS that you upgraded from then insert your
Upgrade disk when running the previous OS and do an upgrade (This is what
upgrade disks are designed to do).
--
Mike Brannigan

use the phone activation option, call and tell them you installed a new MB.
they should activate you without buying a new key.

"gaudonville" <> wrote in message
news:88C6D0C6-05EF-43E4-B4B2-...
> I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my
> computer
> I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and
> repair
> the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the
> installation
> disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key
> saying
> that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean
> installation.
> ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
> 1 To buy a new key
> or
> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?

the other thing that everyone was in an uproar about is the 'secret' of
Vista upgrade disks
if you install Vista without using the key the first time, then rerun the
installer from within Vista, it will accept the key (using the installed
Vista as a verifier)
no need to buy a key either way

"gaudonville" <> wrote in message
news:88C6D0C6-05EF-43E4-B4B2-...
> I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my
> computer
> I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and
> repair
> the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the
> installation
> disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key
> saying
> that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean
> installation.
> ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
> 1 To buy a new key
> or
> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?

If you call Microsoft and explain what happened they should give you a new
key without charging you.

"gaudonville" <> wrote in message
news:88C6D0C6-05EF-43E4-B4B2-...
>I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my
> computer
> I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and
> repair
> the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the
> installation
> disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key
> saying
> that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean
> installation.
> ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
> 1 To buy a new key
> or
> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?

Hi,

Don't enter the key, just click next and select the correct version to
install. Once completed, boot into Vista and reinsert the disk and do an
in-place upgrade, this time using the key. You will likely need to phone in
your activation as well, be prepared for this 5 minute call.

An additional note: This will create a new installation and move the old one
to a windows.old folder. Your old data will be intact there as long as you
do not format as part of setup. You can take ownership of the windows.old
folder and recover your data. This will not migrate programs, you will need
to reinstall them from their original installation media.

--
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

"gaudonville" <> wrote in message
news:88C6D0C6-05EF-43E4-B4B2-...
>I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my
> computer
> I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and
> repair
> the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the
> installation
> disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key
> saying
> that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean
> installation.
> ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
> 1 To buy a new key
> or
> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?

gaudonville wrote:
> I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my computer
> I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and repair
> the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the installation
> disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key saying
> that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean installation.
> ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
> 1 To buy a new key
> or
> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?

3. Forget about Vista and install Ubuntu. No activation, no product key,
no becoming "genuine". No viruses. No malware. Every program and the
operating system are updated when needed from a central source. Access
to over 23,000 FREE programs and Ubuntu itself is free. Check it out at
http://www.ubuntu.com/

Oh, and ignore the inevitable liars that call me a "sheep fukker" who
stalk my every post.

Alias

"Alias" <> wrote in message
news:fupq1c$j9h$...
> gaudonville wrote:
>> I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
>> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my
>> computer I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try
>> and repair the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for
>> the installation disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept
>> the Product Key saying that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not
>> for a clean installation. ObviouI now appear to have two expensive
>> choices:
>> 1 To buy a new key
>> or
>> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
>> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?
>
> 3. Forget about Vista and install Ubuntu. No activation, no product key,
> no becoming "genuine". No viruses. No malware. Every program and the
> operating system are updated when needed from a central source. Access to
> over 23,000 FREE programs and Ubuntu itself is free. Check it out at
> http://www.ubuntu.com/
>
> Oh, and ignore the inevitable liars that call me a "sheep fukker" who
> stalk my every post.
>
> Alias

Forgot about Ubuntu...

I think you have couple of options here:

1: Since yours is an upgrade version, and Vista requires an installed
qualifying OS to upgrade, you can wipe your hard drive, install your
previous OS, then install Vista as an upgrade over the qualifying OS.
( would be nice if they had done it like in XP, where you could just insert
the qualifying media rather than having to have it installed ).

2: I think, you can still upgrade , over an installed and not activated copy
of Vista, which is kind of a work around. You might try installing Vista
over your current non activated copy, and see if that will work.

Good luck,



--
Don

Alias wrote:

> gaudonville wrote:
>
>> I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now
>> bought protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot
>> up my computer I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it
>> would try and repair the installation. In the event it couldn't and it
>> asked for the installation disc. Vista installed OK but it would no
>> longer accept the Product Key saying that my disc was for an upgrade
>> (correct) and not for a clean installation. ObviouI now appear to have
>> two expensive choices:
>> 1 To buy a new key
>> or
>> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
>> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?
>
>
> 3. Forget about Vista and install Ubuntu.

Never do that! ubuntu is a real worthless POS toy os for the mentally
deranged.
Frank

The problem is most likely your drive controller is different than the
original so windows does not "see" the drive correctly.

"gaudonville" <> wrote in message
news:88C6D0C6-05EF-43E4-B4B2-...
>I had to replace my motherboard because of a power surge (I've now bought
> protection - better late than never!) and when I tried to boot up my
> computer
> I got a message saying that Vista couldn't boot but it would try and
> repair
> the installation. In the event it couldn't and it asked for the
> installation
> disc. Vista installed OK but it would no longer accept the Product Key
> saying
> that my disc was for an upgrade (correct) and not for a clean
> installation.
> ObviouI now appear to have two expensive choices:
> 1 To buy a new key
> or
> 2 To ask for Windows technical support which I have to pay for
> Can anybody please help me with a lower cost option?