Windows Genuine Advantage ?

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Dalecamino

Dalecamino

Local Chapter Leader
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
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14,590
Location
Indianapolis, In.
Does anybody know about this ? I downloaded and installed IE8 lastnight ,and after restart , I get this message , telling me my Windows would not pass validation . That it might be counterfeit . It offered me a Genuine Windows CD for only $149.99 marked down from $250.00 It has even installed a Star down here in my tray , and pops up a message from Windows Genuine Advantage , reminding me that "I may be a victim of counterfeiting " and I should click on it to fix my problem . This just doesn't look right to me . I had NO problems with windows before the upgrade . Computer is working , except for this message wanting me to spend $149.99 Not sure what I should do about this . Any ideas before I spend the money ? Thanks in advance for any help !
 
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I think it will give you 30 days to resolve the problem before it locks you computer up.

It happened to us once before and we had to re-install Windows.

If you got your computer from a store, with Windows already installed, I'd contact them and get a disc to re-intall (if you didn't get one to begin with). If they give you a hard time, I'd raise a stink.
 
Did you pay for your copy of windows, and not install it on any other computer? Sounds like Windows checked your registration number, when you downloaded the new version, and thinks that it's a copy used by someone else too...

Genuine advantage runs whenever you update a microsoft product. I think it gives you a grace period to comply, then bad things happen to your computer, esp. if you're running Vista (from Wikipedia)..
 
ngeb528 said:
I think it will give you 30 days to resolve the problem before it locks you computer up.

It happened to us once before and we had to re-install Windows.

If you got your computer from a store, with Windows already installed, I'd contact them and get a disc to re-intall (if you didn't get one to begin with). If they give you a hard time, I'd raise a stink.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nancy ! Yeah , bought it from Circuit City :frown: six years ago , but had a Mother board and new hard drive installed last year .
 
maxwell_smart007 said:
Did you pay for your copy of windows, and not install it on any other computer? Sounds like Windows checked your registration number, when you downloaded the new version, and thinks that it's a copy used by someone else too...

Genuine advantage runs whenever you update a microsoft product. I think it gives you a grace period to comply, then bad things happen to your computer, esp. if you're running Vista (from Wikipedia)..
Click to expand...

Andrew , I believe you have answered my question . I just wanted to be sure this was ligit . The guy who replaced the board and hard drive must have used a program for groups or something . I'll check with him about this . Thanks for the help .
 
Windows has something called a HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) that keeps track of the hardware Windows is installed on. If you make too many hardware changes on your system after installing Windows it can do funny things to Windows. I suggest you contact Microsoft and get them to re-issue you a license key.
 
I'll add to the situation;
Do you have a license key? It may be on a sticker attached to your computer, or on the Windows book or original Windows CD.

If you do have a key like one of the above, try to "Activate Windows" using the icon in the "Start", "Programs", "Accessories", "System Tools" menu.
 
i have the same problem but it's been on for 3 or 4 months so I think it's more of a nag than something that will lock up the system
 
Don't know if you would want to do it or not but there is a valadation crack you can download. I run a computer bussiness myself and like some of the others stated; it's a nag. Best advice though is to contact Microsoft. To me on my home machines i do what it takes to avoid Microsoft all i can. To me there just another money grubing company that really lays it to the little man.

Just my thoughts,
Jim
 
theartist07 said:
To me there just another money grubing company that really lays it to the little man.

Just my thoughts,
Jim
Click to expand...

Win·dows

Noun.

A sixty four bit extension on a 32 bit graphical shell to a sixteen-bit patch to an eight-bit operating system originally coded for a four-bit microprocessor which was written by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition
 
dalecamino said:
Thanks Nancy ! Yeah , bought it from Circuit City :frown: six years ago , but had a Mother board and new hard drive installed last year .
Click to expand...

If you replaced the hard drive completely, then the copy of windows you had (and validation key) likely went with the old one. Get with the builder and see how he replaced it. MS likely won't care, since they only want the money.
 
Russianwolf said:
If you replaced the hard drive completely, then the copy of windows you had (and validation key) likely went with the old one. Get with the builder and see how he replaced it. MS likely won't care, since they only want the money.
Click to expand...

Very true.. now they tell you the windows copy you had is thrown out with the harddrive.. (greedy buggars)

Last week mine was acting slowly recently so went through windows update, it kept giving me the validation failed as well.. so decided to resize my main HD to make my second partition bigger to back up files so I can format the C:, well.... something happened with my powerquest and it crashed during the rebuilding of the partitions.. I never had a backup as I was going to do it afterwards (and used PM enough over the years not to worry).. well.. I started worrying then!!!! Ended up taking the HD to my daughters school to the computer lab where I slaved it and hooked up another HD to copy files over onto.. was able to save everything!!

After doing a fresh install.. the validation worked fine??

Moral of the story.. well it has two.... Backup often and M$ is evil :biggrin:
 
Talked to my installer today , and he said I COULD call MS and see if they could help me , OR , bring the tower in , and HE will fix it . He says Windows is doing this to alot of users . Most likely if I do call , I'll get someone I don't understand . So , I think I'll just take it to him , for $20.00 and hope for the best . Thanks for the help !
 
Can you just uninstall the program and roll back the computer to a date previous of the installation? That should take care of the issue, otherwise you may have to put in a new SIS and deal with the fun that way.
 
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