Unusual Vista Intallation Experience Installing and Upgrading Vista Discuss Unusual Vista Intallation Experience in the Windows Vista forums; Humm? I did a repair install of Vista, without installing any updates, on my Dell Laptop and was "told" that my Vista is not genuine. I could not ...

[Znod]

Humm? I did a repair install of Vista, without installing any updates, on my Dell Laptop and was "told" that my Vista is not genuine. I could not login and was only given options for activating Vista.

As I recall, the first was to re-enter my product key (I entered it when installing). No luck; again I was told that my Vista is not genuine.

I went to the next option--the over the phone option--and called the number given. I forget what the numbers displayed on my screen were called, but there were about 10 sets of 6 numbers (or something like that). I had to verbalize them to the machine on the other end of the line doing the talking. Afterwords, the machine had me enter another batch of about 10 sets of 6 numbers--which it provided. Afterwords my Vista was declared genuine, and I could login, etc. However, the lower right corner of my screen (still) showed my Vista to be not genuine although "System" showed it to be genuine. I restarted, and all was OK.

Has anyone heard of this scenario occurring before? And, what's up with it?

[airman]

I guess they are getting worse because I have been building a system for the last month and every time I do anything I have to call to reactivate, so what you have experienced is just another one of MS ways of combating non Genuine installs and maybe because you didn't do the updates it sent a red flag up system is different just like any of the little changes I have done with this new system over the course of the last month. I am getting ready to add another gig of ram and a TV Tuner card and I will probably have to call the MS people again but, I usually get to talk to a real person when I have the problem.

[Znod]

Good point. Maybe it happened because I didn't do the updates. I didn't do the updates because MS pushes too much stuff on us.

[felix8406]

You may try selecting the updates you need manually. I had that same issue before, so from then on I don't enter the product key until I'm sure all is working OK. I think that's one of the reasons you get up to 30-days to activate. I do install all updates though.

[Znod]

Yes, I always do the updates manually. I don't want Bill deciding what updates I install.