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Errors Related to Windows Vista Activation

You receive an error message similar to the one given below, when you start your Windows Vista PC.

Activate Windows Now
Your activation period has expired and Windows is no longer working.
To use Windows you must activate this copy of Windows.

When this error is displayed, your Windows Vista system starts running in the Reduced Functionality Mode, the taskbar disappears-due to which you have limited access to the programs running on your system.

You may receive Windows Vista activation errors when,

You fail to activate Windows Vista within the specified 30-day activation period.
You have made major hardware changes on your PC, and failed to reactivate Windows Vista within the 3-day grace re-activation period.
You are running a non-genuine Windows Vista version on the system.

Note: The Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program and the Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) programs have been introduced by Microsoft to fight software piracy and protect their customers from counterfeit Microsoft software and make the customers aware about the advantages of using genuine software products. You can look for more information about the WGA and OGA programs at http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/.

If you are sure that you are running a genuine Windows Vista, then you can perform one of the following two methods to troubleshoot the problem.

Method 1: Specify the product key of your Windows Vista

In the Activate Windows Now pop-up message box, select the Retype your product key option.
Provide your acceptance when prompted.
Type in the product key of your Windows Vista product, and then select Next.

Method 2: Call Up Microsoft

You may need to use this method, if the first method fails. The first method may fail if the hardware of your system has changed significantly and retyping the product key is not resolving the error. In this case, you may need to contact Microsoft for help. You can view the Microsoft Activation Centers Worldwide Telephone Numbers list, at the following web site.

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=71142

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