Resolved "This copy of Windows is not genuine" error

I've been using Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, on a computer purchased directly from HP, for over two years. Today I got this message "Windows 7 Build 7601 This copy of Windows is not genuine "! I did a system restore to two days ago, when I didn't have this message, but after the restore the message is still on my screen.

I don't know what's going on! Can anyone tell me how to get rid of this error? Thank you.

Frank D

 

I did. Microsoft and HP. Both were very patient and helpful.

Microsoft patiently walked me through steps to verify the Product Key I gave them and informed me that "it could not be used" to validate my copy of Windows 7. No further comment. Their advice, like yours, Arie, was to contact HP and ask them to give me a new Product Key. Which I did.

HP guided me through all the steps, just as MS did. The thing that broke the logjam was the question: "Where did you get the Product Key?" I told them I used Belarc Advisor. They said that was not good enough, and told me to look for the Microsoft sticker attached to the computer. I had never thought of this. I had seen these on other computers, but not on mine. I looked at the front, top, sides, and back of the computer, but there was no sticker. In desperation, I dug out the packing box the computer came in and the invoice. No sticker. Finally I turned the whole computer upside down -- and there was the Microsoft Product Key sticker, on the bottom of the pedestal on which the computer sat, the last place I would have thought to look for it.

The Product Key on the sticker didn't have even one character in common with the one Belarc reported. I entered it into the Windows Activation window, and whoopee! It said "Activation was successful. "

Apparently, I had been using my computer for over two years without needing to validate Windows or worry about it, and then a complete clean install became necessary, which I did on August 4th. Yesterday, September 4th, this message about not being genuine popped up. I now see that I had 30 days' grace to validate the fresh install of Windows, but the Product Key that Belarc showed me was bogus. The real Key was on the bottom of the computer's support pedestal (a crazy place to put it!).

And that's the end of my story. Thank you, Arie!

It looks like we can't trust Belarc for things like this.

Frank D

P.S. I've marked this resolved.

 

Glad you managed to resolve your product key issue and thanks for coming back with the solution. After your earlier posts I ran Belarc and got the same results as you, a much different product key than the one on the sticker on the bottom of my laptop (Toshiba Satellite).

Thanks to you I am now wiser about product key issues.

 

I have used the Belarc Key Code for MS on many, many machines and it was different than the one on the sticker. I have even worked on the same machine later and tried the one on the sticker and it also worked. I think that the one that Belarc shows is like a generac code for Dell or HP or whom ever.

 

Update: After searching on the Internet I found the free "MyKeyFinder," way down at the bottom of the page, at http://www.abelssoft.net/ . It shows the correct Product Key (that is, the one that worked) for Windows 7 on my computer.

Moral of the story is: Belarc Advisor is a great program that shows in detail what's on your computer, but don't rely on it for software product keys or serial numbers.

Frank D

 

It has never failed me yet.

This is one that has been around for years and works good also. The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder

Please do us a favor and just provide the link to the download. Not the download itself. This way they can read what the program may or may not do. I caught it right away and new what was happening. Somebody else may not and then wonder why they have this program on their computer.

 

Mr. Bill,

I've modified the URL as you suggested.

Frank

 

Did you pay for this program? I noticed that most are paid programs on there and didn't stay on the page to long.

 

Mr. Bill,

The "MyKeyFinder" program is free (it's shown as a FreeBee), but they do pop up a nag screen when you close the program, asking for a donation.

Frank

 

Thanks for the update. Hate those nag screens. I haven't use Magical Jelly Bean in a while. It didn't give a nag screen or popups.