windows "not genuine" then pc died...kinda

Hi,

I'm hoping someone here may be able to give me some useful info or help.
I picked up windows 7 on pre-order back last year, as i had had enough of windows vista 64, which was nothing but a pain in the arse from day one.

Not long after installing windows 7, i began experiencing a couple of problems with my pc.
It just died, randomly crashing and then telling me some "kernel" problem.
Anyhow, i had it looked at and the IT guy told me my BIOS was years out of date, despite the pc only being just over a year old.
so he fixed that, sorted out a few other errors which were there apparently.
Anyhow, all seemed fine, until a couple of days later when i got a warning telling me my copy of windows needed to be registered, so i put in my code, it told me it wasnt genuine blah blah blah..
So i contacted MS and they gave me a new code after i proved i did have a legit copy..
And for the last 4 months its all been ok.
then about 5 days ago i got a warning up saying "windows may not be genuine" so i expected to have to phone up MS again, but before i got the chance my pc crashed, screen went black, started beeping from the tower and then wouldnt turn off until i hit the switch at the back.
Since then, everytime i turn on my pc i am greeted with the following message.
"cpu is unworkable or has been changed. please recheck - cpu soft menu"
Now i don't download anything, i've not installed anything new for a couple of months, my antivirus is all up to date, so i dont see how anything could have changed.
I have even tried to restore my pc to a previous point, i have gone back 2 weeks, but i still get greeted with the "cpu unworkable" tihng.

However, if i press "f1 to continue" the pc seems to be working fine, except at boot up, i've not had it crash in the times its been on, programs i have tried seem to work ok.

Does anyone here have any ideas as to what could have possibly happened?

Sorry if this all sounds a bit wooly.....if any more info is required to get a better idea, let me know and tell me how and i'll post any extra details.

thanks in advance :)

check to make sure you cmos battery isn't going dead.

it sounds like the cmos doesn't remember your cpu config. instead of pressing f1 to continue, enter the bios setup, make sure your cpu is configured properly, then save the bios config.

Thanks for the replies,

Couple of quick points & questions.

How do i find out my system specs?

Also how would i test the cmos battery?

I just switched on my pc to try and look at the system menu etc and when windows started up i got the "windows is not genuine" warning again.
i'm guessing its going to say it again in a couple of days too :/

It may be saying you windows in not genuine cuz your cmos (bios) setup is changing. windows thinks it is a diff machine.

the only way I know to test the cmos battery is to remove it and test it with a volt meter. Some mobo's come with utilities that can let you know and some the backup battery status is reported in the bios setup screen.

If you need to check it, just replace it to rule that out. most are cr2032 or cr2025.