Windows 7: Windows 'not genuine'

net start sppsvc returned 'the requested service has already been started', and slui.exe popped up the same 'not genuine, go online and resolve now' that it's been popping up previously.



Slui 4 simply led to a popup bubble in the system tray about Windows not being genuine and nothing else.

If the net start command resulted in that response, then it hadn't been properly stopped in the first place - did the rename result in any error message?


Try using the command SLUI 3 - and enter your COA Key from the sticker.
You may need to activate by phone, or it may activate automatically.

I tried it before, without adding the 2, which produced a 'duplicate filename/file cannot be found' error. No errors this time, though.

very odd -
You shouldn't have been able to rename the file without first stopping the service.
Try the SLUI 3 command - it should bring up the Change Key wizard, and then attempt activation.

It says my key isn't valid.

For which version and edition is the computer licensed according to the COA sticker?
If it's not for Ultimate, have you upgraded the system at some time? Where did you purchase the Upgrade from?

I noticed that the Ultimate license is a retail license, yet this particular machine had an OEM Home Premium installation on it (and still has the SLIC information from the BIOS and certificate), so it probably was upgraded. Was this an anytime upgrade purchased from a store to Ultimate, or was it purchased from HP directly?

I'm not entirely sure where it was purchased, but I highly doubt it was from HP.

The upgrade itself has worked fine for months, though.

Yeah, it's a little odd. It does look legitimate, but I can't imagine HP sent a non-OEM upgrade. It could be part of the problem, though, and Microsoft finally got around to deciding something was up (it can take up to 180 days from the last licensing check-in for something like that to occur, although it's usually quicker). It's probably worth making the phone call and taking the 5 minutes to get them to update things for you and fix the activation. I don't think mixing a retail upgrade over an OEM install is a good idea, but it should have continued working.

The upgrade wasn't bought from HP, it was picked up from a store.