Windows 7: This computer is not running genuine Windows although...

Dear all,

I have a strange trouble with windows 7 that I installed on my PC.
Actually I downloaded windows from MSDN (so legal version normally!) and installed it on my PC. After installation, I activated windows online and everything was OK. A while after, I had some troubles and driver compatibilities, so I completely uninstalled from this computer and format disk.
Then, I installed it and activated it again on my laptop and it seems work nicely but I have the annoying message :"This computer is not running genuine Windows" !
Although, activation of windows is OK ! When I check for it on control panel, it is said that "Windows is activated" !
My windows is completely legal (from MSDN). I only installed it on one PC but I completely format the disk and reinstall it onto another PC.

So, where is the problem and how to get ride of this annoying message?
Any solution?
Thank you for help

1) Activation and validation are separate things. Your computer is activated but not validated thats why you get the non-genuine message.

2) MSDN keys being flagged non-genuine can happen either because either they have been obtained illegitimately or bought off Ebay and MS has blocked them. MS has been taking up the hammer in recent times. Somebody was found selling Bizspark accounts on Ebay and there was a time you could get AA counts from ACM for 15 bucks!

You may be an unfortunate victim, if your account is legit and allright, give MS a call and they'll help you out.

Thank you for answer.
I'm not sure if I understand the difference between validation and activation! How does MS activate windows without validating it?
I don't know if the installation/activation of windows on one PC, then reinstall it on another could be the problem (one license/one PC issue) even if I format disk ?

Hi win7en

Have a look at this SF tutorial - Activate Windows Online

Also this tutorial - Activate Windows 7 by Phone

(Don't forget to thank the author if the tutorials help out)

Hope this helps

Regards

I should imagine thats down to reinstalling, if you give MS a call they will probably sort it out

Activation ties a particular product key to a particular PC. Validation ensures that the product key used for activation is genuine and also that windows has been activated using the proper mechanisms envisaged by Microsoft. In Windows 7, validation is a recurring process because the earlier WGA has been replaced by WAT which downloads new signatures from MS servers every 90 days to check for any activation exploits it might have missed earlier.

IDK what kind of key you have. I think AA keys allow installation only on a single PC but reinstall should not be an issue. Read the EULA. Also, as I said earlier, check with MS.

Thank you again for your answers.
In fact, activation is OK. When I activate online it says "activation was successful and I can benefit form all windows original blabla ..."!
The problem now is pop-up window that comes from time to time to saying "this computer is not running genuine windows"!
If windows was not authenticate, then how it passed for activation? Plus, when I entered the key product for activation, it said that windows passed genuine !
I have already called MS but nobody answered for now!
Strange issue !

You said you downloaded from MSDN. Where did you purchase the CD Key from?

The product key is also included and supplied on MSDN's server.
(Like you Thorsen, I thought that I should buy a key product but it is supplied actually).
I have posted a thread here about that. Check the forum if interested in how to find key in MSDN server with your login).

I have already got MS on phone and they validated my windows. It should be OK now.
I hope that the problem is fixed, even things are not always easy with MS sofs !
Thank you very much for you all.