Windows 7 install reporting Invalid Key

bigyeti · 19 Aug 2016

I bought a new hard drive, dug out my genuine install disk and did a clean install on a new, formatted and partitioned drive of "Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade - 64 bit". Everything went swimmingly, it activated and worked great. So far so satisfactory. A month later, the hard drive died so I sent it back and shortly after received a replacement.
So I started the install procedure again, it got to the bit where I enter the product key and it said "Invalid key" and would not let me progress. I unchecked the auto activate checkbox, and still no success. I quadruple checked the product key, comparing it to the email I received when I purchased it in 2011 to make sure I'm not mixing up my Bs and 8s etc. It's not connected to the internet yet so it's not an activation problem.

There is nothing different between this install and the previous install except it's physically a different drive. It's the same model as the previous drive and no other hardware has been changed.

What's going on?

ThrashZone · 19 Aug 2016

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
Make sure you are not use capital letters it's not necessary
Also make sure caps lock is not on :)

Never had a activation key emailed to me for an os so that seems interesting
Windows Genuine and Activation Issue Posting Instructions

bigyeti · 19 Aug 2016

Yeah, it was essentially "Thank you for buying Windows 7, download it here, here's the product key."

ThrashZone · 19 Aug 2016

Hi,
Post the report if at all possible
You could try phone activation.
Activate Windows 7 by Phone

Megahertz07 · 19 Aug 2016

Strange is that you previously did a clean install and it worked. Not sure, but normally an upgrade must be done over another version. Where you enter the product key, don't you have a Skip option? Then you activate it later. You said that you received the key by email, where did you downloaded the iso file?

torchwood · 19 Aug 2016

Hi Bigyeti,
You will have to phone MS.(UK 1 800 0188354)
Its because the HD has been changed 3x in a month, MS dont like that
basically once is OK, but the 3rd triggered an AUTO non-genuine.
Let it ring, wait for an operater explain the circumstances, they should either remove the block or provide a new key.

Roy

I take it that the Emailed key was from the MS store.
If not post the results of link given by Thrashzone.

Megahertz07 · 19 Aug 2016

As I understood, you get the "Invalid key" message during installation and not after. If so, the message is not related to activation but it is related to install process (Windows version). The key you've got is for Windows 7 Professional Upgrade and you're using a installation disk also for Windows 7 Professional, correct?

AddRAM · 20 Aug 2016

Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version