Windows Activation Problem

[schwine]

I've activated my retail purchased copy of Windows 7 three times in the last month. Each time, the activation process is quick, and I receive a confirmation message that says, "Activation was successful." I've included a screenshot of the "Activation was successful" message with this email posting.

Thanks for any tips on how to end the repeated requests to activate Windows 7 after I have successfully activated it previously.

 

[fseal]

Are you changing out hardware or reconfiguring windows in any large way before this happens?

 

[schwine]

I operate VMware Fusion 3.1 in order to access a virtual version of Windows 7 within the Mac operating system. But I don't see why that would prompt Windows 7 to repeatedly ask for an activation when I boot into Windows 7 natively as installed on a separate hard disk on the Intel Mac computer.

 

[fseal]

Hmm, well one would hope that it wouldn't, but there may be some subtle issue with the virtual hardware or the clock or some other thing that is trip-wiring the re-activation :/

I haven't tried that combination so I can't help any further I'm afraid.

 

[gregrocker]

Call MS Tech support to help you overcome the failing activation. It is good to get a Support case paper trail to back up the key anyway if it is going to be fritzing.

They may have you call Customer Service to validate the key (normal process) which then opens a tech case that continues until the activation failure is fixed - as long as you are cooperative.

 

[zzz2496]

Schwine, Windows saw different hardware sets when you boot it up in VMware compared to when you boot it up natively. When in VMware, Windows saw VMware's hardware (including VMware's GFX accelerator, VMware disk controller, etc). Once you restart and boot up natively, your Mac's hardware is detected this time instead of VMware's... Thus repeated activations (it saw major hardware changes).

zzz2496

 

[schwine]

After troubleshooting this activation problem with VMware Support, the best they could come up with is to uninstall and then reinstall part of VMware called VMware Tools. I did this, but I occassionally still receive activation prompts from Windows 7. I just have to click a button to complete re-activation, but it's still an annoyance from a user point of view. I can see that Windows 7 may view the booting up of itself virtually through VMware as a major hardware change, and thus the need for re-activation. I'm continuing to work with VMware Support on this issue, because I think it's a bug that they need to address.