Who can I contact if my legal Windows 7 key is blocked from activation

JMCLAY said:

You are screwed, to put it bluntly. Windows 7 no longer exists. I decided to re-install mine from an image made a year ago, and it failed the Microsoft Activation as having an invalid key, even though it is the original paid-for key. I called Microsoft, and they said they could not help because their "support" has finished, and they won't lift a finger to re-activate the key.

I called only recently and they activated Vista for me.

If you are unable to read the key, do you have any images / shadow copies from when it was correctly activated?

Hi SIW2 and Torchwood,


Thanks for your posts.

The image is the one that I made a few weeks ago from my working system which didn't get any "You must activate" messages from Microsoft before things went pear-shaped. This is why it is so confusing for me, because I only replaced the OS with its previous self.

There is only one digit that is in doubt, an "8" or a "B" and so it is easy to try both.

I think the Microsoft phone guy was less than honest in saying they are no longer able to offer activation, since their activation computer "knows" enough about my product key to reject it!

Seeing as they put Vista back for you, I might try another phone call, at the risk of wasting another 45 minutes.

It's still possible - and routine - to activate both Vista and Windows 7 machines - so long as you don't need to use telephone activation.

Once you get to a telephone operator, it's a case of how much they actually know, as most will read from a script, which says something along the lines of 'windows 7? MS no longer supports that, so you're SOL'!
In fact, they should still be able to support activation, although if it requires anything other than flipping a switch, you would truly be SOL The good ones will know this and assist if they can.

You shouldn't need telephone activation, unless your Key has already been activated a number of times, or you've changed motherboards - and I believe that the automated phone lines rather than the operator lines, are probably your best bet (assuming they are still working!)

If you'd like to post the report, I can take a look and see if there's anything amiss in there.

They gave me the activation code without any fuss. The operator did suggest I might like to move to win10.

Just thinking about it, if Microsoft are able to get into my OS and decide my product requires activation, doesn't it mean that the product key is embedded in the C: drive somewhere? If I've got a different key to the one that's on the label, it might explain why it fails their check.


Being an inquisitive type, I used Belarc and find that the Product Key printed on my OEM label is listed against "Microsoft Internet Explorer" i.e.


Microsoft - Internet Explorer 00359-OEM-9816954-96009 (Key: WW848-XXXX- etc)



but the entry for Windows 7 shows



Microsoft - Windows 7 Home Premium 00359-112-0000007-85608 (Key: none activated)


At least I know it is WW848 if nothing else.

The problem here is that the Key is the OEM_SLP one - and it sounds like your install is from a retail disk. (or a download from MS).

You need to change the Key to the one from the COA Sticker on the case - then it should activate easily (assuming that both are the same edition... i.e. Home, Pro or Ultimate)

Sorry - Hit the button too quickly!

00359-112-0000007-85608 is definitely a Default Key - I'm not sure for which edition, as it's not in my database

The OEM Product ID is also not one on my database - so is probably/hopefully a COA_SLP Key.
Has this Key ever been used on another motherboard? (not necessarily another computer!)

It would really help if you posted that MGADiag report!!

Microsoft has hard-coded Windows to require activation.
It also rechecks the system periodically to make sure that it hasn't breached the license agreement (a changed motherboard will almost certainly breach the license agreement, unless you have a full retail license).