Valid XP license not Genuine?

[Vigilante]

Tell why a system would fail validation when it is a perfectly good license? I've got the sticker right on the case that was used, everything looks good.

Would MS block it if it was a particular OEM license? Or maybe from another country perhaps? I don't mean OEM like Dell or HP, just OEM license.

This is the first system I've seen which has a valid sticker but fails validation.

What do you reckon?

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Phone MS and they may be able to help.

I recently had the same problem on my system after a reformat. One call to MS and it was sorted.

Regards Howard

 

[iss]

According to MS itself a whopping 20% of validations that fail are indeed valid licenses.

 

[Vigilante]

Ok I'll try to call them.

In what way do they sort it out? Add something to their internal database? Or give me a new key or something?

 

[howard_hopkinso]

What I did, was when I couldn`t activate over the net, I tried the manual activation.

That`s the one where you click on activate windows and you choose to phone MS.

When the activation programme generates the activation key, write it down exactly and leave the screen as it is. Then phone MS and you`ll be asked to input your activation code over the phone.

Start inputting the code and if there`s an error, you`ll be put through to an MS rep. On the other hand, if there isn`t an error, you`ll receive the key you need to input into the activation screen.

In my case as I was inputting the activation key over the phone it failed and I was put though to an MS rep. I told him what the problem was and he gave me the activation key I needed to enter at the activation screen. That was it, it worked.

It`s probably a good idea to have the Windows key handy as well, just in case they ask for it.

Regards Howard

 

[Vigilante]

Ah yes, that's Activation, I have to do that a LOT around here. But that's not what I mean, in this case.

I'm talking about Windows Genuine Advantage Validation.
Here is a system that has worked fine for over a year, now suddenly they can't do updates or update MS-Defender because they aren't genuine. It gives them warnings and popups all over the place about "you may be a victim of software piracy" and all that.

On one hand, I can just remove the validation tool, but they still won't be able to get any updates and so forth.
I was trying to find out how to contact Microsoft to tell them we have a false-positive here and what can we do to fix it?

So then I wondered how they fix it? But I haven't been able to find the right contact number for Genuine Advantage problems. I know it's valid for "real" because it was loaded here and they have the license sticker. And nothing has happened in between.

I found a document on msdn blogs that said "true" false-positives are very rare. So I just don't know what is going on with this one.

Thanks.

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Sorry Vig, I obviously got the wrong end of the stick.

I`ve come across this, I don`t know if it`ll be of any use, but it might.

http://help.lockergnome.com/general/WGA-problems-ftopict48190.html

Also, look at this, the interesting bit is in the sixth post down.

http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=591415&SiteID=25

I don`t know if any of the above will help, but you never know.

Regards Howard

 

[Spike]

I'm afraid that won't really do it howard.

WGAlogon.dll is merely the file loaded under winlogon.exe (hjt ref: 020). All it does is keep a constant check on the status of the installation given by legitcheckcontrol.dll, collect various bits of info on the machine, send the info back to MS and send the message of whether or not the installation is genuine to wgatray.exe. It also provides the "not legit" logo and popup on the welcome screen.

To the best of my knowledge, this isn't a rare situation, and it usually affects OEM keys. Everything that I personally have read suggests that MS do nothing about this, and expect valid OEM users that have failed WGA to buy a new license. Apparently, as others have said, the word is that such people account for a full 20% of WGA failures - quite the hot topic on the quiet!

(I may have a closer look around when I'm not so run off my feet - it's starting to get quite rediculous now! I was expecting to be back to normal by now!)

 

[Vigilante]

No problem, I'll keep doing some research, and I'll give MS a call next time I have a chance. I'll get to the bottom of this!

I did read, though, that if you file a "piracy report" with MS about your non-genuine purchase, they will give you a free copy of Windows!
Of course that's not an option for this case.

 

[joked u 2]

i know a little about this because my extra copy of wndows pro is a corprate ed. and is recestred on other computers. First of all microsoft isn't instred in giveing you a free copy of windows, they have lots of money and want every penny. second someone could have a pirated keygen for windows and that could have been your key theirs made[not likely]. someone could have gotten it over the net[ virus or spyware] the chances of it being a fales -positive is about as likely as the keygen thing. like winning the lottery. there really is no way to get around it unless you get a new product # [home $85 - pro $100] don't think you want to spend it, if you do microsoft will get your code streigented out without reloading. as for calling then its worth a try you might get some where. they 'll probally tell you you been a victem of identy theft and try to highly discourage you.
Good luck
-JOSH

 

[Samstoned]

could be a updated bios issue
thats messed up the id machine numbers
or you may have a virus lurking around or whats left of one
if you call MS and they verify the oem sticker is good
they would give you a new set of keys to fix

on the other hand they may think you put in a diff board and your screwed
as you know oem goes with the board

 

[Vigilante]

I know that the motherboard or any other parts have NOT been changed on this system.
It is a regular OEM product key, of the like we have hundreds of others with no problem. So not sure why it's picking on this one.

And even though MS is not given to throwing money away, they are, in fact, giving away free copies of Windows to people who have been screwed like this.
In other words, say you buy a cheapo PC from a shop, and it isn't genuine, you call MS and file a report, MS sends you a free copy of genuine Windows. They've done it hundreds of times. They are cracking down on resellers who load these hacked versions of XP.

Nevertheless, there is nothing hacked or leacked about this code, it is perfectly normal. My guess is that it really is false positive. And I'm hoping they won't force me to reload and have to put a new key in, or something silly.
We'll see, I should be able to call them tomorrow or the next day and find out. I'll let you all know how it pans out.

 

[Vigilante]

Hmm, that's interresting.

Well I came in this morning and was going to call MS today. But another person who works here had already ran some tool to remove the legitcheckcontrol or whatever. Basically stopping the annoying messages. But since I wanted to get to the bottom of this and call MS, I figured I would have to have the tool installed and working. So I went on MS and installed the Genuine Advantage tool again.
But lo and behold, it didn't pop up saying I was bad, nothing happened! So then I went on MS website to the genuine page and ran the validator from the website, and it said I was valid suddenly!
I did Windows updates and stuff to be sure, and it kept working.


So I don't know if the new control was just more accurate, or if somehow the remove tool the other guy ran has created a permenent valid check. But I would assume that installing the control again would replace the three files. So I don't know, and now I don't care. It is validating like it should, one way or another. So until this happens again, I'm done with this for now.

 

[iss]

Th previous installation of the WGA must have been bad. I have heard of this happening. was the tool used the one released by MS?

 

[Vigilante]

I don't know what the tool was before that they had. But there was another one, being "hidden" in Windows updates. And that's the one I unhid and installed through Winupdates.
I also went to www.microsoft.com/genuine and asked it to check me, and all was good.

Next time they update the tool, we'll see if it still validates.