Post by Derek L on Dec 15, 2007 8:12:19 GMT -6
I bought a new Dell Inspiron 1520 for my college-bound daughter. This was back in July. It came with Vista Home Premium preloaded. It worked when we got it. She came home recently and Vista wasn’t working. A pop-up said we needed to activate the product key. I had done this when we first got the laptop. I tried re-entering the key. Nothing. I’ve called Dell and Microsoft multiple times. We’ve tried four new product keys. And we’ve formatted the drive and reinstalled Vista. Same problem. Now I’m facing a blank screen. Can you help?
That is a serious problem. Product keys do cause headaches for some Vista users. But your problem is more complicated than usual.
You’re having a problem with Windows Genuine Advantage. It’s Microsoft's anti-piracy tool, and is built into Vista. It lets Microsoft check that your copy of Vista is legitimate. It can hobble your computer if it decides your Vista is invalid.
Normally this problem is easily fixed with a new product key. Sometimes reformatting the hard drive for a fresh Windows installation is required. But you’ve already tried those solutions.
It sounds like Genuine Advantage is malfunctioning. Or, that there is an undiagnosed problem with your laptop. Or, that your copy of Vista is busted.
With the information I have, I can’t offer a specific solution. But you still have options.
House call
There is only so much technicians can do over the phone. It might be time to have a professional physically look at it.
Dell’s standard one-year service and warranty plan gives you several options. Dell can send a technician to your home. A qualified technician might be able to diagnose the problem. That person may even fix it on the spot. If it can’t be fixed, the technician may send it back to Dell.
Or, Dell may have you send the laptop in yourself. Depending on what’s wrong, it may be able to fix it. Or, Dell may send you a replacement.
However, Dell may take the position that this is a Microsoft problem. Windows and Genuine Advantage are Microsoft programs.
If you don't get anywhere, complain to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Make a record of everything you've tried. Include dates, if you have them.
I would also complain to the state Attorney General’s Office. This is a really unsatisfactory situation. Perhaps these people can convince Dell and Microsoft to fix this problem.
Windows Genuine Advantage
It may help others to understand what has happened to your laptop.
All copies of Vista must be activated with a valid product key. If you fail validation, Windows will enter a non-genuine state. This state acts as a 30-day grace period to resolve validation issues. You can re-enter your product key. Or, you can get a new one.
If you don’t validate within 30 days, Vista goes into reduced functionality. This essentially locks you out of your computer. You’ll have no desktop, start menu or task bar. You won’t be able to access your files or folders. You’ll only have access to Internet Explorer. And you’ll be limited to one hour of use. Every hour you will be forcibly logged off.
You can still try to validate. If you get a working product key, functionality will be restored.
Windows Genuine Advantage will recheck your computer from time to time. If you are invalidated, you must re-enter your product key. If that doesn’t work, everything above starts again.
Why were you invalidated?
It sounds like Vista on your laptop was originally validated. Then, while your daughter was at school, it was invalidated.
Genuine Advantage sometimes invalidates legal copies for no apparent reason. This can happen at initial and subsequent validation checks.
In August, a Genuine Advantage server went haywire. It invalidated an estimated 12,000 legal copies of Vista.
You daughter's machine may have been invalidated then. If so, it would have entered the non-genuine state. But she may not have reported it to you right away. It would have been another month before she was locked out.
Vista Service Pack 1
This validation system has been dubbed a “kill switch.” Microsoft has gotten a lot of complaints. Some people think it's way too invasive. It was intended to disable pirated copies of Vista. But many say Genuine Advantage too often invalidates legal copies.
In fact, Microsoft is changing Genuine Advantage due to customer complaints. Service Pack 1 is slated for an early 2008 release. Microsoft will remove the “kill switch” in it.
Vista SP1 will still use Genuine Advantage to validate your copy. And it will still recheck from time to time. But it won’t mess with your computer’s functionality. Instead it will consistently display nagging reminders to enter a product key.
