Windows 7 build 7601 This copy of windows is not genuine.

[Mels-hole1984]

I'm not very good with computers so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I noticed today that the message Windows 7 build 7601 This copy of windows is not genuine, appeared in the lower right hand corner of my laptop. I have no idea why it showed up. I've been using this computer for almost two years and haven't had any trouble with it. I purchased it brand new at Best Buy so I would have assumed that the Windows program should be genuine. I searched for a solution but everyone's answer is to stop pirating the software. What the hell? I haven't pirated any software, like I said I bought it brand new. Any ideas on whats going on?

[Wintermute]

Microsoft has a hotline for this type of thing. Odds are the licence key was re-used or stolen, then re-used. Or you have installed the product more that 3 times.

If you call them and explain your situation, Microsoft will walk you through a 10min procedure to unlock your licence. Your computer will need to be connected to the internet so that it can report back to Microsoft.


If you haven't noticed, I have done this a few times over the years.

[Mels-hole1984]

Thanks, I will look into that hotline. I haven't installed it over three times. The only setup I did was when I first bought it. Do you know if it will effect the usability of the computer itself?

[Wintermute]

If you don't call to have the licence setup, your computer's functionality at the operating system level will be severely impacted after a specific amount of time. Can't remember how long exactly. But you won't be able to get to your desktop, I do know that.

[Wintermute]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950929

[MV/Liberace!]

there should be a really easy fix to this.  go to control panel, click system, scroll down to the activation area, and select enter new product key.  retype the product key from the sticker on the machine, windows will reactivate, and you're good.  problem solved.  let me know if this works.

[Mels-hole1984]

Thanks for the advice guys. Actually I had to step away from the computer for like an hour and when I returned a banner had popped up saying windows isn't authorized blah blah...click here to fix this now. Two clicks later it was all set.

[Mels-hole1984]

My fucking piece of shit laptop is back to telling me my windows is not genuine. This time when it prompts me to validate, it says...Windows could not be verified. What in the fuck? This is complete fucking horseshit! I paid over 500 dollars for this piece of fucking shit machine. I shouldn't have to be dealing with this shit. FUCK!

Rant over.

[wr250]

My fucking piece of shit laptop is back to telling me my windows is not genuine. This time when it prompts me to validate, it says...Windows could not be verified. What in the fuck? This is complete fucking horseshit! I paid over 500 dollars for this piece of fucking shit machine. I shouldn't have to be dealing with this shit. FUCK!

Rant over.

[rant]
when i buy software, i expect it to just work once installed. i do not want to activate it , validate it or date it. if the software company has piracy issues, then thats their problem. dont make it mine, or i will not use your software, period. and i dont use $micro$oft products here at all. ive found suitable open source programs to replace the $micro$oft products. hell even APPLE is giving their os away now , along a bunch of great software (garage band anyone?). so $micro$oft, you could lower your price point to discourage piracy, instead of filing lawsuits against everyone for alleged copyright abuse (via a shell company. apple and others do this as well).most android tablet/phone manufacturers pay a $micro$oft tax due to settling rather than fighting the alleged cp infringment in court. i read somewhere $m$ makes billions off this. so i say F*** YOU $MICRO$HAFT
[/rant]

[b_dubb]

[rant]
when i buy software, i expect it to just work once installed. i do not want to activate it , validate it or date it. if the software company has piracy issues, then thats their problem. dont make it mine, or i will not use your software, period. and i dont use $micro$oft products here at all. ive found suitable open source programs to replace the $micro$oft products. hell even APPLE is giving their os away now , along a bunch of great software (garage band anyone?). so $micro$oft, you could lower your price point to discourage piracy, instead of filing lawsuits against everyone for alleged copyright abuse (via a shell company. apple and others do this as well).most android tablet/phone manufacturers pay a $micro$oft tax due to settling rather than fighting the alleged cp infringment in court. i read somewhere $m$ makes billions off this. so i say F*** YOU $MICRO$HAFT
[/rant]

Apple's business model is to give away the software and make their profit on the hardware.  I don't know where MS would make their money if they were to severely discount their software as they - to my knowledge - never made a computer. Should I count the Surface RT?

[wr250]

Apple's business model is to give away the software and make their profit on the hardware.  I don't know where MS would make their money if they were to severely discount their software as they - to my knowledge - never made a computer. Should I count the Surface RT?

it might cut into their 50 or 60 billion of yearly pure profit. i didnt say severely discount it, 10% would probably do.
why? cause pirates got to pirate stuff. they will defeat whatever protections you make , short of running the software from $micr$ofts servers, and even then ... if you make the stuff reasonably priced (perhaps with loyalty discounts etc), more people are likely to buy it rather than pirate it. then again as i said, many would rather pirate than spend a dime. thusly i have gone to the open source side of the force.

[Mels-hole1984]

All I know is I bought the damn thing at Best Buy three years ago and its not functioning properly. I get it, my shits old and its time to buy a new computer. It shouldn't be telling me my software is not genuine. That's whats pissing me off.

[b_dubb]

All I know is I bought the damn thing at Best Buy three years ago and its not functioning properly. I get it, my shits old and its time to buy a new computer. It shouldn't be telling me my software is not genuine. That's whats pissing me off.

Get a Mac mini or a MacBook. Go used or refurbished if you want a "deal"

[Mels-hole1984]

Get a Mac mini or a MacBook. Go used or refurbished if you want a "deal"

lol I'd be better off seeing If I could get Ed Dames to remote Sylvia Browns grave to predict the next sale.

[b_dubb]

lol I'd be better off seeing If I could get Ed Dames to remote Sylvia Browns grave to predict the next sale.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

You can run Windows on a Mac now with Boot Camp too. Boot Camp is free.

[Mels-hole1984]

Thanks for the suggestions man. I need to wait until I have some disposable income though. Either way, my computers on its last fat ass Walmart cart to the sky.

[b_dubb]

Thanks for the suggestions man. I need to wait until I have some disposable income though. Either way, my computers on its last fat ass Walmart cart to the sky.

make sure you destroy the data on the disc before you discard it. 

[MV/Liberace!]

is there a sticker on the machine with a valid product key?  go to control panel/system/change product key -- then enter the product key from the sticker.  that'll fix it.

[area51drone]

I wonder if it's a virus or something?   I re-use oem product keys all the time from old machines that I rebuild into something else and have never had this happen.   I was told from some very good friends of mine who are microsofties that win7 might nag you but it will not disable any functions of the software.   They specifically said that "microsoft learned their lesson" with regards to software piracy and chose to worry less about it.

[wr250]

I wonder if it's a virus or something?   I re-use oem product keys all the time from old machines that I rebuild into something else and have never had this happen.

many $micro$soft products are virii ,IMO.

[MV/Liberace!]

i just realized this thread is months old.  oh well.

[Mind Flayer Monk]

You could probably install a linux flavor on the laptop; no need to discard it.

I have some computers that are 10 years old and they are still useful.

[McPhallus]

Thanks for the suggestions man. I need to wait until I have some disposable income though. Either way, my computers on its last fat ass Walmart cart to the sky.

Don't give up all hope.  If all else fails, you could always do a torrent search for an activation killer (although you have to be careful with those, as some have malware).

[MV/Liberace!]

is there a sticker on the machine with a valid product key?  go to control panel/system/change product key -- then enter the product key from the sticker.  that'll fix it.

Did you try this?

[Mels-hole1984]

Did you try this?

I just remembered to check this thread today. It was an old thread but I posted in it again last week. I found the product key under the battery compartment. I'm going to try this right now.

[Mels-hole1984]

Yup, that did fix it. Thanks MV.

[coaster]

I'm getting the same message after replacing a dead hard drive with an older one. Evidently I have 25 days to register it and I don't have a product key. Microsoft is a huge pain in the ass.

[onan]

I'm getting the same message after replacing a dead hard drive with an older one. Evidently I have 25 days to register it and I don't have a product key. Microsoft is a huge pain in the ass.

Due to a hard drive failure, I now have a spare computer. And I am going to install linux on it. Then going to bump into walls for a while; until I get comfortable then I am installing linux on all my comps.

Microsoft will have to suffer the financial loss.

[area51drone]

Microsoft will have to suffer the financial loss.

Their new CEO uses fresh $100 bills as toilet paper, I think they can afford it.

Seriously though, if I wasn't the user that I am, and all I was worried about was emailing and browsing the web, maybe writing documents and looking at photos - what probably 90% of the world does with their computer - Unbuntu or some other linux distribution would be completely fine with me.   It surprises me that more people don't switch over.   The user experience is not that different.

[wr250]

Due to a hard drive failure, I now have a spare computer. And I am going to install linux on it. Then going to bump into walls for a while; until I get comfortable then I am installing linux on all my comps.

Microsoft will have to suffer the financial loss.

advice: use KDE or XFCE as your desktop manager (window manager) they are windows 7 like, while gnome 3/unity  is its own deal (not as bad as metro, but close). the other one (lxde) is a basic (but fast) manager that is not very configurable. those are the main 4 desktop managers  (really window managers, but more people understand desktop managers).