Vista How-To: Product Key Already In Use Fix

[Supergrover]

So you have either reinstalled vista or Activated during the inital install, updating Vista and installing all of your third party software, you are asked to "Activate Vista". You follow through the whole Activation prosess only to have the message "Your Product Key is already in use." and you can not Activate your copy of Vista.

Dont take the disc out and use it as a frisbee for the dog, take a second and think about it. Your key is still in use, not by some 13 yearold hacker uploading it via Torrent, you or more specificly the PC you are trying to Activate is useing it. You have already activated Vista @ least once. So relax, take a deep breath, And follow me.......



1- Click the Activation option again

2- When the Activation Wizard appears Select the Telephone option - Yes, you are going to telephone the activation line. Select your Country, it's a 1-800 number so dont worry it isnt going to cost you a thing.

3- At this stage the Telephone number of your local activation centre should appear.

4- At the same time a set of numbers will be generated by Windows and displayed on your screen.

5- Once you have these numbers on your screen, Telephone the activation line number you have been given.

6- At first the Activation line is Automated, so you will be asked to input the numbers displayed on your screen using your Telephone keypad.

7- Once the numbers have been inputted, via your Telephone keypad, or by just speaking in to the receiver the automated service will issue you with another set of number's which you will have to Type into the Dialogue box displayed on your computer screen

8- You now need to follow the instructions issued by the Automated service in order to Activate your copy.

9- If, after going through this process, the Activation service informs you that the product cannot be activated Automaticly DO NOT go into a insane fit denouncing Microsoft and Vista breaking your telephone as you throw it at the wall. Rather wait 2 seconds to learn that your call is being transfered to a Microsoft Activation Representive, yes you heard me a real live person, from there it is a matter of reading out the numbers infront of you and then inputting the numbers the MS Rep reads out to you in to your keypad. Click "finish".

10- Done the whole process takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Originally Posted by Misoprostol

It used to be (in Canada anyway) that if you called the toll number it would connect you to the live operator right off the bat. Now both the toll-free one and the toll number take you to the robot. If you play dumb and mash the 0 key the robot will forward you to a real person.

[Patriote]

Always good to know. I might have that problem when i get myself Vista. I had that same exact problem with a copy of Windows XP i had bought.

No, i didn't used it as a freesebee but instead, i broke it over my garbage can and it exploded in thousand of pieces in my face.

[DurkaDurka]

I have had to go through that process so many times, i am quite familiar with it. The only think that sucks about it is having to type in the huge activation number the CSR gives to you over the phone...

[Gamashinoch]

no what sucks is when you do that "robot" phone one. where you tell it your product key so it can give you a new activation number and it dont' understand english (pretty much) so you get forwarded to a person, then that person only neeeded your 1st "block" of numbers.

[DurkaDurka]

Originally Posted by Gamashinoch

no what sucks is when you do that "robot" phone one. where you tell it your product key so it can give you a new activation number and it dont' understand english (pretty much) so you get forwarded to a person, then that person only neeeded your 1st "block" of numbers.

So true... forgot about having to read the serial to the IVR system.

All in all, the activation process for Vista is a pain in the ass... I don't activate my copy anymore unless I am sure I won't be doing any hardware changes for months at end. When the 30 days is close to expiring, slmgr -rearm ...

[Scratch]

I still have the email of the last cutie that helped me so I just email her every time I have a problem :) lol

[magictorch]

ill C&P that for when i run it problems with the big switch...

[francois methot]

I had to re-activate because I changed the motherboard. I noted all the numbers because I had to phone microsoft. If I have to re-activate again because I changed the motherboard again, is the numbers will be the same? Can I use it again?

[DurkaDurka]

Originally Posted by francois methot

I had to re-activate because I changed the motherboard. I noted all the numbers because I had to phone microsoft. If I have to re-activate again because I changed the motherboard again, is the numbers will be the same? Can I use it again?

That activation code they gave you is only good for one activation. You will need to go through the same process again.

[sswilson]

I'm not sure if the activation protocol is the same for Vista as it is for XP.

With XP, once you've reached the "maximum # of installs" for an OEM version you need to call every time you install in order to activate it.

If you haven't changed any hardware, you might get away with just dealing with the "bot", if you've changed hardware, you'll always end up with the live tech. (I wish they'd include a "I know I'm going to end up with the tech... please don't make me jump through the "bot" hoops first" option).