Windows 7 A very weird activation issue

but my bad luck

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This was not bad luck - it was very bad judgement! You have overwritten the activation for your valid op sys with an illegally obtained activation key. There are a few ways in which you could attempt to put things right but I suggest you completely reset your system to be certain that all problems are eliminated. Fortunately your Dell system should have a recovery partition from which you should be able to recover your system to factory settings and I recommend you do this. First backup any important data files you need to keep as the recovery process will wipe the whole of your user data an any apps, configuration settings you have set up. Then restart your machine and press F8 repeatedly, select the advanced boot options and follow the instructions to recover your original system back to factory settings.

We don't deal with hackers. That's what you are doing using phony keys for a version you didn't pay for.
Joe

Joe S said:

We don't deal with hackers. That's what you are doing using phony keys for a version you didn't pay for.
Joe

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He was not really a hacker. As Pat said, he just applied some bad judgement. But a reinstallation from the recovery partition should get him back on track.

Using non genuine keys for higher version and loaders to bypass Windows product validation check to make them work is hacking. He was trying to get something he didn't pay for. That sure smells like hacking to me.
Joe

Hi, I have a slightly different problem - same topic; activation key does not work.
I live in Thailand - so my first problem is the W7 support url is in Thai language, which I am rubbish at.
I bought my Home Premium software at a reputable dealer in Phuket, in 2011.
I cannot remember exactly how I loaded it - I bought a PC at the same time, with DOS. So I guess the seller (same shop) loaded it for me. I registered my W7 product. All has been well. Until 2 days ago. thn out of the blue, i got a request (from my system) - something like :'' you have cnaged hardware whcih is/may not be comp[atible with W7. Please reactivate your version of W7. I followed the instructions (which showed a bar with 25 blank key spaces) and I re-entered the 25 alpha-numeric product key.
This is the error message I got. Thanks in advance for guidance on solving this problem. Pat
CODE:0xC004C008
the activation server determined that the specified product key could not be used
WINDOWS 7 ACTIVATION KEY
(key quoted by poster and removed by Pat Cooke as it does not contribute to the problem solution and could compromise the user's security)

patcooke said:

This was not bad luck - it was very bad judgement! You have overwritten the activation for your valid op sys with an illegally obtained activation key. There are a few ways in which you could attempt to put things right but I suggest you completely reset your system to be certain that all problems are eliminated. Fortunately your Dell system should have a recovery partition from which you should be able to recover your system to factory settings and I recommend you do this. First backup any important data files you need to keep as the recovery process will wipe the whole of your user data an any apps, configuration settings you have set up. Then restart your machine and press F8 repeatedly, select the advanced boot options and follow the instructions to recover your original system back to factory settings.

Click to expand...

It seems you have made some changes to your hardware requiring reactivation. There is a Microsoft article on this issue here:

Windows 7 activation error: 0xC004C008

You will need to contact MS directly as described - there is not usually a problem with this process - they are likely to require your assurance that the op sys is not being installed on more than one system simultaeneously.

Contact Microsoft for activation. Link Removed

In the interim, go to Start -> cmd.exe

In the Windows Command Prompt, type slmgr /dlv

This will display full licensing information about your operating system.

You can re-arm the operating system up to 3 times for 30-days each in the event of a genuine activation problem. You can perform this task by using slmgr -rearm in the same Command Prompt. This is not recommended unless absolutely necessary. After these run out, you face major restrictions on the use of your operating system from Windows Genuine Advantage and the built-in anti-piracy protection.

Contact your Microsoft representative or automated activation number to resolve this issue. If you suspect that the key was pirated, visit Link Removed due to 404 Error

Please note:

This forum is not for discussing ways to bypass activation, violate copyright or intellectual property, get free Windows 7 product keys, or anything of the sort. If this is not a genuine problem, you need to stop wasting people's time. Otherwise, if you buy a product and it doesn't work, what do you do? You contact the person who sold it to you.

I noticed the age of this thread but still thought I would add my own problem and see if anyone could assist.

Like most of these remarks I have now been informed that my Windows 7 Ultimate is not a genuine copy. After further investigation from talking to Windows thay have stated that even though my copy is a valid copy with a valid key it is not for home use but for use by companies........................sorry but even though I brought this item on Ebay the box in no way differs from every other box, it doesn't state its for companies so how was I supposed to know and why did Microsoft take nearly 2 years to tell me it wasn't a genuine copy (which it is!!!)

So does anyone know a way to continue using this copy or will I have to repurchase?

There is no way of legally continuing to use this corporate version of Windows. I'm afraid that either intentionally or in blissful ignorance the ebay seller has sold you a pup as far as the operating system is concerned. Because it is a corporate key it is all but impossible for Microsoft to control where and how it is used. For this reason corporate keys expire after a period of time and the organisation to whom it was issued has a renewed set of keys. The organisation will cease to use the old keys but anyone who has illegally applied it is then caught out - this is almost certainly why it has been two years before yours has been detected.

Thanks for the answer patcooke, I now understand more from your answer than I did after 10 minutes on the phone with microsoft. Just one last question if you don't mind, do I have to do a reinstall or just change purchase a new key? Thanks for your assistance.

I assume you have no means of recovery (no installation disk and no recovery partition on the pc). For this reason alone - apart from cleaning things up properly I'd go for buying a full copy. There are many suppliers selling valid legal copies of Windows online (on ebay for instance) which are much less expensive than high street sources. (Just remember the old adage that if it looks too good to be true then it probably is).

Will do, cheers for your advice.