So you have the Genuine Logo on your Properties Window? When I did something similar I was using XP. If I remember rightly, I had to speak to a human being by using the phone activation method. I think it was explained to me (very quickly) that Windows is not too happy with "major" date changes. It's possibly looking (to the automated activation service) like you've set your date back 30 days so you can keep running, well, I'll say a hookey copy, although I know you aren't.