I started up my laptop today to get that asinine message. Apparently microsoft had some update released yesterday that validates your copy of windows (again), and for some reason it failed the test. The copy of windows that they're talking about not being "genuine" CAME with the computer when I bought it brand-new from Toshiba. My little security key is a sticker pasted on the underside of the laptop. How do I fix this problem? I'm sure as hell not buying another license from microsoft when this one should be good! At their little website they give you to help you fix your problem it seems like their only solution is to buy another license.

My laptop has never come up with that. Its 5 or 6 years old with XP.

it should have given a phone number, call that, tell them the story, they'll give you numbers to enter, and away you go.
this should be part of the windows activation process. if its anything else, it maybe some form of spyware/virus.

Activation process? I had to rebuild the computer about 1 month ago (re-install windows from the CD Toshiba gave me) and it activated fine then. You say a virus might cause it now?

One of the recent updates was that "genuine" thing. It's basically a "new" way MS is trying to validate your software...


As P-meister said above, a phonecall should clear it up. Especially if you have your valid serial (which SHOULD be on the bottom of yer laptop, and/or on the Cd label...

did you buy an open box? I was working on a laptop for a guy at the university and he told me that when he reinstalled he wanted media center so he went to bestbuy and took a picture of the little windows sitcker to use the key to activate a copy he "borrowed". Someone could be using your copy and may have activated it before you did.

call micro or toshiba. they should be able to fix it with little hassle.

I had a problem like that once a while ago and gave them a call. I was pleasantly suprised that I was able to get through, and that they took care of my problem without a hassle.

You may also check into removing the pilot version of WGA and see if it helps. I don't know if it will, but I removed the pilot version on my puter anyway. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921914

This is going to sound bad, but.... System Restore will fix it.

seeing no good from this so called up date
I just refused to let it load
will I now miss anything important??

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Question wonder and be wierd
are you kind?

I heard MS is going to discontinue the windows genuine crap, in light of the controversy and lawsuits...

I bet this is a hot topic in China.

quote Originally posted by ray b: seeing no good from this so called up date I just refused to let it load

Me too.

Our PC notified us that updates were avalible; so I checked out what updates it wanted to download/install. I seen that, and told it not to download/install it. (I NEVER have my PC set up to download updates from Micro$uck without me being able to at least see what they're wanting to install).

Well it ummm....disappeared. It was usually constantly annoying me with "Your copy is not genuine!" like a little thing would show up at login screen and a little thing would hang around the taskbar. Did it fix itself?

I know for a fact that my copy is genuine, and it is only my copy. The little sticker is on the bottom of the computer, it was not a boxed version of XP Media center. The only way I could see someone else registering with my key would be if they got it randomly, or else maybe they managed to get my key while this thing was a display model at Comp USA 2 years ago.

Windows 2000 Forever!
This serial number has been used by literally hundreds of people on hundreds of computers, and it passes the microsoft validation...

I'm running a corporate version of XP on a laptop and when I went to microsoft update it said my version was not genuine and would not load.
I found another site that updates XP and it had no problem. Cant recall the site at the moment.
I hear these corp versions are rare.

Corporate versions (VLK's) are not rare.

LEGAL VLK's in the hands of individuals are rare. Most of the cracks out there have VLK licence numbers, so they're picked up by the WGA program as a pirate copy. It seems that most of the problems have come up because of people taking their PC in for repair somewhere, and the tech slaps a "bench copy" of Windows on their box. And of course those reputable system vendors at the computer shows and their pre-loaded systems.

Then there are those incredible Ebay deals, etc. Not to mention those that know full well that theirs is a copy.