Can someone help with the 'Windows vista not genuine' message I'm getting

[jolfc]

hope someone can help me out. in the bottom right of my screen i got the message in my thread title. i have checked and validated on microsoft that it is indeed a genuine vista, which it is. done a system restore to 4 days ago and scanned with my avg. the message has gone, but should i be concerned that my computer has any infection etc as i have never had the message in 4 years on my computer.many thanks for any help.

[junglejim]

I get a similiar message relating to my Windows 7 - my son is in IT tells me just to ignore the message .

[BobMac]

I get a similiar message relating to my Windows 7 - my son is in IT tells me just to ignore the message .

That might not be a good idea. I tried ignoring it and it eventually locked me out of Windows 7 - fortunately I was running it as dual boot system alongside Windows XP while I got up to speed using it.

Had to do a repair install and re-validate it to get round it.

[cainaries]

I wouldn't ignore it. I had the same message years ago with my Windows XP and I went through the whole hoop-la of contacting Microsoft and explaining that I had bought the system in Spain but I only spoke English so could they please reply in English and an extremely polite Spanish guy contacted me writing in good English and explained they needed all the information about where I had bought the computer and the licence number etc. etc. which I sent him. Then he wrote back to say there was a problem but it wasn't my problem and that he had authorised my licence number. It's not that difficult to do this and it seemed to be the answer.

[jolfc]

I wouldn't ignore it. I had the same message years ago with my Windows XP and I went through the whole hoop-la of contacting Microsoft and explaining that I had bought the system in Spain but I only spoke English so could they please reply in English and an extremely polite Spanish guy contacted me writing in good English and explained they needed all the information about where I had bought the computer and the licence number etc. etc. which I sent him. Then he wrote back to say there was a problem but it wasn't my problem and that he had authorised my licence number. It's not that difficult to do this and it seemed to be the answer.


Update, computer going to repair shop as cant do anything with it wont start in safe mode, keep getting a blue screen telling me I have corrupt or missing files and errors, not sure if it is due to message I got or not. Cant even restore to factory image as it is a built in restore not a disc, I will let you know when I have spoken to repair shop.

[cainaries]

Update, computer going to repair shop as cant do anything with it wont start in safe mode, keep getting a blue screen telling me I have corrupt or missing files and errors, not sure if it is due to message I got or not. Cant even restore to factory image as it is a built in restore not a disc, I will let you know when I have spoken to repair shop.

Can't believe they would crash your computer from outer space!! Sounds a bit dramatic. Poor you. My laptop died a few weeks ago. Just hate it when that happens. Good luck with it anyway.

[waveydavey]

It sound like your hard disk drive has given up the ghost.

[slodgedad]

Can't believe they would crash your computer from outer space!! Sounds a bit dramatic. Poor you. My laptop died a few weeks ago. Just hate it when that happens. Good luck with it anyway.


It sound like your hard disk drive has given up the ghost.

Slightly off topic, but this is why it is so important to back up your files.

[Harmonicaman]

Slightly off topic, but this is why it is so important to back up your files.

I always keep a safety pin to back up my flies....

[jolfc]

so spoke to a computer repair man. indeed the hard drive has gone also files have gone, but when i first got a computer i knew nothing, so never backed files up. any how i know different now, :D he advised by the time i had got the recovery discs, hard drive and labour it may be better to get a new computer. so i did £300 lighter in the bank. needless to say i shall buy some dvd+r discs and do the files tommorow. many thanks for all the replies. and harmonicaman watch that pin, they can hurt, :D

[cainaries]

After I had bought my new laptop about 3 weeks ago I enquired very politely if the tecnico could possibly retrieve my files and photos off the dead computer. For a rather princely sum - including another external hard drive to put it all on, he succeeded. No-one told me that the software programmes I had been using aren't on the new computer and that, although I have the drivers etc. on CD, they are so antiquated they're no use. We all learn as we go.

[cressrt]

You may not know or have considered it but it is cheaper to use Linux as the OS rather than windows, IMHO it is faster and better; it is all free as it is Open Source, there are equivalent programmes to Microsoft so no problems at all. I use Ubuntu, google it and give it go, you have nothing to lose but everything to gain!

[jolfc]

all backed up and hopefully okay if anything un toward happens, :D