This just in - Microsoft only lets you activate a Windows 7 FamilyPack on a SINGLE PC

[VirtualLarry]

Now I'm pissed. I paid for legal copies of Windows 7, quite a few of them, through the Win7 family pack. My understanding is that these are a 3-pack of Retail Upgrade Home Premium licenses, and as such, they can be moved between machines.

This particular key was installed, and then removed, off of a few machines, such that last time I installed it, I had to call in. The computer voice activation passed it off to a human. This time, that didn't happen. I answered truthfully, that it was installed on three computers. The computer voice told me that I couldn't activate, and that this key was limited to being installed on ONE computer.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

Are Windows 7 family packs a scam? Is it truely only one key, one license, and if you were ever audited, you would have to have seperate keys for every computer?

There's no indication that the key is valid for multiple installs, on the packaging, other than the outer box that says for three computers.

Now after I've purchased and used it, Microsoft is claiming that it's only valid for ONE computer.

Anyone know any good Win7 activation cracks, so I can use my valid, paid-for, retail key?

Edit: Or does anyone know how to get to a human on the activation hotline?

 

[MrChad]

Call back and try to get a human on the phone.

 

[lxskllr]

When the machine prompts you to say something, don't say anything. It'll try a few times, then give up and put you through to a real person.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, thank you for that advice, I got a human on the phone finally, and got it activated.

MS is pretty sloppy, to let some of their keys in their database, indicate 1 activation limit, when they should be 3 (Family Pack keys).

 

[lxskllr]

Well, thank you for that advice, I got a human on the phone finally, and got it activated.

MS is pretty sloppy, to let some of their keys in their database, indicate 1 activation limit, when they should be 3 (Family Pack keys).

Glad you got it working. That scheme always kind of bothered me, though I didn't participate. I like the 1 CD, 1 key method, and that key goes with the CD. Doing stuff electronically, and having it tied to a completely different install is just asking for problems.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Great, fresh installed Win7 64-bit, installed NIC drivers, Adobe Flash (32-bit ActiveX), Reader, activated, and then I went to install MSE. I downloaded it off of their site, and it was just called "mseinstall.exe". No mention of 64-bit. I installed it, and it restarted, and upon restart, I have a black screen with the mouse cursor, and the HD light is going solid for most of the time. Any ideas?

Ok, I rebooted, and it sat at the same black screen for a bit, then it went to a blue welcome screen, then to my desktop. I tried going to Windows Update, and the machine hung again, with the hard drive light lit up solid, mouse cursor still moving.

I booted a SeaTools CD, scanned the HD with both long and short tests, it was fine. Strange. I'm running a memory test now, and then I'll try changing out the SATA cable.

Hmm, I opened it up and pushed the SATA cable down on both ends. I rebooted, and started Windows Update without an issue. Hopefully that was all that it was.

 

[lxskllr]

Try rebooting again? If that doesn't work, see if safe mode does.

 

[brencat]

Well, thank you for that advice, I got a human on the phone finally, and got it activated.

MS is pretty sloppy, to let some of their keys in their database, indicate 1 activation limit, when they should be 3 (Family Pack keys).

Never heard this being a problem before. I've upgraded 2 separate PCs in my home with the family pack so far -- one was a clean install on a new hard drive from a PC that ran Vista on a different drive, the other an upgrade of a machine running XP. As far as I believe, I still have "1 use" left.

 

[Diogenes2]

Well, thank you for that advice, I got a human on the phone finally, and got it activated.

MS is pretty sloppy, to let some of their keys in their database, indicate 1 activation limit, when they should be 3 (Family Pack keys).

This doesn't jive with the first part of your story..

This particular key was installed, and then removed, off of a few machines, such that last time I installed it, I had to call in. The computer voice activation passed it off to a human.This time, that didn't happen.

It sounds like you were able to activate it several times before you ran into a glitch.

I have the family pack and had no trouble activating it on 2 so far ..

Perhaps when you answered that it was installed on 3 PC's, the automated system took that to mean it was " activated " on 3 Pc's..

 

[Lord XenoTeK]

The automated activation robot doesn't care which version of Windows you have, be it Ultimate or the family pack. By telling it three computers, for all it knows you have W7 Ultimate installed on those 3.

All you have to do is say 1.

 

[Nothinman]

This doesn't jive with the first part of your story..



It sounds like you were able to activate it several times before you ran into a glitch.

I have the family pack and had no trouble activating it on 2 so far ..

Perhaps when you answered that it was installed on 3 PC's, the automated system took that to mean it was " activated " on 3 Pc's..

Activations expire after some time (3mo?) so it's possible that's why he never ran into the issue before.

 

[Diogenes2]

Not sure I understand what you mean by " Activations expire ".

 

[Nothinman]

Not sure I understand what you mean by " Activations expire ".

I have a vague recollection that MS prunes their activation database and that activations get pruned after 90 or 120 days. So as long as you don't reinstall too often you could never have to call.

 

[Diogenes2]

That's good to know.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I have a vague recollection that MS prunes their activation database and that activations get pruned after 90 or 120 days. So as long as you don't reinstall too often you could never have to call.

I went six months after removing it from two computers, before I had need to install it onto another. It failed online activation. So either MS doesn't prune their database like they used to, or the delay is significantly longer than that.

 

[wirednuts]

two morals of this story. first, dont start threads with subjects that state actual news from a international corporation that isnt even true. second, if microsoft ever asks, you have it installed on one pc. no matter what. one pc. there is no other answer. just one. thats it. one. yes. one. your english is fine. one.

 

[Nothinman]

two morals of this story. first, dont start threads with subjects that state actual news from a international corporation that isnt even true. second, if microsoft ever asks, you have it installed on one pc. no matter what. one pc. there is no other answer. just one. thats it. one. yes. one. your english is fine. one.

So you advocate lying often?

 

[postmortemIA]

two morals of this story. first, dont start threads with subjects that state actual news from a international corporation that isnt even true. second, if microsoft ever asks, you have it installed on one pc. no matter what. one pc. there is no other answer. just one. thats it. one. yes. one. your english is fine. one.

stupid system, after 10 yrs since they introduced it, still does not let you deactivate your license and move it to a different PC.

- because they wish you buy another license.

 

[sourceninja]

Activation has always been hell. It was one of the main reasons I left windows in the first place.

At work now we have to build a license server to validate all of our windows installs and office installs every week. It's insane.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

So you advocate lying often?

Woohoo the morality police.

 

[SimMike2]

I don't think the family pack CD key goes bad if you don't use all three licenses for a few months. What happens is if you install it too many times, even if it is only running on three computers at a time, they won't activate without jumping through hoops. You did say that you took it off computer and put on other computers, so I'm guessing you installed the software five or six times, and it sounds like you did this in a relatively short period of time. This kind of scenario is what the activation was created for.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I don't think the family pack CD key goes bad if you don't use all three licenses for a few months. What happens is if you install it too many times, even if it is only running on three computers at a time, they won't activate without jumping through hoops. You did say that you took it off computer and put on other computers, so I'm guessing you installed the software five or six times, and it sounds like you did this in a relatively short period of time. This kind of scenario is what the activation was created for.

I installed it onto three PCs. Then I took it off of two of them, several months later. Then six months later, I wanted to install it onto a different PC. (Two licenses used). I had to phone in, and the computer voice system punted me to a human. I told them that it was on two computers, and they activated it for me. Fast-forward to just the other day, and I tried to install and activate on a third computer. This time, the computer voice system didn't punt to a human when I punched in the activation code into the phone. Instead, it asked me how many computers I had installed it on. I answered truthfully, that it was on "three" computers. The computer voice then informed me that that license was only valid for ONE computer. Hence my consternation, that license key was sold to me as valid for THREE computers. That's what I paid for. But Microsoft's automated phone-activation system only considered it good for ONE computer.

 

[pugh]

So you advocate lying often?

Yeah you have to avoid some of the advice given. Be straight up with them when asked. Being deceptive will get you no where in the end.

 

[Tsavo]

I've got the family pack on my boxes. I've installed it on four different PC's in total...one license was used on a replacement PC. It's on 3 PC's and I haven't been given any grief activating them.

Also, can do a fresh install of the upgrade. Just do the slrmgr -rearm trick at first boot, then reboot and online activation will accept the key.

 

[paperfist]

stupid system, after 10 yrs since they introduced it, still does not let you deactivate your license and move it to a different PC.

- because they wish you buy another license.

Doesn't Office do that? I have '07 w/3 license key and whenever I try to install on a 4th computer it won't let me activate. If I uninstall a copy I'm able to then install on another machine.