hactivation help

Question

I cannot reactivate windows after reinstall. Characters in product key say unacceptable character but this is from my original windows 7 product key. Why?? Is this because it is too old and no longer supported or what?

Answer 1

I doubt you are using the product key, when you get unacceptable character error.

Is it a Retail, OEM System Builders or OEM preinstalled (Dell, HP, etc.) license and is it still activated?

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The Product Key consists of 25 digits, divided into 5 groups of 5 digits and the layout looks like this:

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

The 24 used are:
2346789BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY

The 12 unused are:015AEILNOSUZ

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If installed and activated and a Retail or OEM system Builders license and you have lost the product key that came with the purchase use these free programs:

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

https://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

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If you bought it from Microsoft:

Find your downloads and product keys

Most software you buy directly from Microsoft Store as a digital download, like Office, Windows, and Xbox games, can be downloaded, installed, or reinstalled in order history. Find the software and then select Product key/Install*.*

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If OEM preinstalled (Dell, HP, etc.) license:

The COA sticker, which has the Product Key on it, is either on the underside of the Laptop or in the Battery Compartment.

With a Desktop it is either on the side, rear or top of the Computer Case.

Product Key finder programs do NOT find a useable product key on OEM preinstalled operating systems (Dell, HP, etc.)

Key Finder Programs used on preinstalled Operating Systems only find the Manufacturer's Product Key which was used on multiple machines during manufacture and what they find is not suitable to use for a reinstall or activation problems.

Cheers.

Answer 2

I got a message that just popped up all of a sudden telling me to activate Windows 7 with the Product Key. It was working fine, but I'd close the window and the message kept coming back.

The computer came with Windows Vista so, checking the sticker wouldn't work. I called the phone number and just ended up on hold. After trying all kinds of numbers, I finally used the www.belarc.com website mentioned by Bill Smithers. The Windows Product Key was on there and it worked.

Still don't know why the computer was asking for it after all this time, but the message is gone now. Thanks.

Answer 3

Make sure that you're using the Product Key and not the Product ID.

The Product Key has 25 characters in the pattern XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

To avoid confusion, some characters are not used.

Characters and numbers used:
2346789BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY

Characters and numbers not used (the first three are zero, one, and five):
015AEILNOSUZ

Answer 4

Call the toll free number to activate it. That's how I got my reinstall to activate.