vista license will expire in 6 days?

[lilweirddude]

i keep getting a tool tip pop up

apparently my vista license will expire in 6 days and its telling me i have to backup all my data and install another copy of vista

why is this? i bought this dell inspiron 1520 around the end of august

if i go to control panel -> system, it says my vista is activated and everything so i dunno what to do

when i first got this laptop, i did a clean install following one of the guides on the notebookreview forums, could that be the issue?

this one: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=157838

[Siginet]

i keep getting a tool tip pop up

apparently my vista license will expire in 6 days and its telling me i have to backup all my data and install another copy of vista

why is this? i bought this dell inspiron 1520 around the end of august

if i go to control panel -> system, it says my vista is activated and everything so i dunno what to do

when i first got this laptop, i did a clean install following one of the guides on the notebookreview forums, could that be the issue?

this one: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=157838

You should just put in the product key on the bottom of your laptop. If it still has a problem then you should be able to call microsoft and get the issue resolved.

[lilweirddude]

oh thanks, i'll try that

i didn't know where to find my product key so i dled a keyfinder and it's completely wrong

does anyone know whether to check if it's actually activated though?

because i only get the pop up once a day usually around 2 am

[nitroshift]

*OT: I should really read more carefully the posts *

When you installed Vista, did you use the key located on the Certificate of Authenticity at the bottom of the laptop and chose the correct version of Vista?

Edited April 3, 2008 by nitroshift

[lilweirddude]

it was preinstalled

its home premium updated to sp1

i would have called dell by now, but im not too fond with dealing with customer service

edit: iirc, i didnt have to enter a key when i reinstalled

Edited April 3, 2008 by lilweirddude

[nitroshift]

[...]edit: iirc, i didnt have to enter a key when i reinstalled

That is the problem. When you do a clean install, you MUST put in a key that matches the Vista version you want to install. Good luck!

Edited April 3, 2008 by nitroshift

[lilweirddude]

[...]edit: iirc, i didnt have to enter a key when i reinstalled

That is the problem. When you do a clean install, you MUST put in a key that matches the Vista version you want to install. Good luck!

i dont recall that but how come it would just start telling me that my license is about to expire now

its been quite a while since i got this computer

[nitroshift]

Could you please post a screenshot? But make sure you somehow block the activation ID on the bottom of the screen (edit the picture in Paint or something...)

[lilweirddude]

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4749/windowshm7.jpg

[nitroshift]

From you picture it looks like you are running a beta version of Service Pack 1 which indeed has an expiry date. Uninstall it and install the RTM version.

[lilweirddude]

ohhhh

thanks, i'll try that

do you know if there's a way to see if it works or not?

i only get the tool tip pop up once a day

and i'd rather not have to wait for it

[nitroshift]

Just follow my instructions in my previous post and *fingers crossed* you'll be fine.

[urie]

it was preinstalled

its home premium updated to sp1

i would have called dell by now, but im not too fond with dealing with customer service

edit: iirc, i didnt have to enter a key when i reinstalled

did you also get dell vista OEM even though it came preinstalled is so you shouls have used the key from the PID.txt file id sources folder or used a kefinder to get your key from the machine that way you wouldnt have to activate online which happens when you use the key from the Certificate of Authenticity at the bottom of the laptop.

[lilweirddude]

hm uninstalling sp1 seemed to do the trick, thanks

should i be able to install the RTM version without getting the same problem?

[Access Denied]

Yes, the RTM has no expiration date.