Windows not Genuine

[Chuggy]

I have a Dell laptop running Windows 7 enterprise,

This was a legitimate company purchase some 9 years ago and has always performed well.

Recently, however I'm getting a pop-up (many times a day) saying 'This copy of Windows is not genuine' and it asks me to go on-line to validate my copy. The link is to Microsoft.com which then tells me -

'We are sorry, the page you requested cannot be found.
The URL may be misspelled or the page you're looking for is no longer available.'

Can anyone assist, please ??

[randlemarcus]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/wi...
May be relevant, if it was armed that way. Can you still read the licence key sticker on the underside?

[BuzzBravado]

Is it not the case that you need to VPN into your workplace so that it can authenticate to a workplace auth server?

That is what we have with enterprise. Ours machines authenticate to a site license, not to microsoft.

[Mr Pointy]

Maybe try activating by phone?

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/activate-windows-8-...

[Chuggy]

randlemarcus said:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/wi...
May be relevant, if it was armed that way. Can you still read the licence key sticker on the underside?

Thanks for your suggestion. Unfortunately the sticker can no longer be read - (apart from the service tag number)

[Chuggy]

BuzzBravado said:

Is it not the case that you need to VPN into your workplace so that it can authenticate to a workplace auth server?

That is what we have with enterprise. Ours machines authenticate to a site license, not to microsoft.

Thanks, but not completely sure what you mean. In any event , the company which originally purchased the computer, and for whom I worked, no longer exists.

[Chuggy]

Mr Pointy said:

Maybe try activating by phone?

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/activate-windows-8-...

Thanks, but surely it's been activated for the last 9 years; Only now I'm been told the product is not genuine.

[Order66]

Chuggy said:

Thanks, but not completely sure what you mean. In any event , the company which originally purchased the computer, and for whom I worked, no longer exists.

As above, Enterprise versions are designed to be activated using an organisations own servers. If the organisation no longer exists then either do these servers (and technically speaking the licenses are invalid).

However, this should work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1tFuNbuKG4

it basically changes the licenses to validate against a server run by a random on the internet, and should activate fine.

[JimPD]

Had a Samsung laptop from new. Replaced it about 6 months ago for unrelated issues (red wine spillage in keyboard) but had exactly this message for a lot of its last year. Came & went a couple of times but nothing adverse noticed regarding performance.

I realise that isn't solving your problem but ignoring it worked for me.

ETA Similar age & Win 7 also.

[Chuggy]

Order66 said:

Chuggy said:

Thanks, but not completely sure what you mean. In any event , the company which originally purchased the computer, and for whom I worked, no longer exists.

As above, Enterprise versions are designed to be activated using an organisations own servers. If the organisation no longer exists then either do these servers (and technically speaking the licenses are invalid).

However, this should work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1tFuNbuKG4

it basically changes the licenses to validate against a server run by a random on the internet, and should activate fine.

Thanks, but my Windows version is clearly activated as it works fine and has done since new. I just want to get rid of the annoying pop-up.

[ging84]

Chuggy said:

Thanks, but my Windows version is clearly activated as it works fine and has done since new. I just want to get rid of the annoying pop-up.

It may well have been active, doesn't mean you still have a valid license.
How can you be certain you are in compliance with your license that was issued to a company that no longer exists and you can't even read the license key off the sticker?

[Order66]

Chuggy said:

Thanks, but my Windows version is clearly activated as it works fine and has done since new. I just want to get rid of the annoying pop-up.

No it isn't. If you read some of the links above you would find that one of MS "updates" deactivated Win7E - so you need to reactivate it, which is a problem since you don't have a valid license (with enterprise licenses, when you leave the organisation, or the organisation stops paying MS the M$ then the licenses are no longer valid).

[Chuggy]

The reason I can't read the license is that having been on my lap for a zillion hours, the sticker is just about worn away. Can still read the service tag number, but that's it.

[anonymous-user]

You can get tools that read the licence for you.

Tools such as Belarc, Jelly Bean etc
You can read about them here I have used Belarc myself but there are several

https://www.techradar.com/uk/best/the-best-windows...

I am not sure they will help you though.

To be blunt and maybe rude other people are trying to explain why you don't have a valid licence and you seem to just dismiss them.

I fully accept that at the time you did everything legitimately correct but your circumstances have changed

[kev1974]

Windows 7 Enterprise was only ever available to corporate customers with Volume Licences and a Software Assurance (SA) agreement in place wasn't it? Effectively it was only available on the subscription/rental model, not perpetual licensing, as far as I remember.

So not totally surprising that it's saying it's no longer licensed, if the SA is no longer in place or the machine no longer has a way to contact the KMS server that used to hold the relevant licence.

[anonymous-user]

kev1974 said:

Windows 7 Enterprise was only ever available to corporate customers with Volume Licences and a Software Assurance (SA) agreement in place wasn't it? Effectively it was only available on the subscription/rental model, not perpetual licensing, as far as I remember.

So not totally surprising that it's saying it's no longer licensed, if the SA is no longer in place or the machine no longer has a way to contact the KMS server that used to hold the relevant licence.

And it's a very good reason to be wary of those ever so cheap and reasonable cost licences floating around on e bay.

[Mr Pointy]

Nothing the OP has written indicates it's an Enterprise version & I've certainly worked at companies that didn't have them: they'd just order from Dell when anyone new turned up & they were standalone licenced versions. I've also bought for my own company & they weren't Enterprise licences.

None of this alters the fact that Windows 7 has gone grumpy & the OP needs to re-activate, despite the error message saying something different. He could of course put Windows 10 on for free once he's extracted the serial number but that's a whole different kettle of piranhas.

[deckster]

Mr Pointy said:

Nothing the OP has written indicates it's an Enterprise version

OP said:

I have a Dell laptop running Windows 7 enterprise,

[Langweilig]

I've a Toshiba Satellite laptop running Windows 8.1 OS. After every update, up comes a message - "Let's activate Windows". I already have.

[Kenny6868]

Firstly, make sure your date and time are correct. If they are then open a DOS prompt.

Type SLMGR /ATO

This should force it to activate

If this doesn't work then there are other options to the SLMGR command. Google is your friend.
At my work we use SLMGR /CKMS followed by SLMGR /ATO

This clears the activation and then forces it to reactivate. There is a few seconds pause before the activation happens so don't be too quick to write it off.