HUGE COMPUTER PROBLEM!!
 

Ok, so I open my lap top, and it does the normal BSOD song and dance.
So when it restarts, it promps me to enter the Vista product code because the Vista thats on here is not validated yet....

Problem is I have had the same lap top for a year now. WHAT the **** is going on? How Im on the internet is beyond me. It asked me to see if I can prove its a real copy of Vista, and I just surfed to this site.
I have NO IDEA what the hell is going on. Can anyone recommend me a solid computer shop? This is now officially out of my hands, and needs to be taken care of by a professional.

What kind is it?

Mine pulled that **** when I reloaded XP on mine and I just called Dell, whined for a bit and they gave me a new code to validate it.

first try contacting your computer company. small shops tend to lie and charge you wayyy more than necessary. they tried that when my other lap tops power input broke said it would cost 400$ for a new mtbd i found the part for 3.99 fixed it myself

got the original vista disk? Do you have a recovery partition?

Yeah, I have the disk somewhere as it usually comes with the computer correct?

ugh...this blows chunks. It seems the only stuff I can use right now is IE and thats it. Such an odd thing to have just the internet and a black screen.

Alright, it just signed off out of no where. Im beyond pissed right now. I dunno if its a virus trying to find out a product code, or if its really a system failure.

Yeah no need for a computer help forum that would get more use than some of the tech boards....

Well, I need help with this computer. Can anyone suggest me a place to have it fixed, or does anyone here do any computer repair? I need someone I can trust to tell me the right stuff.

call the geek squad?

what I would honestly suggest is booting to a live linux CD such as Ubuntu and then copying all of your needed files off onto a flash drive or external USB. Download a good anti-virus scanner in linux that scans for windows definitions (not sure how computer literate you are). If that's over your head then skip it and do a FRESH install of windows, download an anti-virus such as AVG and then plug in your flash drive and do a complete scan.

I do not recommend repairing vista as Windows does still not like to be repaired. You will not only run into issues with mismatched registry entries, you will have bad pointers to no longer valid program files.

Whatever you do don't take it to Geek Squad.. they don't know anything.

Yeah my vista home basic pc did that when I reloaded vista onto it after it caught a virus, I just reentered the key and it hasn't done it since. I just blame vista.

the key should be on the bottom of your laptop, just reload that on there and you should be good to go. if not, let me know i can give you some other suggestions. i would take a look at it but your almost two hours away from me

laptops can be tricky to fix becasue of all the random software it needs. bring it to a micro center

This. I did it before and it worked flawlessly.

oh, yeah, vista is to blame. i refuse to use it on any computer i am on. it's xp pro for me. when they no longer support xp, i will go open source.

but how do we get him out of the currect circle-jerk he's in...? it sounds to me like the computer came loaded with vista on it and he doesn't have a clean product key to get him past the login. at least that's what i think is going on.

i do not have any problems with vista and never really have, granted i LOVE xp pro, i still like vista. and after using the windows 7 beta a little bit, i think it is very promising, definitely has improvements over vista

It sounds like if you cant enter the product code on the sitcker or it wont take it you may have to call the phone number for the activation line at Microsoft, then go through the hoops of entering what it tells you then you may need to speak to a rep to get it in properly

....I didnt know that the product code was under the lap top.

Anyone think that its a virus? It comes up and askes me for my password for Vista, so I log in, and THEN it tells me that I do not have a product code for Vista. Wouldnt it prompt me BEFORE I log in? It just sounds really fishy to me.

I dont want to type in my product code and possibly be giving it to something else. I have scanned for viruses every day, and havent came up with anything.



I did some googling, and I found some other people with the same problems, but no solutions. I havent put in the key yet, so I dont know if it will pop up the same thing.

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/...alid-afte.aspx

no, you will be able to login before you put the key in, windows xp was the same way, windows 7 is also the same way, i've never had it happen in vista, even it it was a virus, worst case scenario is you will have to call microsoft and you will go through their process to get a new key

Ok, put the product code in, and now it tells me its the wrong code and I have to buy another one.

ok your prob. going to have to call microsoft

UGH...yeah, great, thats exactly what I want to do....

Actually it isnt as painful as one may think. Usually if you have a problem like that and you have a valid key they can give you what you need to fix the issue. If they still say you dont have a valid key you will have to go back to the laptop manufacturer....