Win 7 HP product key blocked after working for a full year

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  The only thing your report shows is that your product key is blocked.

  Where did you purchase this?

  There are many bogus sellers out there and I suspect that is where you got your windows.

  regrettably we currently don't have a contact on this forum to check your key to find out why it is blocked.

  here is a longshot to check your product key:

  WGA support:

  North America: http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/cu_sc_genadv_master?ws=support&ws=support#tab4

   

  Outside North America:

  http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support#tab0

   

  • Proposed as answer by Noel D PatonModerator Sunday, August 5, 2012 11:07 PM
  • Marked as answer by Noel D PatonModerator Saturday, August 11, 2012 10:22 AM

  Wednesday, August 1, 2012 12:33 PM

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  If you know why your key is blocked please let us in on it.  Secrets don't help us help you.

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  Colin Barnhorst Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on DIY with 8GB ram.

  Wednesday, August 1, 2012 1:36 PM

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  Sorry.  I wasn't trying to be secretive, I just wanted to approach this methodically and not ask questions/make statements based on facts not in evidence.  But that's fine.  I'll tell you what I know or think I know, and you can correct me and explain what I don't.

  The software was bought online from onlinedigitalitems.com on 7/7/11.  I installed and activated it within the next few weeks and had no issues until nearly a full year later, 7/9/12.  At that point, the software was deactivated and the key was blocked because it was reported as "returned" by the seller. 

  Here are the issues that I don't understand (If some questions are outside of your purview, please direct me to the proper place to get an explanation):

  This was a legitimate retail copy of the software activated with a legitimate product key, i.e. not a counterfeit or improperly installed MSDN version, etc.  Correct?  MS was aware that it had been installed and activated in July or August 2011, and they continued to be aware of this every time the WGA tool "phoned home" to verify legitimacy.  According to other threads on this board, people were reporting issues with software bought from this vendor as long ago as December 2011.  Why would Microsoft refund Online Digital Items for a software return in July 2012 -- when it already suspected them of fraud AND when the specific piece of software had been activated by an end user continuously for 12 months and was therefore well outside the 45 day return limit?

  Friday, August 3, 2012 7:21 AM
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  That comapny is well-known to these forums - they had a nasty habit of selling Keys which later turn out to be flagged as 'Returned' or 'Refunded' by MS, and consequently blocked.

  Here's my standard spiel....which also applies to youe case (and bear in mind that the WAT 'phone-home' only happens once every 90 days, so that could extend the period even more)

   Here's my standard spiel on the time-delays involved in tagging abused keys....

  For MSDN Keys:- MS can only act once a key hits a threshold (and they won't tell an outsider what that threshold is, understandably). They then have to put it through internal systems to ensure that all relevant parties are informed, just in case it's an oversight - then it enters the queue for the next update to the system.
  I have no idea how often the WAT checking system is updated, but I would suspect that it's no more than weekly because of admin and timing issues. The internal MS processes could therefore take easily a couple of months. It therefore depends on how close to the end of a vendors sales list you are, and how quickly he's selling them.
  The cannier ones will sell just enough to stay under the threshold for each product (MSDN subs include a huge number of products), until they've maximised the profits, then try and flood the market before disappearing into the sunset, laden with your cash.
  This could take anything up to a year or more.

   For products sold using a loader:- The loader gets around online activation by fooling the computer into thinking that the OS is installed onto the correct machine, by modifying certain files.
  Because of a number of factors, it's impossible to stop this, so MS came up with the WAT update - which has the ability to scan the relevant files, and detect the use of a loader tool. If the user fully updates the machine, including recommended updates and optional updates, then the WAT update is installed and starts work, and within 3 days, a loader-installed machine will get a notification.
  However, the WAT update is a voluntary one, at least at the first update run, and can be uninstalled, or refused The other time the WAT update is installed is when you validate Windows for some reason - it is part of the validation process, rather than the activation process. this time, it does the scan immediately, and again this will show as non-genuine if a Loader is present. If a user never needs/wants to validate, then they need never install the WAT update, and may never see a non-genuine notification.

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  Noel Paton | Nil Carborundum Illegitemi | CrashFixPC | The Three-toed Sloth

  Friday, August 3, 2012 7:57 AM

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  Noel,

  Thank you for your reply.  However, I don't believe it applies to me.  As I wrote above:

  "This was a legitimate retail copy of the software activated with a legitimate product key, i.e. not a counterfeit or improperly installed MSDN version, etc.  Correct?"

  Are you saying that is not correct?  Because it is my understanding that MSDN keys for Home Premium are supposed to be in the area of 230 or 231.  My PID shows it is 032.

  Furthermore, when I spoke with a MS Customer Support agent, he confirmed that my Product ID showed up in the system as a retail copy that had been activated in August 2011.  And I specifically confirmed that it had been only been activated by one user (me), so it is not a key that has been sold multiple times and abused.

  I'm sure I'm missing something here, but so far I don't understand what it is.

  Friday, August 3, 2012 9:11 AM
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  It does apply to you, at least in terms of the timing.

  MS has no control over who purchases software.

  What I suspect the methodology with OLDI was this:-

  They would purchase a retail Key

  Sell it x number of times, over a fairly lengthy period, and then claim a refund *and return the original packaging*.

  MS would eventually (possibly a couple of months later) add the Key to the block list.

  The only times that the block list is checked are

  1) when the installation is activated

  2) when the installation is validated 

  3) IF the WAT update is installed, it will also be checked on a random basis at intervals, normally not exceeding 90 days - this requires an internet connection. The WAT update will complain if it cannot connect to the internet at least every 100 days

  If the user doesn't install the WAT Update (it's an optional install), and doesn't validate (which is only necessary for certain things), then they can use that Key forever - or at least until they have to re-activate for some reason.

  Did you ask the operator for the reason for the Block? - and the date on which the block was applied?

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  Noel Paton | Nil Carborundum Illegitemi | CrashFixPC | The Three-toed Sloth

  Friday, August 3, 2012 9:29 AM

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  Noel,

  The operator said the reason was it was marked as Returned.  I didn't ask about the date.

  Your explanation would make sense except I specifically asked if the key had been activated numerous times.  I was told it had not been.

  Also, I activated the key in August 2011.  How did OLDI manage to get around the 45 day return limit?  Doesn't MS check when a return is made and say "Whoa, whoa, whoa.  You can't return this.  It's been more than 45 days."

  Friday, August 3, 2012 9:53 AM
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  There is no 45-day limit except for retail sales through eBay or using PayPal - if they bought using credit card or account (as a retailer) from a distributor in the normal way, then they could claim it as having been on the shelf for months prior to sale and return.

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  Noel Paton | Nil Carborundum Illegitemi | CrashFixPC | The Three-toed Sloth

  Friday, August 3, 2012 10:08 AM

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