I had installed the RTM version of Vista and installed SP1 as well. However the BIOS Patch doesn't work with SP1 so I figured what the hell, I will buy it legit for once.

So while a friend was down in Seattle at a Microsoft Conference I had him pick up Vista Ultimate w/ SP1 for me from the Microsoft Store (significantly cheaper than any retail store).

However using the product key in the box I get this:

quote:

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Invalid product key
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The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key:



Code:

   0xC004F033



Description:

   The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is not allowed to be installed. Please see the eventlog for details.


---------------------------
OK   
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roflcakes
You installed with your disk then just used the sn off the new box?
Try reinstalling windows with your new disk, using the sn and then installing sp1 (or.. just installing and using the sn if its a streamlined sp1 installer )

I guess technically RTM is OEM and that could explain why it wouldn't work but its still stupid.

I will just reinstall Vista over the weekend or something.

ring microsoft support and ask for a new serial, if they dont' want to help ask them if they have the number for an apple store in canada
that's my advice
I knew a lady who got some xp master key cos her original key didn't work
[edit:I see you just swapped the keys over, i'd just try a repair]

Matty, on a sidenote, how much did that cost? I'd like one of those

quote:

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Originally posted by matty
However the BIOS Patch doesn't work with SP1

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quote:

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Originally posted by aNILEator

quote:

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Originally posted by matty
However the BIOS Patch doesn't work with SP1

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Didn't you see my O RLY?! thread about it?

It's always worked. Still working and there are homemade torrents of combined x86 x64 textless bootloader pre-activated multiple version Vista SP1 DVD's out there, even since before public launch

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Might I say that I have a bios patched OS right now but for that price, I wouldn't mind buying it
matty: still got peeps at Redmond?

quote:

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Originally posted by John Anderton
but for that price

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quote:

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Originally posted by aNILEator

quote:

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Originally posted by John Anderton
but for that price

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He didn't say it

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* John Anderton runs very very fast

IIRC it's around $60.

matty just said via PM, damn nice price indeed, Would go along nicely with my Legal Office 2007 Ultimate package at that price

get the Dell version of vista (then you use windows update to make it so it's not invalid OEM key)

* roflmao456 runs from the hammer

quote:

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Originally posted by ipab
IIRC it's around $60.

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i still wouldn't pay for it

quote:

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Originally posted by ipab

quote:

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Originally posted by ipab
IIRC it's around $60.

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Found the exact price if anyone cares , it's $45.

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The preactivated ultimate copy floating around the internet featured a sort of "hack" which I was afraid would be fixed with SP1. It's not actually preactivated what the guy has done is injected a weird grub bootloader which resets something before Vista's loader boots up to make Vista always think it's activated. And yet SP1 didn't fix this! So much for fixing the activation hacks

That's how they are pre-activated and it's not grub it's a one of a few new ones constructed to load vista up, someone I know though is in a team working on a grub based one which may be better for multi booting and maybe even bootcamp on macs

Yeah it is grub because when I saw this weird "grldr" file in my C: drive I googled what it was and it said it was a grub loader. Then I searched through the install disk found the cmd file which was executed at the end of installation and it had details about placing menu.lst. Soo
And it's not technically "activated" as I said - because when you remove the grldr file Vista says 30 days remaining to activate it. I would think "pre-activating" means activating it and then injecting the registry tweaks changed files etc back into the installation so that it's already activated when you install it (or having some sort of cmd file to run at the end of installation which activates it for you) or something else along those lines.

quote:

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Originally posted by Aardvark
Yeah it is grub because when I saw this weird "grldr" file in my C: drive I googled what it was and it said it was a grub loader. Then I searched through the install disk found the cmd file which was executed at the end of installation and it had details about placing menu.lst. Soo
And it's not technically "activated" as I said - because when you remove the grldr file Vista says 30 days remaining to activate it. I would think "pre-activating" means activating it and then injecting the registry tweaks changed files etc back into the installation so that it's already activated when you install it (or having some sort of cmd file to run at the end of installation which activates it for you) or something else along those lines.

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quote:

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Originally posted by matty

I guess technically RTM is OEM and that could explain why it wouldn't work but its still stupid.

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quote:

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Originally posted by ShawnZ

quote:

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Originally posted by matty

I guess technically RTM is OEM and that could explain why it wouldn't work but its still stupid.

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uh, RTM is RTM. OEM is OEM, and VLK is VLK

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quote:

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Originally posted by Aardvark
I think he meant since it's been released to manufacturers from the original equipment manufacturer (cos that's a manufacturer) or something, if that makes sense.

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you're all right, It is still RTM (it's not a BETA or anything) but the OEM builds are slightly modified again.

Why did this discussion turn into how Vista copies are cracked?

Because it's stupid some of these activation bypassing methods still work even after SP1 was meant to fix them?