As with every new operating system, you may run into this. Don’t worry, we have the solution. If you see this Vista error when starting Windows, you need to activate the product.
Following are the main reasons for Vista error
The problem occurs if you are on Windows Vista for one of three reasons.
1. You only have 30 days to activate the product and you didn’t do it on time.
2. Windows Vista detected a breaking hardware change and did not reactivate it within the 3-day grace period.
3. Your version of Windows Vista is not genuine and you could not activate it.
Now the good part, it’s easy to fix. Just retype your product key on the “Activate Windows now” screen. Accept the user prompt and then type your product key again and press next.
It’s worth mentioning that if you encounter any errors activating this online, you can always select activate by phone and call the phone number. If you are unable to activate over the phone through their automated activation process, please call back and continue to say customer service after each prompt. After a few times of not understanding, you will be transferred to a human who can help you.
Another reason for this can occur when you connect to the Internet through a proxy server that has Basic Authentication enabled. When the proxy server is configured for basic authentication, the server requires you to enter a username and password. However, the activation user interface does not allow you to enter these credentials. Therefore, basic authentication fails and activation fails.
This is what you can try.
1. Just don’t use basic auth on the proxy server or pick up that phone and turn it on over the phone. It’s automated and should only take about 7 minutes.
This information is good for
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Home Basic/Premium/Ultimate and all 64-bit editions.
