Hello, I have searched online for my exact problem and I have not been able to find it. I recently bought a new Gateway PC. Vista Home Premium came on my PC. I did not by the program seperately. I have had the PC for a bit. Now out of no where I am getting pop ups saying "I am running counterfeit software"...meaning Vista. Every time I TURN my PC on I am brought to a activation code box. Vista came on my PC so shouldnt it be automatically activated? I am very confused at the moment and I just want my PC to work. Thanks for the help.

MattIt should. Where did you purchase this from?

It's possible that MS added a product key to their blacklist, and yors happens to be similar enough to fall into it.I bought it at Tiger Direct. Gateway only told me I should restore my PC to its factory settings...of course the restore DISCS did not come with the PC....so Im getting those in a week. I dont know where else to go for help.does the hard drive have a recovery partition that you are aware of?

It might be possible to download the restore discs from their web site. This is assuming you have a burner to use, of course.

You can also give gateway a call, see if they can help you out in the meantime.Yeah I have done the instant online help and they werent too much of help. So I think Ill give them a call...havent had time the last couple of days. So you have not seen anything like this before? Vista that came on the desktop not working?Well, unless the dealer you got it from was unscrupulous.

I've heard of it happening with XP; installing one of the service packs for example can invalidate some OEM installations because MS blacklists OEM keys that are distributed on pirate networks. Unfortunately the legit users are impacted as well.

Unfortunately MS only really helps with RETAIL copies of windows purchased from stores, and defects to your Manufacturer in the case of an OEM install.

Can you tell us the model number of your gateway?#800 TOLL Free Registration