How to check to see if your Windows is activated

[Mitz]

Hi guys
A quick way to see if you windows is activated is to go to the start menu and choose run ftom the menu.
Then type oobe/msoobe /a

Make sure you leave a space between msoobe and the /a.

Anyway I have only tried this on Windows XP so I don't know if it works on Vista yet.

[Dak]

If you have Vista, right click on 'computer' and select properties.
You'll get the system properties page. If your Vista is not activated, at the bottom of this page, you'll see text telling you how long it is until you need to activate it. Its very easy to see, and if its not there, then your Vista has been activated.

[Mara]

Oh dod, you're bound to laugh at this but if you're computer is working (ergo, we can see the screen) - this means the computer is working?  Huge laugh but most sincere. 

[Dak]

Actually I have to agree Mara  :

If your version of Windows isn't activated, then its either locked up because it wasn't activated, or you haven't used up the 30 days you are allowed in which to activate it. If thats the case, Windows will be annoying you regularly with those stupid popups nagging you to activate it, and you will have an icon on the taskbar for the purpose of activation lol

In the case of Vista though, which I had installed recently but didnt like much, if you check out the systems properties page, at least it will tell you how many days you have left. I didnt see an activation icon on the taskbar in Vista, (though this may not normally be the case, as my Vista was ummm a little different - cracked   ) but I was able to watch how many days I had left in the systems properties.
This wasnt actually an issue for me anyway, as the effect of the crack was to reset those days whenever they got close to zero!

My assumption, and those who have genuine copies of Vista will be able to confirm or deny this, is that in Vista there is no activation icon and you would need to check out system properties to see how much time you have left. In XP, the icon on the taskbar and the nag messages will tell you this.

[Mara]

Now I understand - and thanks so much once more for explaining things so clearly! 

[Mitz]

Unfortunately you can disable the warnings in the notification area in Windows XP or alter the registry settings to change the details in Vista...You can change the activation time or patch it so it never nags you again.

And there are people out there who do it all the time. For example a customer of mine bought a computer from a guy who showed my friend the computer working in perfect order, however Windows was not activated and my firend never bothered to check because there were no warnings.

When the computer was restarted the warnings came back, but it was too late, because when he went to activate it Microsoft came back with a message saying it was a counterfeit copy of Windows. He was locked out of the computer until he had a genuine copy of Windows.

Anyway I doubt anyone will remember what to write in to find this but this is a handy little trick if you are working with computers. You can't afford to have mistakes like that because it costs you money. You really need to know every trick in the book now days...(unfortunately)

[Dak]

I never thought of that.
I know you can disable the warnings but I guess I just assumed that if its your own computer then you would know they had been disabled.
I haven't personally come across this method of fraud, so it didnt even cross my mind that someone would do this.

Just proves though.. always buy your computer stuff from someone reputable, especially if its secondhand!

[coolby]

Unfortunately I won't remember this trick but I am sure the techies would need it.