Lion - Windows 7 Product Key Rejected

M

MeaganT

Bit poster
So, I cannot enter a Windows 7 product key so that I can complete my installation. Really, I can't even get started.

Parallels Desktop 6 is installed, the very latest build has been installed and updated. Windows 7 starts to install, but at the point at which you are required to enter a product key, it won't take the key, and again, I KNOW this key will work with this CD. (NOTE: this question is NOT about activation, I can't even get that far yet.....)....There are two places where you enter the product key, and the second time is within the Windows installation and that's where the product key gets rejected, and I can't go forward with the installation.

To make sure the Product Key I was using matched the CD and was valid, I did a test install on a spare PC computer with a spare drive I had and it took the key and installed Win 7 just fine. (For those who know Win 7, you also know that you if you just install it, you can wait to activate it - Microsoft gives you 30 days to activate, so I just didn't activate the product).

Anyone have any insights? What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance
 
Depends on what Windows you have

So their are a couple of versions of Windows 7. Their is retail which you buy a copy from a big box store for example.
Then their are the cheaper copies which are called OEM. They are not supported by Microsoft per say. They are supported by the installer. If you installed and activated this copy on one computer. It will not technically be allowed to authorize on another. It should give you a screen that the copy you are activating has already been activated on another computer. You can either purchase another license or try manual activation. Most of the time you can use the manual activation over the phone. This basically resets the license to the computer you are using. You are still bound to the one license on one computer.
 
Thank you for the reply, but....

Sorry, but.....

1. Well, first of all, these are NOT OEM Windows licenses.

2. Why does this product in install Windows successfully on a blank Windows PC? Why does it work there but not in Parallels desktop?

I think it's because I have Lion installed and it's a bug with Parallels 6 and Lion, but Parallels just won't face up to it yet.
 
Sorry again, but this is NOT about ACTIVATION

And again....

I thought I was so clear in my original post: this problem IS NOT ABOUT ACTIVATION!!!

It IS about installation. The product installs just fine on a blank Windows PC. It DOES NOT install on my Parallels 6 on my iMac running Lion.

Again, again, again, and again: this problem is NOT about ACTIVATION!
 
No you were not very clear. If your ask for a product key that is about activation. You can install Windows 7 or any copy of Windows without installation. But eventually you will have to enter a valid Key. If you made the mistake of activating it on another computer with the key then Microsoft considers that key locked to that computer. As I stated and it does not matter if its OEM or Retail you have enter a valid key to activate. If its telling you that the Key does not work upon installing Windows then that copy of Windows is not a full copy and is only a upgrade. If it does not see another version of Windows it will not allow you to install. The Key is locked to either a upgrade status or a Full install.
Full install can do either a upgrade from a different version of Windows such as Vista.A upgrade simply does just that. It upgrades a Windows install such as Vista to Windows 7.
 
Thank you again

Well, thank you again, and my apologies for not being clear.

Okay, why when I use this valid licensed not-OEM copy of Windows on a empty PC, I can install it? If there is something wrong with my copy of Windows 7, why does it install just fine on an PC with newly formatted, empty hard disk on it?
 
Should be no difference

I have installed a lot of clean and upgrades. Since you can verify that you can install it on another computer I think we can safely say that the Key and disc are OK. What may be occuring is a improperly read disc on the computer you are having issues with. With Parallels it could be a failed Virtual Machine profile that see's the Windows version as the same one you are trying to install. Have you deleted any other Virtual Machine profiles of this OS? So as too start a fresh install. As I said first, it is possible the optical drive is at fault and not reading some part of the disc. If you have access to a external optical drive or another one you could try that. The only time I have had issues with Keys on installs is when the Key is typed wrong (some 8 look like B) and I finally get it right. Or the key is not for doing what you want as I said in a erlier post its a upgrade key and it won't let you do a full install without seeing another copy of Windows on the computer. My gut guess is that Parallels already see's that key in another virtual machine not sure if its from a past install or a fragmented folder of a previous attempt. You could always uninstall Parallels completely even any profiles that were setup and re install it then try Windows install. Or a extreme try would be to setup Boot Camp and try the Windows install through that. Then you could use Parallels with the Boot camp partition to run Windows in Virtual on OS X.
 
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