Keep your genuine Microsoft products a genuine one

Most Windows users purchase a genuine copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office but later on they come to know that their copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office is not a genuine one. This post provides you some information that may help you to make a note so that the copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office stays as a genuine one. This post is not applicable for the software programs that cover Volume Licensing terms but is intended for consumer level products (like home users). Before going in detail, you must understand.

• Software programs for which the not genuine notification will appear


• Mode of purchase of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office


• Licensing terms for Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office

Software programs for which the not genuine notification will appear
All editions of Windows XP except Windows XP Professional x64 edition, all editions of Windows Vista, Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007.

Mode of purchase of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office
If the copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office was purchased directly from Microsoft or from a retail store then these products is referred to as retail copies of Microsoft products.
If the copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office came pre-installed at the time of purchase of your computer from a computer manufacturer (like Acer, Dell, HP, Sony, or other) or purchased at a later time from the computer manufacturer then these products is referred to as OEM copies of Microsoft products.

Licensing terms for Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office
The license for OEM copies of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office is not transferable. This means that Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office can be installed and re-installed only on the computer on which it came pre-installed.
The license for retail copies of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office is transferable. This means that Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office can be uninstalled from a particular computer and then installed on a different computer. A retail copy of Microsoft Windows can be installed on only one computer at any given time. Retail copies of Microsoft Office can be installed onto 1 desktop and 1 laptop. Only Office Student and Teacher 2003 and Office Home and Student 2007 can be installed on three computers in a household environment.

If the above provided information is clear then the following information will help you to keep the Microsoft product as a genuine one.
1. Do not install Windows XP or Windows Vista onto more than one computer.
2. Do not install the OEM copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office onto a different computer.
3. If the not genuine notification appears and you had not activated your copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office then try activating it and then perform the validation process.
4. Regarding the OEM copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista, the re-installation software is saved on your computer. Contact your computer manufacturer for creating the recovery disk.
5. Carry the disks of your genuine copy of Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office while taking your computer to a repair shop. If the software has to be installed then provide your disks to complete the installation.
6. Do not use other’s disks for installing Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office.
7. If you have both the trial and full version of Microsoft Office then the full version of Microsoft Office will start giving the notification that the software is not a genuine one. Uninstall the trial version of Microsoft Office. This will solve the problem.