So the power supply on my 4 year l Dell went. Technically the fan on it went but either way I had to replace it. Luckily Dell was able to sell me a replacement part that was exactly the same and I was able to install it myself and t worked! Yay?
Well, apparently the hardware change somehow made Windows think it was now on a new PC because I started getting messages that my Windows was not Genuine.
I called the number that appeared on the error message and they had me run through a command and he told me my license was “Blocked” so they couldn’t do anything and I should call Dell (who sold me my original Window license). What I discovered by calling Dell is apparently they have a policy to hang up the minute you tell them you are getting a message that your Windows is not genuine. The first time it happened, I thought it was my cell phone. Calling back twice more confirmed it was a pattern. So the end result is I had to pay $116 for a new Windows license to replace the Windows license I legally owned. I am glad that my PC is back to normal but I feel a little like I was taken advantage of (but not enough to make this a pit thread).
I am leaving out some sub plots: like how a blog post I found online made me briefly believe the error was actually a virus, how the Dell rep who helped me obtain the power supply stopped returning my calls and how the Microsoft technician insisted my only option was to upgrade to Windows 8.1 (it was not. Their own web site let me buy a Windows 7 License) but I have been through the wringer these last few days and come out the other side
Looks like you’re not the first personto get skewered after the Windows Genuine Adantage tool got confused by a new power supply.
I wasn’t even aware WGA looked at the power supply. I knew it paid attention to things with serial numbers or ROM checksums like the graphics board, hard drive(s) and motherboard, and that changing too many of those at once could trip it up.
Someone, anyone, please explain how windows could possibly know anything about the power supply. I’d never heard of this and would have bet the farm that it wasn’t possible.
I know that on server motherboards, power supplies are accessible via an I2C bus and you can read things like serials, model numbers and fault status from them. I am somewhat surprised to learn that this has made its way to consumer machines though.
Well, damn, Quimby - that (the OP) sucks. I’ve also gotten a “Not Genuine Windows” message recently when looking in the Control Panel Hardware Section. I also thought it might be a virus, checked thoroughly and it came up clean. Funny thing, I know I haven’t changed any hardware in 2+ years.
In case anyone is curious. This post by Scott Adams on the Dilbert Blog is what made me concerned that it may be a virus but for a variety of reasons I have come to the conclusion that he is mistaken.
That was informative. Thankfully, I’m not getting any pop-up windows from it except as I described. Think I might do a little manual Registry searching tonight.
I don’t think that’s what jz78817 meant; it could just as easily have been a problem with the power supply, or an internal hiccup (the “Genuine Advantage” tool is great at making those), or some other such thing. But a power supply change, especially one to the same model, shouldn’t have been able to set it off like that, especially not on a personal machine.
I don’t think you should believe you’ve “learned” something here.
Look, the PSU is a mostly dumb switch-mode power supply. It has a handful of outputs: +12VDC, -12VDC, +5VDC, +3.3VDC, +5 volt standby, a bunch of grounds, and a PWR_OK line that goes high to signal the motherboard that the power supply is stable. Windows can’t tell one power supply from another because the hardware has no mechanism to do so. All of the power management stuff is handled by the motherboard hardware and firmware.
I’m not calling you a liar. I’m saying that I don’t think you know what is happening here. There is no way for a power supply swap to trigger a windows re-activation. The power supply in a consumer PC does not have any way to uniquely identify itself. All the power supply is is a little box which spits out a few DC voltages. All PC power supplies output the same voltages.
I seriously doubt you needed to get a new version. Assuming your computer came with the same Windows you are using, the activation key should have been built into your BIOS. It would not have surprised me if you could have fixed it by reinstalling with just a Windows disk (which you can also get online, sans license) and the official DELL license code–without needing to activate.
And, even if not, getting around activation for Windows 7 or lower is a solved problem, using pretty much using the same method.
It may have just been coincidence; I’ve gotten that message before. I did a little research and it seems that there are certain updates or other things that can trigger it.
I ignored it, and it went away after a day or two.