Good Morning,

After working with Microsoft all week, we believe we have found a fix for the error. We have tested this on two computers that were experiencing the “This copy of Windows is not geninue” error and it worked.

How to Repair “Windows Not Genuine” Error

1. Run the “WindowsActivationUpdate.exe” file. Note that this is a Firefox plugin, so the system needs to have Firefox installed (all computers with an SCU image have Firefox).

2. The program will download and install additional files.

3. During the installation process, you will receive a software piracy warning; click on “Close”.

4. Click on “Close” when the installation says it’s successful.

5. Using Firefox, go to “www.microsoft.com/genuine/validate”. You should see a message saying it’s validating, then a website with a “Welcome to Windows!” message.

6. The computer should no longer show the “Windows is not genuine” error message.

7. Verify the system’s activation license by clicking on “Start” and type in “cmd” in the search box. When “cmd.exe” shows up, right-click on it and choose “Run as administrator”.

8. Type in “slmgr.vbs /xpr”. This will show the license expiration, which should be 180 days or so from now. (Note that the system grabs a new license every 7 days and the new license will also be good for 180 days from that point.)

9. The desktop background will remain black after activation. It is up to the customer to manually change the background to a different color or choose a wallpaper (or one of the preset Microsoft themes). Right-click on the desktop and choose “Personalize”.