88. Run Windows Vista For 120 Days Without
Having To Activate
If you obtain an evaluation copy of Windows Vista
Microsoft allow you, by default, 30
(thirty) days grace before you are required buy a
product key code. If after the thirty day period you
have not purchased a product key for Windows Vista,
the next time you reboot Vista will open in
restricted mode and constantly nag you that your
copy of Windows Vista is Not Genuine
and, as such, many of Vista's options will stop
working.
While I agree that 30 (thirty)
days is more than enough time to evaluate the
software and thus Activate it, there may be a time
when thirty days is simply not long enough.
Of course, Microsoft will not allow more than
thirty days grace on OEM and
Retail versions of Windows. A longer period
is, of course, available to people who subscribe to
the Microsoft Developer's Network, MSDN. However,
there is a way you can actually increase the time
need to activate from the standard 30
(thirty) days to 120 (one hundred
and twenty.) I should warn you, though, that this
trick can only be used for a maximum of three times,
so don't rely upon it.
So how's it done? Well to begin with you need to
be sure that the grace period
hasn't already expired, so I suggest you try this
trick out when activation tells you that you have
2 or 3 days left, i.e.,
after 26 to 29 days have expired.
Once you know you have time left proceed as
follows:
1/ Click the Start button.
2/ In the Search box at the
bottom of the Start menu type: cmd
3/ In the top section of the
Start menu you should see the
results of the Windows search for cmd.
What you will see is the Command Prompt
application file.
4/ Right click on the
cmd application file and, from the
drop down menu, Select the run as
administrator option.
5/ The User Account Control box
will appear asking for your permission
to continue. If you are the administrator,
then press the Continue button. If
you are not the Administrator you
will need to input the Administrator credentials (user
name and password) before
you will be allowed to continue.
6/ When the Command Prompt
window opens type: slmgr -rearm and
Press Enter.
7/ Finally, Close the command
prompt window and re-start your
computer.
8/ Windows activation should now have been re-set
to 30 (thirty) days again.