What do I do when Wndows 7 is genuine but Microsft believes its not genuine?

[Malay Agarwal]

Its all in the title. Here is an attachment of the watermark. I updated through an upgrade package right when windows 7 launched and it was working flawless but since today I have this dialogue box coming up which says that your copy of windows is not genuine and stuff like that.
There's an error code at the bottom of the box which is 0xC004E002 and I have tried two or more things in fixing this but with no success.

 

[xandros9]

Re: Wndows 7 is genuine but Microsft believes its not genuine.

There's a few things you can do.

If you believe it is legitimate, call MS support with the appropriate info at your fingertips and go through the automated system. (it has treated me quite well, both when talking to a computer and to a live rep)

The install could be damaged somewhere. My oldest sister once screwed with the middle sister's PC and one of the few symptoms was it complaining about lack of genuine-ness. Either a repair install or clean install fixed it.

The usual check the disk for errors, do that sfc scannow procedure you'll be able to find with Bing, and check for any malware.

 

[RumoredNow]

Re: Wndows 7 is genuine but Microsft believes its not genuine.

Web search advises a bad tokens.dat file... The Microsoft Servers are probably detecting this during update attempts.

Here is the description and autofix button + manual solution: Error 0xC004E002 during activation for Windows

​I think I saw a sign in check as I navigated there. Be sure you are signed into your Microsoft Account to view the linked page.

 

[Malay Agarwal]

Thanks for your replies and I will try them and report back.

Okay so I tried.
Not going to be fixed.
Decided that I am going to upgrade instead and buy Windows 8. So, I will get 8.1 for free right?

 

[Microsoftjunkie]

Re: Wndows 7 is genuine but Microsft believes its not genuine.

Try activating it again. Go through the phone process. It should be an activation number plus your "key" under computer info. I had a similar problem and when I phone activated it, everything was fine.

 

[rhapdog]

Re: Wndows 7 is genuine but Microsft believes its not genuine.

I had that problem with Windows 7 on my wife's desktop once. When I asked her for the original install disc, she gave me a burned copy. It was then I learned she had bought a Windows 7 Professional "license key" online with an ISO download link. She paid $35 US for it. I just shook my head and let her know she wasted her money and why. We then went to the local office supply store, which is a national retailer, and purchased Windows 8.1 Full Version Retail.

Yes, sometimes it is a damaged file on the disk. Sometimes it is the crook that sold you Windows 7. Sometimes it is a corrupt OEM partition, like happened to my sister-in-law's Vista due to viruses.

Best of luck with whatever route you take. We don't regret upgrading to 8.1 at all.

 

[Malay Agarwal]

Re: Wndows 7 is genuine but Microsft believes its not genuine.

Thanks for all your replies, but I am now considering upgrading to Windows 8. Better to upgrade rather than try to fix this issue. But thanks.