bought a new laptop, went to the update.microsoft.com to install the
latest updates and before i began the updates i was directed to a
Genuine Windows Validation page, clicked "continue" and the validation
was successful, did not complete the updates and closed the window,
after a few days i went to update.microsoft.com to install the updates
and i was directed to the same validation page, i clicked "continue"
but i got a page that said the validation failed:

Validation Failure: Product Key Failed Validation[0x80080220]  

Why did my machine fail validation?

The product key found on your computer is from a Volume License Key
(VLK), which has been blocked. A VLK is typically licensed to
organizations who want to use multiple copies of Windows. However, if
a VLK is reported as stolen or leaked, it is then blocked from passing
through validation.


If you received a computer with a VLK, and you do not have a Volume
License Agreement with Microsoft, then you may be a victim of software
piracy. If this has happened to you, please see below for the steps
you can take.


If you do have a Volume License Agreement with Microsoft, you believe
you are using the appropriate VLK assigned to your organization, and
your VLK has not been reported as stolen or lost, please contact your
system administrator, Large Account Reseller (LAR), or Enterprise
Software Advisor (ESA) to report the problem.
--------------------

now what could possibly be the problem ? i'm confused because the
first time the validation was successful.. also what i dont understand
is why i had to go through the validation thing again ??

i bought the laptop a few weeks ago from malaysia, so contacting the
seller won't be a solution.

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 22 Sep 2005 13:42 PDT

desert_rose...

These two pages from Microsoft will explain the new
Windows Genuine Advantage program, but will probably 
offer no help in resolving the situation:

Genuine Microsoft Software:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/whyValidate.aspx

How to tell if your copy of Windows is legal:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/ww/windows/default.mspx

sublime1-ga

---

Clarification of Question by desert_rose-ga on 24 Sep 2005 12:41 PDT

thanks for the comments and the links.
but can someone please explain to me why the first time i ran the
Windows Validation Assistant the validation was "Successful"! but the
second time it FAILED ?! and why was i asked to go through the
validation process again in the first place ???

The fact that Microsoft Update found that your computer has a
VLK(Volume License Key) sounds like whichever company you bought your
laptop from is trying to save money by using that key, rather than
purchasing a new copy of Microsoft Windows for each new computer they
sell(Microsoft actually has a special version of Windows for this
purpose, see below). What you can do is contact the company that your
bought the laptop from, explain to them the situation, and request a
legal copy of windows.
  As for an in-depth explanation, manufacturers of laptops, etc.
purchase a special edition of windows, called Windows OEM(Original
Equipment Manufacturer). They install that edition, and type in a
license key from a long list of ones that they've bought, paid for,
and passed on the price to you. In the case of the company that you
purchased from, they cut a corner and tried to turn some extra profit
by not actually buying a license key for your computer. They just
installed the one that they use for themselves. That the Windows
Update site denied access means that Microsoft is already aware of
their practice. It's sad what some companies will do for some extra
profit(especially in a field like computer manufacturing), but that's
life. Good Luck

If the computer is good, keep it and buy a copy of Windows....or some
alternative method of getting Windows....

In situations like this, you can often call Microsoft, explain the
situation, and the phone rep may provide you with a valid key in
exchange for reporting the organization that sold you the computer.

In addition, a valid copy of windows is not 100% necessary to keep
windows updated. According to Microsoft, you may turn automatic
updates on and windows will automatically update at a specified time,
regardless of whether or not your copy of windows has passed
validation. (ie, if you are uncomfortable with the idea of microsoft
examining your software, you may elect to not continue with validation
and use automatic updates only)

I have had this problem myself, Window Update (and all MS downloads
for XP in fact) use ActiveX plug-in in Internet Explore (IE)to check
your key code. However by default and if your worried about spyware
and virus IE limits how much a ActiveX plug-in can do and HOW LONG it
can store the information it can collect. If you turn down the
security settings for ActiveX then you should have less problems.

Also do ONLY use IE on Windows update not Firefox or Opera they won't
let the ActiveX store the info it needs then you'll get a similar
issue.

Good Luck.

You are using unauthorized, pirated software. A VLK key is given only
to a company, not to an individual, and is never for resale. As the
usage of this VLK has increased, the Microsoft anti-piracy detected it
and banned it. While you were able to use the key once but not again,
it confirms that Microsoft deactivated this VLK key because it had
been given out to unauthorized users. Buy an original copy of Windows
XP home/professional and run the msoobe.exe utility to replace your
illegal key with a legal one that you can register.

The activex is not required for validation let it download then
disable it and see. Further choose alternate validation and download
the application that give you a number to input on the MS website. But
before running it. Right click it and choose porperties and set in
caompatibility for WIN95. The number generated will always be valid
regardless of VLK

Turn to open source (Linux) or buy a nice new copy of Windows. Simple
as that, if not buy a new copy.