Windows 7 Product Key: Need And Activation

The one time Microsoft staple, Windows XP, saw quite a lot of success. It was easy to load and easy to use and users took to it very fast. Then Microsoft introduced the Windows Vista, which was relatively less popular and people continued to be happy with their Win XP OS. The introduction of Windows 7, thus, came as a shock for most users because it had improved vastly certain factors that made it convenient to use and increased its usefulness thereby enhancing the overall computing experience.

Some of the features that were unique to Windows 7 or were in a much improved state when compared to the older versions of Windows operating system are:

• Outlook express, which was the trusted mailing option for many, was done away with.
• Was available in both 32bit and 64bit versions with users getting a choice between the two depending on the computer hardware they possessed.
• The Aero desktop made Windows 7 the prettiest Operating system version till date.
• A completely reworked Start menu which used a conservative folder system.
• It also came with the Ribbon interface.
• Libraries, introduced in Windows 7, actually had the capability of grouping similar files together thereby making it easier for the user to find them.
• Online games were perhaps the biggest gainers with the DirectX 11 becoming an integral part of the Windows 7.
• The HomeGroup enabled simple, easy to setup and much more stable connections thereby doing away with guesswork or troubleshooting.
• Windows 7 too came with Touch support wherein this facility was introduced for the first time on a computer interface.

Windows 7 Product Key

While these characteristics made Windows 7 an operating system of interest, upgradation to this wonderful offering from Microsoft needed to be protected too. Thus this too had the concept of a product key or a 25character code comprising of characters grouped uniquely in sets of 5. Each genuine Windows 7 purchase had a product key either:

• On the sticker of a preloaded computer,
• As an email when Windows 7 was purchased online,
• On the box when purchased in its CD or DVD form etc.

Thus irrespective of the form this operating was obtained in, every legally purchased version needed a Windows 7 product key to activate and run the OS installed. Thus the functioning of the computer itself was not possible without the presence of the product key; such was its importance. Today too, the states of things remain the same.

Activation of the Windows 7 product key

The term activation using a product key refers to the process of registering the operating system, Windows 7 in this case, with Microsoft thereby legalising it. Microsoft normally gives a period of 30days for the activation of any new operating system purchased and installed. The same too is applicable with Windows 7.

In fact the seriousness of this activation lies in the fact that if no activation is done within the 30day period provided, some important features of Windows 7 gets disabled till such time as the activation is not done. This feature has been added so as to prevent piracy of the Windows 7 operating system. Thus it is always better and easier to get the activation done with the help of the product key provided during installation.

But in instances wherein automatic activation of the Windows 7 does not happen during the installation process, the same can be done by using any of the processes given below:

By using the internet:

The sequence of steps involved are:

• Clicking the Start button and selecting Properties helps to open a window displaying the System Properties,
• Selecting the Activate Windows option present at the bottom.
• The Windows 7 product key needs to be entered at the prompt and
• Clicking on the Next tab starts the process of activation of Windows 7 over the internet.

Over the telephone:

In this process too, the start button has to be clicked, the properties tab selected so as to open the System Properties Window. Then:

• The activate now link present at the bottom of the windows screen needs to be selected,
• From the Activation menu which gets opened, the option which prompts the user to use other ways of activation needs to be selected,
• The Windows 7 product key should now be entered at the prompt,
• The option for automated phone system use has to be selected then and, if prompted, the admin password needs to be provided,
• From the list of phone numbers and its corresponding installation ID, the phone numbers pertaining to locations nearest to the user needs to be called, the installation ID provided when prompted on connection and the confirmation number provided for the activation needs to be jotted down.
• This confirmation number needs to be input into the already opened activation window and the Next button clicked to complete the rest of the steps of the process.

By using the modem:

Using the process similar to getting the activation done over the phone, the other ways to activate option has to be selected. The Windows 7 product key then needs to be entered at the prompt. Then the activation using the modem option selected from the next window that opens after clicking on Next. This might also need an admin password and hence the same needs to be entered, if asked for.

Selecting the nearest location from the list and clicking on the Next tab again will try to connect and complete the activation process. A confirmation message is provided once the activation is successfully done. In order to check if the activation has been properly done, the System Properties Windows needs to be opened again. A short message stating that Windows 7 has been activated can be seen at the bottom of the screen. In this way the user can be doubly sure that the Windows 7 operating system has been actually activated. The product key used for the installation needs to be stored properly and securely so that it can be used again if Windows 7 needs to be reinstalled.