Windows Vista Activation Grace Period and 5 License States Explained
After installing Windows Vista, each Windows Vista install will have 30-days grace period to activate Windows Vista with various methods that provided by Microsoft, and depending on how you purchase the Windows Vista. And you should know that the term “grace period” refers to a length of 30 days, the time that users are required to activate Windows Vista, or time that Vista still allows any necessary actions to return the computer to the Licensed state. Although hackers have found way to mess with the activation grace period for virtually unlimited grace period, it’s still interesting to know about the 5 license states that available in Windows Vista.
License states are been used by Windows Vista to track activation. The five license states that are used by Windows Vista are Licensed, Initial Grace (OOB), Non-Genuine Grace, Out-of-Tolerance Grace, and Unlicensed.
Licensed Windows Vista State
A “Licensed” computer is a Windows Vista PC that has been properly activated. Activation can happen in several ways including Internet and phone activation. Additionally, KMS clients can activate themselves after contacting an activated KMS.
Initial Grace Windows Vista State
Initial Grace (or OOB Grace) starts the first time you start your computer after you install the operating system, and has a duration of 30 days. You can activate Windows Vista computer anytime during the 30 days. The Initial Grace period can be restarted by running sysprep /generalize, or by using slmgr.vbs –rearm. Once restart, these processes reset the Initial Grace timer to 30 days, but the reset will only work three times.
Non-Genuine Grace Windows Vista State
Non-Genuine Grace occurs only on a computer that has the Windows Genuine ActiveX control installed, and then fails Genuine Validation. The computer is marked non-Genuine, and the License State may be changed to non-Genuine Grace. If this happens, non-Genuine Grace provides 30 days for the computer to be re-activated and validated Genuine by re-visiting the WGA website at http://www.microsoft.com/genuine.
Out-of-Tolerance Grace Windows Vista State
Out of Tolerance Grace begins when cumulative hardware changes on an activated computer push it beyond a tolerance level, or when a KMS client goes for 180 days without contacting a KMS. OOT Grace provides 30 days for a computer to be re-activated. A computer may be activated and then fall into OOT grace any number of times, and each time the OOT Grace timer will be reset to 30 days.
“Unlicensed” Windows Vista State
If you don’t activate Windows Vista within grace period, or when any grace period is allowed to expire, the computer becomes Unlicensed. An Unlicensed computer runs in Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM), where users has very limited access to the system in one-hour increments, and presents a window containing links to properly license and activate the computer. If the computer falls into RFM from non-Genuine Grace, the user is presented with a window containing links and solutions specific to recovery from non-Genuine RFM.
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Entries (RSS)
January 10th, 2007 02:03
Good Day,
I downloaded the Vista Beta 2 but now I need a Product Key to Install DVD.
Can you assist
Kenny
January 18th, 2007 00:38
[...] TimeStop v2 is a Chinese program that enhance and automate the Windows Vista activation crack of TimerStop.sys which used to permanently activate Windows Vista. TimerStop.sys hack stop the countdown timer of Vista activation, so that Windows Vista system will always have 30 days or 43200 minutes left without the need to reset or rearm the Vista timer. With countdown timer always at 30 days, technically Windows Vista is recognized as legitimate and genuine by Microsoft as evaluation period. The TimeStop crack for Windows Vista is called a idiot style of crack patch by the author, as the whole Windows Vista activation crack process is fully automated. The TimeStop patch v2 update the Timer Stopper patch (timerstop.sys) so that the crack can be applied and used to crack Windows activation on Windows Vista 64-bit (x64). Beside, it also include an algorithm to check if it’s run on Windows Vista operating system. If it detects that your OS is not Vista, it will prompt a critical error message (in Chinese language, basically mean “You aren’t using Windows Vista system, right? Are you trying to play me?”), and stop you from continue using the smart utility. Although the Vista activation crack utility is in Chinese, but it should work on English edition of Vista, as the core of it, TimerStop.sys is the same. [...]
January 29th, 2007 22:31
[...] KMS (Key Management Service) server. If the Windows Vista installation is not activated within the grace period, or been validated by Windows Vista Genuine Advantage as not genuine after activation (less severe [...]
February 11th, 2007 03:34
[...] Microsoft into thinking that your installation of Windows Vista is just happen, and still in the initial grace period. The trick should work out-of-the-box the first time, but if it fails, or starts counting timer [...]
April 9th, 2007 00:33
[...] Windows Vista Activation Grace Period and 5 License States Explained An excellent overview of the many states your Vista license can be in. [...]
March 21st, 2008 22:43
[...] which is a patched slmgr.vbs that once installed, allows users to reset or extend Windows Vista initial grace period for Windows Vista for unlimited times. This 30-days activation bypass trick provides ability [...]