Vista Error Your Activation Period has Expired

As with every new OS you may run into this. Not to worry we have the solution. If you are seeing this Vista error when starting windows you need to activate the product.

The following are the main reasons for the vista error
The problem occurs if in Windows Vista for one of three reasons.

1. You have only 30 days to activate the product and did not do so in time.

2. Windows Vista detected a major hardware change and you did not reactivate in the 3 day grace period.

3. Your Windows Vista Version is not genuine and you were unable to activate it.

Now for the good part, it is easy to fix. Simply retype your product key in the “Activate Windows Now” display. Accept the User prompt and then type your product key again and hit next.
It is worth mentioning that if you run into any errors activating this online you can always select activate by phone and call the phone number. If you are unable to activate it over the phone through their automated activation process then call back and keep saying customer service after every prompt. After a few times of not understanding you will be transferred to a human who can help.

Another reason for this may happen when you connect to the internet through a proxy server that has basic authentication enabled. When the proxy server is configured for Basic authentication, the server requires that you type a user name and a password. However, the activation user interface does not let you enter these credentials. Therefore, the Basic authentication fails, and activation is not successful.

Here is what you can try.
1. Simply do not use the basic authentication on the proxy server or pick up that phone and activate over the phone. It is automated and should only take about 7 minutes.

This information is good for
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Home Basic/Premium/Ultimate and all 64-bit editions.