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[Sorflakne]

Ok, I've had my laptop for almost three years, with no major malfunctions (except for a modem problem that caused BSoDs last fall), and now I'm getting an Error 0xc004d401 message that says my copy of Vista's no longer valid.  I've tried typing in 'slui [xx]' to try find the software or call center number to reactivate it, but every time I hit enter, I get another error message informing me again that my Vista isn't valid and Windows will suffer limited functionability.  Anyone familiar with or seen this error code and know how to fix it?

[pwhodges]

There's usually a cause for things that happen, which is why the first thing most computer support people (including me) ask is "what did you do just before it went wrong".  Typically, the answer is "Nothing!  Well, I did just install this program, but that wouldn't affect anything, would it?"

Here is a complete technical discussion of what has happened.

A common trigger, it seems, has been some version of Avast! antivirus (which is a shame, because it's the free AV that I used to recommend - I now recommend MS Security Essentials if people want a free AV solution; but if you're prepared to pay, ESET NOD32 is simply the best).  Read about it here.  This is fixed in the current version of Avast!  More recently, other AV packages have had the same problem with Vista - read here.  This also suggests that not having Vista patched up to date is a contributory factor.

Have you tried this reactivation procedure?

1: From the Start menu, select cmd window. If cmd application is not
 visible type cmd in the "Start Search"
 2: Right Click on the cmd window
 3: Scroll down and select "Run as Administrator"
 4: run the command "slmgr -ato"
 5: Wait for sometime to see a dialog box
 6: Most likely you will see a success page.
 7: Visit http://www.microsoft.com/genuine website and validate again.
 8: Restart your computer.

[Jimmy the Squid]

I had pretty much the exact same thing happen a while back. I had a virus on my computer and I ended up reinstalling vista. Unfortunately my housemate also updated the BiOS on my laptop and I started getting that error. I called windows to get a registration key for a new copy but they refused to give me one. They said I had to call toshiba instead. Toshiba told me they could send me one but it would take 6 weeks to get it to me.

I use Ubuntu now.