Tag Archives: Windows 7

Be Careful Upgrading to Windows 7 SP1

Posted on by
1

Be careful when you’re prompted by Windows 7 to upgrade to Service Pack 1 (SP1). Specifically make sure that no other updates are checked off when performing the SP1 install. Having other updates checked off may result in the dreaded Blue/Black Screen of Death (BSOD), a sign of big problems.

Like all Windows service packs, Internet Explorer installs and other “large” updates I strongly recommend downloading the full install packages instead of using what comes down the pipe in Windows Update. Full packages generally do a more thorough job, at the expense of taking longer to install.

Windows 7 SP1 Full:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=c3202ce6-4056-4059-8a1b-3a9b77cdfdda

Windows Vista / Windows 7 Activation Error 0x8007232B

Posted on by
Reply

If you get this error while attempting to activate Windows…

Windows_NT_6.x_Activation_KMS_DNS_Error
…then re-enter your product key. That’s it.

You’re most likely using an enterprise copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7 (or Windows Server 2008 or R2) that’s set to activate using a KMS key, instead of a MAK key. A KMS key requires a license server on the network to activate against, which if you’re at home or in a smaller business one probably doesn’t exist. Re-entering the product key forces Windows to activate against the Microsoft server(s).