Content

• Steps

Don't have a valid Windows Vista product key? Don't worry, you can still bypass those annoying pop-ups reminding you to activate the system. Vista allows you to extend your activation period to 120 days. With just a few tweaks, you can endlessly renew your activation period. You can extend the activation period even if your access to Windows is blocked.

Steps

1. 1 Open Windows if the system has locked you. Follow these steps if you are blocked by the activation timer. If you have access to the system, proceed to the next step.
   • Select "Access a reduced functionality computer."
   • Open Internet Explorer and then click File → Open.
   • Enter C: Windows Explorer.exe and click the "OK" button. Confirm the start of the program.
2. 2 Open Command Prompt as Administrator. This can be done in various ways:
   • Open the Start menu, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
   • Open the start menu, type cmdand then press the key combination Ctrl+⇧ Shift+↵ Enter.
3. 3 Enter in the command line.slmgr -rearmand press ↵ Enter. This will add an additional 30 days to the activation period. Remember to put a space between words slmgr and -rearm... A confirmation window should appear in a few seconds.
4. 4 Reboot your computer. After that, you will have an additional 30 days for activation.
5. 5 After 30 days, enter the command again. You can repeat this command 3 times. In total, this will give you 120 days to activate the product. This period is within the terms specified in the Microsoft license agreement.
   • Open a command prompt as administrator and type slmgr -xpr... Shortly thereafter, you will be notified of the remaining time.
6. 6 Start Registry Editor. By modifying the Windows registry, you can extend the activation period by one year. Microsoft prohibits such a change.
   • To open the Registry Editor, click ⊞ Win+R and enter regedit... You can also open it from the command line by typing regedit and clicking ↵ Enter.
7. 7 Use the directories on the left to navigate to the desired folder. You can expand each registry key in the left frame. Use this to navigate to the next folder:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows NT CurrentVersion SL
8. 8 Right-click on the "SkipRearm" key and select "Change ...". When you go to the folder SL, this key will be in the right frame.
9. 9 Change the "Value data" field to.1. Click OK to save your changes. This will increase the activation period to 240 days, which in total will give you exactly one year to activate the product.
10. 10 Run the command monthly slmgr -rearm. You can do this every month for the next eight months.
11. 11 Reinstall the operating system after a year. When a year has passed, reinstall Vista and start over. Vista can be reinstalled and used in about an hour. When you reinstall it, follow the aforementioned process to continue using this operating system without activating it. You never have to install an OS jailbreak program or an already modified operating system.
    • Read the article How to install Windows Vista to learn how to install this OS.
    • For the best computer performance, the operating system should be reinstalled at least once a year.