This copy of Windows is not genuine?

[pannoowau]

Just bought a laptop off my sister-in-law; she had a new hard-drive put in it last year. She hasn't used it since and so when I turned it on, it thinks its copy of Windows is counterfeit. I really don't want to pay $109 for a new one. That's ridiculous. In the notes the computer repairmen left I found the key and ID numbers. The error code is 0xC004F063: "Computer BIOS is missing a required license." Please help! I called the repair company and did what someone suggested: click start, computer, properties and enter the product key again but it didn't make a difference.

[breasal]

If the sticker containing the 25-character product key cannot be read anymore then your option is to buy a new key from Microsoft. A retail license for a Win 7 Home Premium edition costs $199.99. Any other solution to fix the 'not genuine' problem would be illegal.

Sorry, your sister-in-law should have taken good care of the sticker or at least wrote the key on a safe place.

Why not just install a free Linux OS like Ubuntu? Write me an email if you need further assistance.