Vista's Windows kill switch: What to do if RFM kicks in

Some people have called RFM a Windows kill switch. But rather than take other people's word for it, I sat down with a gold-code copy of Vista and examined RFM closely. I saw that RFM only gets triggered if one of three things happens:

What can you do if RFM kicks in? These are your options:

Note: If RFM kicks in, your data and programs will not be affected, and you'll still be able to boot to another operating system and access everything on the computer remotely if you need to.

By the way, one of the most common reasons for WGA and Product Activation failures is that spyware or a virus has prevented the system from validating. You can use the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Site with Vista to first determine if such a problem exists, then to take steps to correct it. If the co

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mputer warns you about Windows not being genuine, I recommend you take advantage of the grace period to get a head start on fixing the problem.

Critical note: During the Vista install process, when you're prompted to provide a license key, you'll get an option that reads "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online." If you check this box, regardless of whether you provide a license key, Vista will require activation within three days, not 30. So if you want to activate at your leisure during the 30-day grace period, be sure to clear this box when installing.

About the author: Serdar Yegulalp is editor of the Windows Power Users Newsletter, which is devoted to hints, tips, tricks, news and goodies for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP users and administrators. He has more than 10 years of Windows experience under his belt, and contributes regularly to SearchWinComputing.com and SearchSQLServer.com.

More information on this topic:

• Tip: Run Vista free for 14 days
  
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