Windows 7 is now not genuine..

[chriscool9]

Hello there all,
Basically, I installed Ubuntu by creating a new partition. All did not go well and my laptop shut down halfway through installation.
This lead to my MBR becoming corrupt. Since my Windows 7 Home Premium disk image (completely legal, I get them free through my Uni/MSDN) I couldn't repair it. So I got a friends but it turns out that his was a Windows 7 Ultimate.
Now Windows keeps telling my my copy isnt legit, but it completely is. Ive tried reentering my CD Key on the activation screen but obviously because I repaired with Ultimate, and mine is Home Premium it isnt having any of this.
I could attempt a repair MBR with my Windows copy, now I can get onto my Windows drive, but then id lose my new Ubuntu.
Anyone have any ideas please?!
Thank you

Chris

[reddevilggg]

Contact Microsoft ?

[tomibraniste]

have you try to contact them?

[chriscool9]

Not yet. Quite busy with Uni work and dont have time to be put on hold for 2+ hours. Ill give it a shot at the weekend
Thanks

Chris

[patio]

On the validation call i've never been on hold for longer than 3 minutes...and i do alot of them because many clients i have just muck things up in general...

[chriscool9]

Ahhhhh. Cheers Patio.
Might give that a go tomorrow. Day off.
Got some realllllyyy hard Java programming to get done first. I really, really do not like Java

Chris

[soybean]

Basically, I installed Ubuntu by creating a new partition. All did not go well and my laptop shut down halfway through installation.
....
I could attempt a repair MBR with my Windows copy, now I can get onto my Windows drive, but then id lose my new Ubuntu.

You seem to have contradicted yourself.  First, you imply that the Ubuntu installation was not successful, then you say you don't want to lose your new Ubuntu.  I'm confused.

[chriscool9]

Well  im an IT student studying Digital Forensics so I wanted to try and fix it myself rather then taking the easy option

[soybean]

And, what is the "easy option"?

[chriscool9]

Soy, if your insinuating that im making up an excuse to cover up that im using an 'illegal version' of Windows then thats your shout, but im not.

Anyway, Patio. I used the Microsoft Live Chat feature today and gave them my serial code off the MSDN website (it was exact as I copy and pasted it) and he said that that wasnt the right key for Windows 7 Home Premium. Which it is as Ive used it for the past 6 months.
Think im just gonna bite the bullet and do a fresh install of the whole system.

Chris

[soybean]

Soy, if your insinuating that im making up an excuse to cover up that im using an 'illegal version' of Windows then thats your shout, but im not.

Nope, I was not insinuating that.  I was just asking for clarification.  By "easy option", did you mean repair the MBR, edit the Linux GRUB bootloader, reinstall Linux to see whether that would resolve this, do a fresh install of the whole system as you mentioned, or what?