VARs Rip Vista Key Snafu

True blue Microsoft solution providers who tried to keep current with the latest Vista betas have been unable to get the right keys from Microsoft to re-activate their Vista. These activation keys should have posted in time for the January 29/30 launch, they said.

"We knew there was a key problem weeks before the [commercial] launch and so did Microsoft. I guess both sides just figured it would get sorted out in time. It didn't" said one irritated east coast VAR partner.

This is frustrating to the very sorts of partner Microsoft should be embracing—proactive VARs who tried to get their arms around Vista by using beta builds early and often.

"With any install you have to register within 30 days and once that period is up and you don't have the keys, you're dead," said this solution provider.

Several VARs pinged Microsoft within days of the launch about the issue. A technical services coordinator responded with the Web site URL for the keys. One problem: the keys were wrong.

Asked why the right keys were not yet listed on the site the answer was that the Microsoft Partner Program "is currently replicating their database with other databases. It could take several months to be up to date."

Several months?

This is not what Martha Stewart would call a good thing.

Quipped another affected partner: "It takes them several months to replicate their database? That's not a good ad for SQL Server."

Said the whistle-blowing partner: "Well I guess they solved their piracy problem."

To be fair, this particular partner has been a staunch critic of Microsoft's new Key Management Service (KMS) which requires each copy of the software to "phone home" periodically to re-register. He was starting to come around. Until this snafu, that is.

Microsoft spokespeople said they were unaware of this issue.

Key activation probs are not limited to partners. There's plenty of this short stick to go around.

See this Computerworld account about how the University of Oklahoma's mass rollout will be hindered because Microsoft has yet to make available its volume activation management tool.

And Informationweek reports that users who try to install Vista Home Premium edition purchased through the discount program got error messages indicating that registration keys they received from Microsoft are invalid.