Windows 7 Beta Activation

Have you activated your copy of Windows 7 Beta yet? The Windows 7 Beta includes a 30 day grace period for activation. During the setup process an option is provided that enables Windows to attempt to activate itself automatically after three days of use.

Following is a summary of the series of events, provided by the Windows Genuine Advantage blog, that will occur if automatic activation is not selected:

• If automatic activation is not selected, after the third day, you will begin to see a message from the system tray that reminds you to "Activate Windows Now" and the time remaining in the grace period.
  
• If you take no action and click on "Ask me later", you will be presented with a message asking you to "Activate Now" on a daily basis until the 27^th day. After 27 days, if you have not activated the software you will receive the message every four hours.
  
• On the 30^th day, messages will appear every 60 minutes. When you log into their computer you will be presented with a message that asks you to "Activate Windows now" and that the activation period has expired. If you click on "Activate now" you will be launched into the standard activation process. If you click on "Ask me later" you will be presented with a notification that describes the risks associated with using non-genuine software, the benefits of genuine software, and helpful resources.
  
• If you do not activate the software within the grace period you will receive
  
  
  
  1. persistent notifications, including a message from the system tray every 60 minutes that reminds you to "Activate Windows Now"
  
  
  2. a persistent desktop notification that Windows is non-genuine, a non-genuine message that appears when the Control Panel is launched, and the desktop will be set to a plain black background. (Note: Even if you change the plain black background to any background, the background will reset to a plain black background every 60 minutes.)
  This experience will continue until the Windows 7 Beta is activated and you will not be able to receive optional updates from Windows Update unless the copy of Windows is properly activated.