Hi,
I bought my new laptop in Mar '10 & activated the free 1 yr Norton Internet Security 2010. Recently my laptop encounter problem & I have re-format my laptop. When i try to activate NIS using the same product key, it prompts me invalid product key, but i still have about 6 months before it expired. Please advise what should I do to continue using NIS? Thanks!
Hi,
I bought my new laptop in Mar '10 & activated the free 1 yr Norton Internet Security 2010. Recently my laptop encounter problem & I have re-format my laptop. When i try to activate NIS using the same product key, it prompts me invalid product key, but i still have about 6 months before it expired. Please advise what should I do to continue using NIS? Thanks!
Please follow the steps in the following KB article
jojo,
When you recovered by reformatting how did you do this? Did you use the recovery partition in many computers these days or did you use a set of media disks provided with the computer or made by you from the recovery partition?
Did you do a Full Factory Restore which would include software installed by the PC manufacturer or just reinstall Windows?
Your problem might be that originally you had an OEM version of NIS installed and if there is a KEY for it it is tied to an OEM version and won't work on a retail version which would be what you got if you reinstalled your NIS by downloading it from the Norton website.
Where did you find the KEY that you used?
Could you clarify this for us please.
Hi guys, thanks for the replies!
Hi Hugh,
actually I got my friend to reformat it. I guess is full factory restore coz after reformatting, it is like the 1st day when I used my laptop, which includes free 60 days trial NIS 2009. So I thought I can just input the product key which is given to me when I purchased this laptop.
jojo_205 wrote:
Hi Hugh,
actually I got my friend to reformat it. I guess is full factory restore coz after reformatting, it is like the 1st day when I used my laptop, which includes free 60 days trial NIS 2009. So I thought I can just input the product key which is given to me when I purchased this laptop.
I don't think you can just use that product key and get 60 days again since Norton builds in protection on trial installations to stop people from reusing them forever just by uninstalling the application and reinstalling it.
<< ... input the product key which is given to me when I purchased this laptop. ... >>
Where did you find this key? I thought trial installations were preactivated for the trial period and the user did not have to use a KEY.
You could talk to Customer Support on this if no-one comes in here with something more definitive:
To contact customer support Click on this link and work on from there.
You can choose CHAT or Email; phone may have a long wait time and feedback from users tells us that CHAT is by far the best at resolving problems.
Note that that link is to the USA/CAN website so if you are located elsewhere I'm sure you will be able to find the equivalent location on your local Symantec website; some pages have a link at the top right where you can select the country you are located in.
but now is a very good time to buy a key for a 2010 version since 2011 is partially released (but not yet in the stores?) so check the weekend flyers of the various computer etc high street stores since I know one is offering it for $9.99 for a 3 PC version after mail in rebates -- one of which is as an upgrader and may or may not be available to you even from your trial lversion on the PC -- I've seen some occasions when it is available if you have an OEM version on your compujter (with instructions what to send in with the rebate form) as well as an earlier Norton or even a competitors security software. You just have to check the details.
And with a 2010 KEY (or even an earlier version back to 2008) you can activate 2011 which you can now download from Norton's website.
Let us know how all this works best for you and we can give you details of the download.
Hi Hugh,
my problem is solved! Today when i start up my laptop, my NIS prompts me to login to my norton account. After login in, i did some updates. Then I click on renew subscription, thinking of trying my luck again, and i key in the product key & my subcription remaining days is extended to 181 days. Thanks for the help!
jojo,
I'm glad it got fixed -- amazing what can happen overnight when a computer is shut down .... <g>
Hello jo jo
Since your problem seems to be resolved now, can you please mark the thread which gave you the solution so that others will know it has been solved and will be able to find the solution quickly. Thanks.
jojo_205 wrote:Hi Hugh,
my problem is solved! Today when i start up my laptop, my NIS prompts me to login to my norton account. After login in, i did some updates. Then I click on renew subscription, thinking of trying my luck again, and i key in the product key & my subcription remaining days is extended to 181 days. Thanks for the help!
Just for future reference this would have been the expected result. As long as jojo_205 used the product key from the fully activated copy from before the computer was reformatted it would reinstitute the subscription that was there before this.
jojo_205, you mentioned that when the computer was restored you had NIS 2009 on there again. Or is it NIS 2010? Both are mentioned in this thread. 
You are entitled to and I highly recommend upgrading to NIS 2011 which is free since your subscription is current.
Please visit http://updatecenter.norton.com/ and you download and install NIS 2011.
Alternatively you can download the full version of NIS 2011 from here. As a precaution I would recommend to back up your Identity Safe as explained here. Also, keep your product key handy just in case.
You can try an over the top install and it will take care of removing your current version of NIS before installing NIS 2011.
Once NIS 2011 is installed, please be sure to run Live Update repeatedly (rebooting as requested) until it reports there are no more updates.
Please let us know how it goes.
Best wishes.
Allen