I finally received my pre-ordered copy of Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium and promptly unwrapped the late-arriving package, which included both the 32 and 64 bit versions on DVD. Earlier in the evening, I installed VM Ware Fusion 3.0 to become compatible with Windows 7 as a virtual machine.  I was eager to see how Windows 7 compared to Vista, XP, and of course Apple’s Snow Leopard. The Windows 7 installation was the easiest installation of a Windows O/S I’ve ever done – the process was almost flawless…. except the Product Key kept popping up – “Invalid Product Key, Please Try Again.” Could I have entered it wrong? I tried once more, making sure to enter the code exactly as displayed inside my plastic Windows 7 case, but the same result occurred. I had to call Microsoft Windows Technical Support.
Here is a summary of the key points of the service request:

• Action: Tried installing Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
• Result: The product key was coming up as, “Invalid Product Key.”
• Cause: The registry settings had to be changed for the upgrade version of Windows 7.
• Resolution: Changed the registry settings and re-entered the Product Key, which allowed for Windows 7 to activate successfully.

The entire process took 3 times as long as the installation of Microsoft Windows 7, but my problem was resolved with a helpful support staff probably located in India.  I still have one question: Will everyone upgrading to Windows 7 need to change their Registry Key and re-enter the Product Key?

How many people does this effect? Thousands, I bet… Here’s a related article from PC World.