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Article ID: 271289 - Last Review: April 13, 2005 - Revision: 4.2
Microsoft Reader Error Message: You Have Reached Your Activation Limit
This article was previously published under Q271289
When you open an e-book that you purchased online in
Microsoft Reader, you may receive the following error message:
Activation Error
You have reached your
Activation limit.
The Microsoft Reader software is associated with a Microsoft
Passport Network account that is unique to the user of the Reader software. Each
Passport Network account can only be associated with two Microsoft Reader
installations.
You can Activate Microsoft Reader on up to six
computers if you use only one Passport Network account. Microsoft Reader is
associated to your Passport Network account and a unique hardware ID. This
hardware ID is generated from the volume serial number of the system hard disk.
If you reformat your hard disk and then reinstall Microsoft Reader, the Reader
software may be unable to be associated with the original Passport Network account
because formatting the hard disk changes the volume serial number of the hard
disk, which changes the unique hardware ID. As a result, you may receive the
"Activation Error" error message. For example, you receive this error message
if:
- You install Microsoft Reader on six computers, and you
associate Reader with one Passport Network account. You then reformat the hard
disk of one computer, and then try to associate the Reader software with the
original Passport Network account.
- You install Microsoft Reader on one computer, and then you
reformat the hard disk, reinstall the Reader software, and associate the Reader
software with the original Passport Network account. You then repeat this process six
more times.
This behavior is by design as required by the e-book
publishers.
Microsoft Reader can be activated on up to six computers
at the same time, but you may have to associate the Reader software with
different Passport Network accounts. If you purchase an e-book on a computer on
which you associate the Reader software with your first Passport Network account,
you cannot read that e-book on a computer on which you associate the Reader
software with a different Passport Network account.
Customers can
request more activations at:
NOTE: If you fill out the form and receive an Access Denied message or
it loops back to the same page, locate and click the "click here to submit it
for review" link. Clicking this link submits your request for more activations.
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Reader 1.0 for the Pocket PC
- Microsoft Reader 1.5
- Microsoft Reader 2.0 for the Pocket PC
- Microsoft Reader 2.0 for the Pocket PC
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