Member Avatar for DollFace

OK heres the deal. i brought this refurbished laptop about six months ago, But when i did i noticed it a said something about validating the microsoft license message at the lower right corner of my screen that just would not go away until it crashed like 2 months later. I took it back to the store owner who then charged me another hundred bucks to reinstall the microsoft software he said it needed to fix the crash. when i picked it up he said he installed windows defender which would keep it from crashing again but unfortunately its happened again. any suggestions or solutions to my problem is greatly appreciated. Im pretty good with computers if this is something i can fix myself.......Thanks.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Bob_180_Bob

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Quick expert summary tied to the thread: the “validate Windows” message plus repeat crashes strongly suggest an activation/license problem or a badly rebuilt OS image — not something fixed by “installing Windows Defender.” should ask the seller for the original recovery media and the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) or a legitimate product key; if none is provided, the copy may be non‑genuine and will cause restrictions and instability. and were right to flag the license and seller as suspect. (support.microsoft.com)

Concrete next steps to gather evidence and fix the crashes yourself:

  • Stop automatic restarts so you can note any STOP code (System > Advanced system settings > Startup and Recovery).
  • Enable small memory dumps and reproduce a crash, then collect files from C:\Windows\Minidump (or C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP). Use a simple analyzer like BlueScreenView or WinDbg to see the faulting driver/module.
  • Repair common system damage with built‑in tools (run from an elevated Command Prompt): 
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow
chkdsk C: /f /r

Collect Event Viewer entries (Windows Logs → System/Application) for timestamps that match the crash; those logs plus the .dmp files are what skilled helpers need to diagnose further. (support.microsoft.com)

If crashes continue, rule out hardware: run the Windows Memory Diagnostic and then a thorough bootable memory test (MemTest86) — bad RAM or a failing drive often produces exactly the symptoms described. If hardware is good but Windows is non‑genuine or corrupted, insist on a proper OEM recovery or a refund and reinstall from verified media with the correct product key. Back up data before any repair or reinstall. (memtest86.net)

If desired, post the exact STOP code, the most recent Event Viewer error (source + Event ID), and any .dmp filenames — that information lets responders point to a targeted fix (driver update, remove offending security software, or hardware replacement).

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Member Avatar for caperjack

"he installed windows defender which would keep it from crashing again"

comment of an armature ,and he charged you a hundred bucks!wow .

ok you really need to provide more info about the laptop and the crash ,any error messages you may receive ,check event viewer in control panel admin tools.
and when it said you needed to validate it did you try to validated it at the that time .
sounds to me like it had /has a bootleg copy of windows on, and is likely not refurbished but just a cleaned and reloaded laptop .
your computer guy sounds shady to me !

commented: Very shady indeed! +18
Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi,
I am not trying to imply you are silly, but if you got a message on your machine to activate your OS, did you try to activate it with Microsoft? Did the store owner give you a copy of the Windows OS CD with the product key? Is there a Windows sticker with the product key stuck somewhere on the machine?

Edited by Bob_180_Bob because: n/a
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