In Windows 7 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion \SoftwareProtectionPlatform\Activation In the right pane of the registry editor, you will find REG_DWORD value ‘ Manual ’. Right-click on it and select Modify. In the Value Data window which appears, change the DWORD value to 1 . The default is 0 which means auto-activation is enabled. Changing the value to 1 will disable auto-activation. Close the Registry Editor and restart your system. In Windows Vista The relevant key is: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SL\Activation