Vista Activation changed motherboard

[drwho9437]

So I have a copy of Vista OEM that was activated on an nForce 4 motherboard. It is quite buggy, and I am ready to call the whole thing off.

My question is, when I build I new rig will MS let me activate it on that machine. Clearly if I build again, the thing will look different to activation right? Sometimes motherboards die (in fact mine has and you can't get the exact same one).

So anyone know (from direct experience) if MS gives you any trouble to activate on a different box than the first one you tried it on?

 

[Lepard]

You have an OEM version of the OS, so changing the motherboard can be considered a new system.

You can try it, but, do not be surprised if it fails activation. At the same time you can call Microsoft and see if they make an exception as you said that you couldn't find the same motherboard.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Yes your oem copy is tied to the mb that you first installed it on. Yes you will have to phone in to ms and talk to one of their nice techs in India. If you mind your manners on the phone you might get reactivated. If you keep on calling though and don't own a retail copy of the software you'll get denied or referred to another ms department that will be happy to sell you another key.

 

[Starrx05]

MS is getting aggressive on copyright protection. This means you have less rights as computer owner. The Vista DVD you get with your system will not activate if you change your hardware, motherboard or CPU. HD or memory change is okay. Good luck calling them. Unlikely that they will let you activate again. They're easier going with the retail store bought version.

 

[drwho9437]

MS's own site says you will have to reactivate if you change motherboards if you have an OEM copy... They don't say you can't reactivate it if you do that.

I know a lot of people don't like MS. But I don't want speculation I want hard answers from people who have done it or been rejected trying.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I've probably called ms 15 times since I bought vista ultimate retail. This is why I bought the retail version because I can move it as I please or upgrade as I please as long as it's only on one machine at a time. Since my hardware is the same as the last time I phoned in to reactivate I can activate online. If I change it and do another clean install I'll have to phone them again. The last time I told them I'd called so many times that I'd forgotten just how many times it was now. I've changed out my stuff 3 times since I bought vista.

 

[QuixoticOne]

My condolences. That's like the ULTIMATE poster example of why MS / WGA sucks;
you've called them so many times to beg and plead "oh please, Microsoft, may I please use my ULTIMATE OS that I paid $400 or whatever for now that I've reinstalled my PC for the 10th time? Oh? Hey? Anil, is that you, I remember you, you've handled my last seven activations. How are the kids? Are they in college yet? Ok, thanks, I'll call back next week for another hour of soothing muzak on hold and to get my next installation key because by then I'll have changed something else about my system that upsets VISTA."

What do they charge for phone support $200/hour or whatever? They should be paying YOU to call in to request their beneficently letting you use the OS you've already paid for!

Though I own more copies of Vista than I expect I'll need anytime soon, I can certainly envy the pirated/cracked versions, at least then one doesn't have to put up with all the
Windows Genuine Disadvantage of waiting and begging outsourced phone support to use one's own bought property.

If Honda did this there'd be a traffic jam at the call center at 7:30AM while everyone requested a new key for their car so they could drive to work that day!

IMHO it wasts enough hours of my life dealing with Microsoft's buggy/broken/limited software after the product is 'working' to easily forgive wasting more hours of my life just for the permission to install it to then go through the rest of the trauma of using it.

Originally posted by: Puffnstuff
I've probably called ms 15 times since I bought vista ultimate retail. This is why I bought the retail version because I can move it as I please or upgrade as I please as long as it's only on one machine at a time. Since my hardware is the same as the last time I phoned in to reactivate I can activate online. If I change it and do another clean install I'll have to phone them again. The last time I told them I'd called so many times that I'd forgotten just how many times it was now. I've changed out my stuff 3 times since I bought vista.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Yeah but they have to reactivate me because it is retail. If it were oem I'd already have been denied reactivation. Yep the pirated version would've saved me lots of money already but I'm legit on all 4 of my machines.

 

[kylef]

Originally posted by: Starrx05
MS is getting aggressive on copyright protection. This means you have less rights as computer owner. The Vista DVD you get with your system will not activate if you change your hardware, motherboard or CPU. HD or memory change is okay. Good luck calling them. Unlikely that they will let you activate again. They're easier going with the retail store bought version.

If you purchased a retail copy of Vista, you are free to transfer that copy of Vista to any one computer, no matter what. The online activation system is primitive and will flag a key that has been activated over a certain threshold (say 5) in a given time period. Even then, all you need to do is call the phone number and explain that you are transfering the copy to a new PC. With a retail key, they will not argue.

However, if you have purchased an OEM copy of Vista, you MUST understand that it is tied to a "single system", and the definition of that system is the motherboard. This is why OEM licenses were never designed to be sold to consumers; they were only designed to be sold to system builders and assemblers.

If you sell a PC with an OEM license, the license must transfer with the PC or it becomes invalid. If you upgrade a PC with an OEM license, you are permitted to upgrade everything (CPU, memory, hard disk, video card, power supply, even the case) except for the motherboard. This is why OEM licensing is cheaper than retail: no "infinite" transfers are allowed. When the "system" (motherboard) is retired, another license must be purchased.