Hello,
I'm feeling somewhat confused about product activation lately. I'm a system builder and purchased an OEM edition of Vista Home Premium 32-bit for installation on a system that I built at the end of January. I activated the product with the supplied key no problem at that time.
However, last night Windows announced to me that my hardware had changed and that I needed to activate again within 3 days. I proceeded immediately, but it then told me that my key was "already in use" and gave me four options to proceed. First, I could buy a new key. Second, I could enter another key that I already had. Third, I could activate by telephone. Fourth, I could "Contact Microsoft to resolve this". It being late at night, and me wanting to sort this out, I chose option 3 (am now wishing I'd done option 4 and spoken to somebody). After going through a lengthy procedure involving just about 100 numbers, my activation was successful again.
What worries me is what prompted this sudden announcement of "changed hardware" and what may cause it again in the future. Since activation, I've made only token changes to this machines hardware, namely:
1) I replaced the floppy disk drive - the original one was faulty. (within 1 week of activation) 2) I installed a 9 year old PCI soundcard into the machine (about 3 weeks ago) 3) I switched off the onboard audio solution on the motherboard (the same day as this sudden notification that my hardware had changed!)
This would seem to suggest that my turning off the onboard sound was responsible somehow? (however, I do recall returning from being away a few days ago to find that the Vista assessment was claiming that I'd installed new hardware and it needed to be refreshed - before I deactivated the onboard sound)
I've tried to find a means of reporting this problem officially, but I can't seem to find one.
As I say, my worry is to the future. If I decide to install more RAM, replace the graphics card, install another HDD or two, upgrade the CPU etc. (all of these are reasonable possibilities at some point or another), what is likely to happen? I almost feel like I daren't upgrade my hardware for fear that product activation will fail (and not work by telephone this time).
Does anybody have any insight?

You can install/activate Windows Vista an unlimited # of times on the same computer. There is nothing to worry about, you just experienced the worst case of needing to activate again.
Jupiter Jones [MVP] www3.telus.net/dandemar dts-l.org
"tcn"

"tcn"

Hmm... if you think changing the onboard sound setting in your BIOS caused the activation robot to kick off, you might want to see if simply making changes in your BIOS prompts Vista to force you to reactivate. Of course, I'd do it when I had time to spend on the phone to reactivate in case that -is- the cause.
As to hw upgrades... as someone else already posted... have at it. I might consider trying to do as many updates concurrently to cut down on the number of calls into MS to reactivate.
Lang

Jupiter - my worry is, at what stage does Vista think this is not the same computer? If it's that sensitive to something simple like turning off the onboard sound, a change in CPU, increase in memory and change in GPU all in quick succession might convince it that it is no longer the same computer and that I've imaged the hard disk drive elsewhere or something.
Lang - I've changed plenty of things in the BIOS prior to this, none of which have kicked off product activation before now. I certainly don't much fancy the idea of deliberately trying to force it to reactivate, since presumably every reactivation is noted at MS's end and too many will look suspicious.
Regarding the cause of it all, I know turning off the sound is an unlikely candidate, but at the moment it's the only one I've got - I've certainly not changed anything else.

"tcn"

I understand your reticence at attempting to force reactivation. Just thought it might narrow down the cause of the reactivation kicking off. If you've make other BIOS changes, and if I missed that in your previous post I apologize, then one would think that, no, changing settings in your BIOS isn't what woke the reactivation robot.
Lang

"tcn"

Yet another example that WPA only inconveniences paying customers and does not stop piracy.
Priceless quotes in m.p.w.vista.general group: protectfreedom.tripod.com/kick.html
Most recent idiotic quote added to KICK (Klassic Idiotic Caption Kooks): "It would be nice if there was a check to see if you were running an activated/validated version of Windows before you were allowed to post in any of these news groups. If you're not activated/validated your post automatically gets deleted. That would get rid of the Linsux Luzzzzzzzzers once and for all."
"Good poets borrow; great poets steal." - T. S. Eliot

In message Nina DiBoy wrote:

It may not stop hardcore piracy, but it does stop casual "buy one license, install on all my machines" piracy.
Ah, the miracle mile, where value wears a neon sombrero and there's not a single church or library to offend the eye. Homer

And that is what it is intended to do. It was not intended to stop a determined thief, just the casual pirate who often did not realize what they did violated the agreement they had previously agreed.
Jupiter Jones [MVP] www3.telus.net/dandemar dts-l.org
"DevilsPGD"

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 12:57:04 -0500, Nina DiBoy wrote:

changes will also bring this crap up. Oh yeah, you'll NEVER get the chance to contact a human. And from the contact I did have, you're just as well off. He couldn't solve the problem. Even with full remote access. several hours, and I threw in the towel..

Who else charges you from day one for support ? The FREE support was useless. Not a great selling point for PAY support.

activation fails, and your only recourse is to repeat those hundred numbers to someone in their 2nd week of Berlitz 101. You can't understand them, and they can't understand you. Once phone activation fails, person to person is your only recourse.

activation. Phone activation is just a time waster. Voice is a killer.

theory.
If you have a CD/DVD OS, do NOT install it to ANOTHER DRIVE. Another drive = another machine. 1 license = 1 machine.
BTDT All the above. Why do I still use M$ ? other than MAC, suggest an alternative with as much software & hardware support ! Can't be done.
more pix members.toast.net/cbminfo/index.html

In message keepout yahoo.com.invalid wrote:

Well, that's the entire open source business model, for one.
Ah, the miracle mile, where value wears a neon sombrero and there's not a single church or library to offend the eye. Homer

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:06:12 -0600, "Jupiter Jones [MVP]" wrote:

Are you listening to what you're writing ? the casual pirate that didn't realize.. That's not a pirate, that's a novice computer user and 99% of the time a PAYING customer.
But being the monopoly it is, M$ doesn't need to make the distinction between an ignorant hacker and a novice computer user.
Just installing a NEW HD to replace a burned out one, to a machine, and installing the OS there is enough to violate the terms. Not exactly a pirate. Drives burn out regularly. more pix members.toast.net/cbminfo/index.html

"That's not a pirate," That is why the term "casual" is an important part. Most understand the significant difference between a pirate and a casual pirate. Both the casual pirate and determined thief are doing the same thing, using software outside the scope of the license. But the casual pirate is often unaware for various reasons. Many come to these newsgroups to seek information on becoming legitimate. There are programs to help the casual pirate become legitimate. But the determined thief will steal regardless so little anyone can do to help them go legitimate.
I am not sure what you mean by "ignorant hacker", most are far from ignorant. Hacking and piracy are not necessarily related.
"NEW HD to replace a burned out one, to a machine, and installing the OS there is enough to violate the terms" You need to read the license again. That does not violate the Windows license at all. You can reinstall Windows an unlimited # of times on the same computer. A replaced hard drive is still the same computer.
Jupiter Jones [MVP] www3.telus.net/dandemar dts-l.org
On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:06:12 -0600, "Jupiter Jones [MVP]" Are you listening to what you're writing ? the casual pirate that didn't realize.. That's not a pirate, that's a novice computer user and 99% of the time a PAYING customer.
But being the monopoly it is, M$ doesn't need to make the distinction between an ignorant hacker and a novice computer user.
Just installing a NEW HD to replace a burned out one, to a machine, and installing the OS there is enough to violate the terms. Not exactly a pirate. Drives burn out regularly. more pix members.toast.net/cbminfo/index.html

Ok, well I just did some digging in the event log. There are events for the "Security-Licensing-SLC" about a dozen times every day, all claiming "The hardware has changed", only since the day that I switched off the onboard sound in the BIOS. There are also events saying "Grace period has been started. Grace days=3 Grace type=4." to go with each one of them. What's worse is that it's still doing it since the reactivation. So where does this leave me? Do I turn the onboard sound back on or something? Why is it *still* telling me that the hardware has changed persistently. (my worry is that if I turn the sound back on, it'll ask to be reactivated again!)
Also, Windows has started behaving rather jerkily since all of this happened (e.g. screensavers jerking, start menu jerking etc.). Could this be related? Before anybody suggests it, it's not the work of a virus - I've been very carefully monitoring what processes are running on my computer and yesterday I ran a scan using yesterday's Mcafee definitions from an environment independent to the OS.

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:06:12 -0600, "Jupiter Jones [MVP]" wrote:

I'm speaking from over a years experience. I installed it on a 10 gig HD to send the machine to the shop. Instead of turning all my bank records, and data over to thieves.
When it came back, I stuck the old drive back in. just enough to screw up the license. But you go ahead and do it. You know more about it than I do after a years arguing with Mowgli who could care less. Every time I had to reactivate.

more pix members.toast.net/cbminfo/index.html

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:14:04 -0700, tcn wrote:

The jerking suggests a joke program that NOT ALL virus programs can detect. hijackthis is a program that I would recommend if your virus software doesn't fix something this weird. Then after you've run it, submit the log to the hijackthis forum, and let their experts show you where to go next. It identifies everything. Some things are bad, and others good. If you don't know the difference, you could really mess things up. more pix members.toast.net/cbminfo/index.html