Vista Activation

[TB]

Hi,


I have a question about Vista activation.


If I install, for example, the OEM version of Vista which entitles me to run

it only on one computer then what happens if I need to format that computer

and reinstall it.


How will Microsoft know it's the same computer as I installed it on the

first time?





TIA!

 

[Alias]

Hi,


I have a question about Vista activation.


If I install, for example, the OEM version of Vista which entitles me to run

it only on one computer then what happens if I need to format that computer

and reinstall it.


How will Microsoft know it's the same computer as I installed it on the

first time?





TIA!

It knows because when you first activated it, it sent the details of
your hardware to MS.

Alias

 

[TB]

So what exact information did it send, where can i find out this
information?

 

[Jakub Kaminski]

Hi,
More information you can find on microsoft web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx

Best Regards
Jakub Kaminski
Poland

 

[Alias]

So what exact information did it send, where can i find out this
information?

Just about everything. I'm not sure if MS has yet to reveal what,
exactly, Vista activation checks.

Of course, as cracked versions don't need activation, this little
feature will only inconvenience paying customers and do absolutely
nothing to stop piracy. To top it off, if Vista thinks you've changed
too much, there's a kill switch which will render you PC useless except
for going on line to buy a "genuine" copy of Vista and allow you to go
into My Documents to recover your data. After an hour, the PC will
freeze up and you'll need to reboot to get another hour. Cute, isn't it?

Alias

 

[Jakub Kaminski]

Try write again key that you have. If will not pass then call to microsoft
and talk with lady that you format your hard drive.... and you ned new
licence key.

 

[TB]

So can't you just phone them up, like in Windows XP and just get them to
regenerate the license key?

 

[Alias]

Hi,
More information you can find on microsoft web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx

Best Regards
Jakub Kaminski
Poland

No information about Vista at all on the above web site. In fact, it
only covers XP SP1. Do you have the information for Vista?

Alias

 

[Richard Urban]

It's damn cute!

Too bad they couldn't do that with stolen cars. If you don't plug a USB Key
into the dash board the car only runs for 15 minutes.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Alias]

It's damn cute!

I hope it happens to you with a legit copy of Windows so you can see how
"damned cute" it is.

Too bad they couldn't do that with stolen cars. If you don't plug a USB
Key into the dash board the car only runs for 15 minutes.

Sorry, I don't do cars. A car is the most dangerous place, bar none,
including Bagdad, to be in the world.

Alias

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Yes.

 

[Chris]

A simple answer is that you may not have to do anything. I have reformatted
and reinstalled OEM versions on my various Dell computers many, many times
and have never had a problem. I even moved my new Windows Media edition to
an older Dell when I moved my new laptop to Vista, and saw no problems, nor
did I see any evidence that the computer sent anything to MS.

 

[William]

The copy of Windows XP that came with my Gateway computer in October of 2002 installs on that computer, and also my wife's computer, also a Gateway with the same configuration that we got at the same time, already activated and both pass the WGA test.

A simple answer is that you may not have to do anything. I have reformatted
and reinstalled OEM versions on my various Dell computers many, many times
and have never had a problem. I even moved my new Windows Media edition to
an older Dell when I moved my new laptop to Vista, and saw no problems, nor
did I see any evidence that the computer sent anything to MS.

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <[email protected]> Rob

Dell's XP OEM never needed to activate as it looked for a specific Bios
during install and that's all it needed. No one knows if the Vista OEM from
Dell can/will do the same thing. My guess is that this time around everyone
will need to activate their vista oem copy. But who knows?

With Dell now selling machines which don't include Vista licenses, I'd
suspect this would be the case.

It's likely more work then having Dell issue different BIOS revisions
based on the installed OS.

 

[Robert Pendell]

I hope it happens to you with a legit copy of Windows so you can see how
"damned cute" it is.


Sorry, I don't do cars. A car is the most dangerous place, bar none,
including Bagdad, to be in the world.

Alias

Well that may happen sooner than you think as Ford is starting to sell
cars with the new MS os for cars either this year or next year.

 

[Robert Pendell]

It's damn cute!

Too bad they couldn't do that with stolen cars. If you don't plug a USB
Key into the dash board the car only runs for 15 minutes.

There is already something like that from certain manufacturer's. It is
called a coded key. Basically an electronic chip in the key that says
"OK. We can go". Otherwise the engine stalls out. Each key is unique
and the vehicle has to be programmed to accept it.

 

[Robert Pendell]

Dell's XP OEM never needed to activate as it looked for a specific Bios
during install and that's all it needed. No one knows if the Vista OEM from
Dell can/will do the same thing. My guess is that this time around everyone
will need to activate their vista oem copy. But who knows?

The Windows XP MCE version from Dell doesn't appear to check for a bios.
Try it sometime. I installed it in a VM using Microsoft VirtualPC just
for the heck of it. Not only did it complete but the system worked just
fine. I didn't try the WGA but my hunch is that it would of passed.

P.S. - My past experience says that if you installed it on a computer
that it wasn't supposed to go on (i.e. one without a Dell bios) the
activation was invalidated and the computer prompted you to activate.
This didn't happen when I did it on the VM.

 

[arachnid]

Well that may happen sooner than you think as Ford is starting to sell
cars with the new MS os for cars either this year or next year.

Lends a whole new meaning to the "Blue Screen of Death..."

 

[Richard Urban]

You have to wonder why they didn't go with the best - Linus? <grin>

Maybe because there is no official support structure available and no
physical presence behind the O/S!



--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I heard it will be called "CarHorn."