Reinstall OEM version?

  • Thread starter Thread starter James Ivey
  • Start date Start date
J

James Ivey

I bought an OEM version of Home Premium.

I like to format my harddrive every couple of months and reload.

Will I be able to reinstall Vista multiple times?

James
 
James said:
I bought an OEM version of Home Premium.

I like to format my harddrive every couple of months and reload.

Will I be able to reinstall Vista multiple times?
Click to expand...

On the same PC? Yes.
 
Today, James Ivey made these interesting comments ...
I bought an OEM version of Home Premium.

I like to format my harddrive every couple of months and reload.
Click to expand...

why on God's Green Earth do you do this???
 
Thanks Tom,

What is the Activation tied to? harddrive Volume ID? Motherboard?

In other words, say I install a new harddrive and want to install Vista on
the new drive, will it let me?

I guess what I'm asking is, what constitutes a "new PC" in the OEM Vista
world?

James
 
I'm in Tech Support and like to keep my skills sharp. Plus I really like the
feeling of a nice, clean box. Kinda like detailing your car.

James
 
Everything I've heard said it's tied to the motherboard. But that's
fourth-hand info coming from me, so don't depend on that.
I think you can even change CPUs to the same motherboard without having an
activation problem.
 
If you are using a "branded" OEM disk (such as Dell, Compaq, HP, etc.), you
can normally reinstall on the same PC as many times as you like with
automatic activation. However, if you are using a generic OEM disk, the
second and subsequent times you use the OEM license key, you will be
required to call MS to activate. You will be given the phone number during
the installation. No big deal, 15 minutes. As long as you always reinstall
on the same machine you'll be good.

-Frank
 
Thanks DP. Appreciate the response.

James

DP said:
Everything I've heard said it's tied to the motherboard. But that's
fourth-hand info coming from me, so don't depend on that.
I think you can even change CPUs to the same motherboard without having an
activation problem.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you Frank. Appreciate the info. Its a "retail" OEM version. I
bought it at Fry's Electronics (retail store). Guess I'll be doing the
15-minute Activation. No big deal.

Thanks again.

James
 
James Ivey said:
I bought an OEM version of Home Premium.

I like to format my harddrive every couple of months and reload.

Will I be able to reinstall Vista multiple times?

James
Click to expand...

And why do you need to activate then? You know you can run Vista for 120
days without activating.
 
Frank Pedersen said:
And why do you need to activate then? You know you can run Vista for 120
days without activating.
Click to expand...
But aren't some features crippled until it's activated?
 
MICHAEL said:
Absolutely not.
Click to expand...

Help file says: "You have 30 days after installing Windows to activate it
online or by telephone. If this 30-day period expires before you complete
activation, some Windows features will stop working until you activate your
copy of Windows."

Note the phrase, "some Windows features will stop working."

Of interest to the OP, I also found this: "You can reinstall Windows on the
same computer as many times as you want because activation pairs the Windows
product key with information about your computer's hardware. If you make a
significant hardware change, you might have to activate Windows again."
 
Today, James Ivey made these interesting comments ...
I'm in Tech Support and like to keep my skills sharp. Plus I
really like the feeling of a nice, clean box. Kinda like
detailing your car.

James
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have too much time on your hands, but if that's
what you like, go for it. But, it isn't at all like detailing a
car. What you're doing is more like taking the car completely apart
and reinstalling the very latest in parts then reassembling it.
That's also OK but seems senseless to me if the car - or your PC -
is running just fine.
 
Thanks DP.

James


DP said:
Help file says: "You have 30 days after installing Windows to activate it
online or by telephone. If this 30-day period expires before you complete
activation, some Windows features will stop working until you activate
your copy of Windows."

Note the phrase, "some Windows features will stop working."

Of interest to the OP, I also found this: "You can reinstall Windows on
the same computer as many times as you want because activation pairs the
Windows product key with information about your computer's hardware. If
you make a significant hardware change, you might have to activate Windows
again."
Click to expand...
 
DP said:
Help file says: "You have 30 days after installing Windows to activate it
online or by telephone. If this 30-day period expires before you complete
activation, some Windows features will stop working until you activate your
copy of Windows."

Note the phrase, "some Windows features will stop working."

Of interest to the OP, I also found this: "You can reinstall Windows on the
same computer as many times as you want because activation pairs the Windows
product key with information about your computer's hardware. If you make a
significant hardware change, you might have to activate Windows again."
Click to expand...

To get 120 days of "grace" requires an elevated command prompt
and entering 'slmgr -rearm' toward the end of each 30 day period.
You have your initial "grace period" of 30 days, and then you can use
'slmgr -rearm' three times to extend the grace period for a total of 120 days.
There is an additional method that can actually extend that, too.
That info is also in this newsgroup.

If a user goes past the grace period, Vista will enter "Reduced Functionality Mode".
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925582
The behavior of reduced functionality mode in Windows Vista.

So long as a user is within the "grace period", *all* features work
and you may also download *all* updates.


-Michael
 
James Ivey said:
I'm in Tech Support and like to keep my skills sharp.
Click to expand...


OK, I'll bite. How does repeatedly performing the same mind-numbingly
simple task over and over again keep your "skills sharp?" Such unnecessary,
repetitive drudgery usually has just the opposite affect on most people.


Plus I really like the feeling of a nice, clean box. Kinda like detailing
your car.
Click to expand...

Which doesn't normally entail scrapping the car and building a new one
every few weeks.
 
Why don't you build it clean, get it setup with office etc... Activate it
and then clone it or back it up with the system backup tool.

Every time you did a restore it would think it was already activated.
 
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