[DocShady]

As the title shows, I am installing a new HD in my computer. How I have heard that if you upgrade any part of your hardware, windows will lock you out and you'll have to call Microsoft to re-activate windows. Would this be true for my situation?

I am not upgrading my current HDD, which is a 320gig. That will remain as My main HDD and I am adding a 500gig for storage. Thanks in advance

[atomic tofu]

Windows uses a certain hardware hash to determine how "different" a computer is. As far as I know if you have the same mobo, you can swap out a ton and it will still see it as the same system. Swapping out a mobo, but having the rest the same can still be the same.

an additional HD should be nothing, I do that with my external drive, which is basically an internal drive...it's esata. My drive is 500gb, usb/esata...and I take this back and forth between my Vista, XP media center and xp home...no problem.

[Saxon]

I think and I am no expert on this you are OK if you are just adding a new HD it is only if you replace the motherboard you have to call Microsoft for a new code. but as I said don't quote me on this.

[Warfighter]

You are adding an additional HD to your computer, then you don't have to worry about anything. You will still have your primary HD and this 500 GB HD is going to be a slave drive which is a secondary HD. You will not have to reactivate windows when you do this. The only time you have to reactivate widows if you move your HD to a different mobo. I hope you find this helpful and everything goes smooth for you!