[Brtnboarder495]

I validated my copy of Vista using the CD key it came packaged with when it arrived as an OEM from Newegg.com. Everything installed fine, okay great. I then proceed to register it online. One day later, it says "hardware has been modified (I installed drivers for mobo among other ones), please register your copy of Vista". I enter the exact same product key, and it says "I'm sorry, that CD key is already in use".

WTF, YEA ITS IN USE BECAUSE I'M USING IT FULLY REGISTERED, YOU STUPID PIECE OF SOFTWARE.

/rant

Help or advice, please?

[Mak213]

Does it give a number to call M$. Explain to them the situation that you installed updated some drivers and it asked for activation. They will give you the code ot re-activate it.

The problem is OEM serials are good for only 1 activation. Since you used that and it claims to have a hardware change, which it didnt, the serial is no longer valid. So calling M$ and getting them to give you the code is the only way around this. Saldy this is a known issue. If you call and tell them you just installed drivers they will give you the code no problem.

[Brtnboarder495]

Alright, thanks. Gee, that's extremely inconvenient though. So when I upgrade the hardware again, next week, I'll have to do it AGAIN? WTF.

[jonny_uk]

see if they will give you two codes then

[Mak213]

Originally Posted by Brtnboarder495

Alright, thanks. Gee, that's extremely inconvenient though. So when I upgrade the hardware again, next week, I'll have to do it AGAIN? WTF.

Well if you gone thru all the updates and everything you shouldnt have to. The only time this should come up is when you replace your motherboard and CPU. I have added RAM, DVD drives, external hard drives, sound cards and never got prompted myself. While this is a curious bug cause it only happens to some people it is known to happen.

So while you have to do it this time you might not next time.

[Brtnboarder495]

If they had made DX10 in XP, I would have never upgraded .. grr..

[Mak213]

*yawn*
If you would have done a search thru all teh Vista topics posted here you would have seen that i stated this very fact several times. OEM is a 1 time activation. Retail is 3 times. MSDN/TechNet serials have a 10 time activation.

DX10 is not a reason to upgrade. You could have waited. You didnt have to play those games right now. You wanted to.

[J9Darkwing]

Sunday I sold my brother my old computer. I pulled out my hard drives (4) and put his new one in and installed Vista. The same vista I purchased for that computer when I first built it. After the reinstall it complained that it couldn't do the online activation so I had to call MS. So I call MS and read in the 1 billion numbers listed and the computer says it can't activate my copy of windows and gives me to a real person who promptly helped me activate the software.
Two days later my new computer pieces come in so I borrowed one of the 7800 GTX cards (have to wait a payday or two before I can buy my 8800s) from my brother and then he installed two of his hard drives from his old computer. Last night he got a message saying the hardware had changed and now he must again activate windows. What a pain in the booty. He'll be home here in about an hour and we're going to try to reactivate it. (He still has a sound card to install so he's going to do it first.) But we may end up having to buy another copy of vista for this same machine. This activation stuff is supposed to keep MS from getting ripped off but now who's getting ripped?
And to claim that changing the CPU and motherboard is the only thing that will cause this activation software to lock down your machine is just plain wrong.

[J9Darkwing]

Originally Posted by J9Darkwing

And to claim that changing the CPU and motherboard is the only thing that will cause this activation software to lock down your machine is just plain wrong.

That sounded harsher than I meant, Makaveli213. You did say changing the cpu/mb should be the only reason for activation issues and you're right.