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View Full Version : How many times can you install Vista before you have to reactivate?


mr. nails
11-25-2006, 03:58 PM
i'm looking all over the net and i'm seeing multiple answers to this question. does someone know how many times i will be able to install vista if i have a retail copy be4 i have to purchase a new key or what not? are all versions of vista the same for this? home? premium? ultimate? maybe home version let's you install once while ultimate let's you install multiple times? do i have to keep the same hardware, but can format and reinstall as many times as i want? if i change out the mb/cpu once i'm fucked? or maybe once and that's it? can anyone shed some light on this pic? thx.
tesco
11-25-2006, 04:08 PM
Apparantly you can change hardware once then if you change again they'll make you buy a new key but i don't know how much they'd enforce it.

If you reinstall a lot you'll probably start having problems activating online and will have to call up microsoft but from what i've heard they're pretty good about giving you a new key.
mr. nails
11-29-2006, 05:44 AM
i like to format at least twice a year. so, that said i would have to call m$ to get my key reactivated or something. seems like a gay hassle to me. this is the main reason i'm not legit. what for? for problems like this? dumb. are all versions of vista this way?
clocker
11-29-2006, 02:39 PM
The MS activation algorithm is a complete mystery to me.
Frequently at work, I must reactivate bone stock Dells etc. which have had no hardware changes and they fail to activate over the net, the computer (when you call) won't do it and I have to deal with "Sean" in India.
I've never been turned down but it is a waste of time.

On the other hand, I'm upgrading my Mom's PC for Christmas and, using her eMachines license, activated on the net a PC that didn't contain a single piece of original hardware.

Go figure.:dabs:
General2k
12-01-2006, 10:07 PM
There is this solution for XP. There should be a similar one for Vista.
Check out this Link
http://sniptools.com/tipstricks/reinstall-windows-xp-without-product-activation

If you do a search for "wpa.dbl" with some variations you might be able to find somthing.

Also found this. Hardware that WPA checks for changes and how it works.
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm