Windows activation, hardware changes

S

SittingDuck

New Member
Windows XP must be activated in order to use it for more than 30 days or so. (Annoyingly, an Internet connection is required for this). Unfortunately, there is a limited number of times that this activation can be done with one licence. When you're modding the PC, even just putting a new soundcard in, Windows thinks it's running on another computer, and says 'the hardware has changed dramatically [...]', and must be reactivated. That means that the licence will run out of activations, which results in wasted money. What to do?
 
Phone microsoft and tell them, they'll give you a code to re activate it. And ive never been asked to re activate it by putting a sound card in.
 
They'll give you a new activation key/code/whatever if you call them and tell them your situation but they will only do it if you have the full retail version. If you have an OEM version of Windows then they'll charge you $X.XX for another activation key. That's what they told me when I spoke to them.
 
you should never have to reactivate windows
just b/c you added hardware, well i've never heard of it
 
Activation

I have done more reformat / reinstalls of XP than I care to remember and for the most part it will activate over the internet without trouble. Now there has been some cases where I had to call Billy Gates to get the 42 digit code to activate XP, which bites. You talk to someone in India and you will most likely be asked how many times you have activated this copy of XP and how many PCs its installed on and maybe even the Product Key if they are in a bad mood. They however, don't care if it is OEM or Full version. I have even had to reactivate after installing RAM, but that was only once out of a few hundred times.
 
i have oem windows and i replaced my mobo and microsoft would not let me activate windows again because it was oem i had to buy another copy
 
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