Can I reuse Vista if I upgrade my case?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wme1221
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wme1221

I have a prebuilt HP computer that came with Vista home Premium installed.
The airflow in the case isn't what I want it to be, but I like everything
else. I'm thinking about moving the whole nine yards to a bigger case with
room for a couple more fans. I'd like to avoid the expense of buying an
operating system I already have, tho. If I reuse the same motherboard, won't
I be OK from a licensing standpoint?
 
wme1221 said:
I have a prebuilt HP computer that came with Vista home Premium installed.
The airflow in the case isn't what I want it to be, but I like everything
else. I'm thinking about moving the whole nine yards to a bigger case with
room for a couple more fans. I'd like to avoid the expense of buying an
operating system I already have, tho. If I reuse the same motherboard, won't
I be OK from a licensing standpoint?
Click to expand...

Changing the case won't affect *anything*. You won't have to reinstall
Windows or worry about buying a new operating system. That said, HP
makes weird cases so make sure that the innards will fit properly into
the new case.

Alias
 
wme1221 said:
I have a prebuilt HP computer that came with Vista home Premium installed.
The airflow in the case isn't what I want it to be, but I like everything
else. I'm thinking about moving the whole nine yards to a bigger case with
room for a couple more fans. I'd like to avoid the expense of buying an
operating system I already have, tho. If I reuse the same motherboard, won't
I be OK from a licensing standpoint?
Click to expand...


If you can find a case to fit, yes, you should be OK.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
locoeng said:
I've heard that M$ is being pretty lenient with Vista purchasers and
allowing stretching the license a bit to keep users from coming down
even harder than they already are with Vista. If you have problems
activating after reinstalling I would contact M$ via phone and explain
what you are doing and you will likely get a new reg key for your
troubles.
Click to expand...

Man, your entire post is not true. Vista is stricter than XP and
changing a case will not affect the Vista install one iota. Where did
you get your information, a cracker jack box?

Alias
 
Why in the world would he have any need to reactivate? He is just changing
the case for heaven's sake. You don't really think he will have to upgrade
his case driver do you? :)
 
Colin said:
Why in the world would he have any need to reactivate? He is just
changing the case for heaven's sake. You don't really think he will
have to upgrade his case driver do you? :)
Click to expand...


Yes, I have had to reactivate Vista at least twice simply because
Microsoft said so, all I did ws turn the machine off and back on again,
so do not ridicule the OP for what is a MICROSOFT PROBLEM.

You cannot run a business by continually calling legitimate purchasers
thieves and liars... Microsoft have officially called me a thief on a
number of occasions, I know I am not and it does not bother me, but many
people it does bother and frankly if Ballmer chose to do that in person
he might well regret doing so.

The OP is right to ask, it is a legitimate question because the smallest
change in configuration used to trigger it. Lucky you if you have not
experienced it.

Things seem to have improved a lot, I hope so, but in < 5 minutes I can
be back here using Ubuntu or Debian with no such worries, why? Because
Ballmer is not allowed to deactivate me is why.
 
Moving your internal hardware to a different computer
case will not affect your Windows Vista activation status
in the least bit.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows Vista Enthusiast

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

I have a prebuilt HP computer that came with Vista home Premium installed.
The airflow in the case isn't what I want it to be, but I like everything
else. I'm thinking about moving the whole nine yards to a bigger case with
room for a couple more fans. I'd like to avoid the expense of buying an
operating system I already have, tho. If I reuse the same motherboard, won't
I be OK from a licensing standpoint?
 
Charlie Tame said:
Yes, I have had to reactivate Vista at least twice simply because
Microsoft said so, all I did ws turn the machine off and back on again, so
do not ridicule the OP for what is a MICROSOFT PROBLEM.

You cannot run a business by continually calling legitimate purchasers
thieves and liars... Microsoft have officially called me a thief on a
number of occasions, I know I am not and it does not bother me, but many
people it does bother and frankly if Ballmer chose to do that in person he
might well regret doing so.

The OP is right to ask, it is a legitimate question because the smallest
change in configuration used to trigger it. Lucky you if you have not
experienced it.

Things seem to have improved a lot, I hope so, but in < 5 minutes I can be
back here using Ubuntu or Debian with no such worries, why? Because
Ballmer is not allowed to deactivate me is why.
Click to expand...

There is no problem with the system working in a different case. As long as
it all fits in. The working parts are all the same. But the Vista COA and
licence Key is stuck to the case so the question is is it legal to change
the case. Or is the case the only thing you can't replace?
 
Darkelldar said:
There is no problem with the system working in a different case. As long
as it all fits in. The working parts are all the same. But the Vista COA
and licence Key is stuck to the case so the question is is it legal to
change the case. Or is the case the only thing you can't replace?
Click to expand...

A pair of tin snips and a little epoxy will have that old Key stuck on the
new case in no time. :o)
 
Transfer them to the new case if you can or copy them and affix the copy.
The case does not figure into what constitutes a different computer. If you
rewrap a loaf of bread it is still a loaf of bread.
 
Charlie Tame said:
Yes, I have had to reactivate Vista at least twice simply because
Microsoft said so, all I did ws turn the machine off and back on again, so
do not ridicule the OP for what is a MICROSOFT PROBLEM.

You cannot run a business by continually calling legitimate purchasers
thieves and liars... Microsoft have officially called me a thief on a
number of occasions, I know I am not and it does not bother me, but many
people it does bother and frankly if Ballmer chose to do that in person he
might well regret doing so.

The OP is right to ask, it is a legitimate question because the smallest
change in configuration used to trigger it. Lucky you if you have not
experienced it.
Click to expand...

Personally, i bought an OEM copy of Vista and after installing it on one pc,
upgraded to a quad-core pc with only one hard drive moving over (now D:),
re-installed Vista and didn't do anything different from the first time i
installed it. I've since added more drives, changed graphics cards,
upgraded BIOS, changed this and that and Vista has never once said anything
about hainv to reactivate anything.

Although i have to ask how a piece of plastic that is only connected to the
actual pc by 4 screws would ever trigger anything. Unless the pc has motion
sensors?
 
Cy!on said:
Personally, i bought an OEM copy of Vista and after installing it on one
pc, upgraded to a quad-core pc with only one hard drive moving over (now
D:), re-installed Vista and didn't do anything different from the first
time i installed it. I've since added more drives, changed graphics
cards, upgraded BIOS, changed this and that and Vista has never once
said anything about hainv to reactivate anything.

Although i have to ask how a piece of plastic that is only connected to
the actual pc by 4 screws would ever trigger anything. Unless the pc
has motion sensors?
Click to expand...


My point is that I did NOTHING at all and had to reactivate on two
occasions with two PCs.
 
Carey said:
Moving your internal hardware to a different computer
case will not affect your Windows Vista activation status
in the least bit.
Click to expand...


Should not, you cannot say "Will Not" when simply turning off the PC can
trigger it. It has happened at least twice to me for no reason at all,
just because you have not seen it does not mean it doesn't happen. If
the OP just happens to plug a drive into a different connector then who
knows? I am not being confrontational, but there have been numerous
errors in the activation model and it still isn't right, it has been
relaxed I think because people complain.
 
Charlie said:
Should not, you cannot say "Will Not" when simply turning off the PC can
trigger it. It has happened at least twice to me for no reason at all,
just because you have not seen it does not mean it doesn't happen. If
the OP just happens to plug a drive into a different connector then who
knows? I am not being confrontational, but there have been numerous
errors in the activation model and it still isn't right, it has been
relaxed I think because people complain.
Click to expand...

You stupid stiff upper lip and stiff ironing board back *clown* are you
still in the US running your big stiff mouth somewhere in Idaho or did
you get your stiff/tight butt chicks kicked back to England?
 
What does a computer case have to do with
product activation....absolutely nothing!
It's external to the internal hardware and has
no hardware identification number that
the operating system can identify!

Windows Vista Activation FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/activationfaq.mspx

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows Vista Enthusiast

---------------------------------------------------------------

Charlie Tame said:
Moving your internal hardware to a different computer
case will not affect your Windows Vista activation status
in the least bit.
Click to expand...


Should not, you cannot say "Will Not" when simply turning off the PC can
trigger it. It has happened at least twice to me for no reason at all,
just because you have not seen it does not mean it doesn't happen. If
the OP just happens to plug a drive into a different connector then who
knows? I am not being confrontational, but there have been numerous
errors in the activation model and it still isn't right, it has been
relaxed I think because people complain.
 
Carey said:
What does a computer case have to do with
product activation....absolutely nothing!
It's external to the internal hardware and has
no hardware identification number that
the operating system can identify!

Windows Vista Activation FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/activationfaq.mspx
Click to expand...


My point is that if merely turning a computer off can trigger the issue
then "Won't Happen" is not necessarily true. "Should not happen" maybe,
of course it should not.

The OP may unintentionally make a change that "Could" trigger it. I use
removable drive trays and placing a drive in the wrong tray can set it off.

I am not complaining, merely saying that it can happen and therefore
comes as a surprize when really nothing has changed.
 
Most of the time a little heat from a blow dryer or such will allow the
sticker to peel, and I always have a roll of clear plastic tape on hand for
sealing boxes, moving stickers...LOL
 
That sounds familiar, all I did was move the RAM to different slots.
I have 2 1GB sticks and 2 512MB sticks.
Once I figured out how the RAM had to be arranged to make the double data
rate actually work, I moved one stick from each bank to a slot on the other
bank.
It was 1GB each bank1 slot 1 & 2 and 512MB bank 2 slot 1 & 2.
Now it is 1GB in bank 1, slot 1 and 1GB in bank 2, slot 1 and 512MB in bank
1, slot 2 and bank 2, slot 2.
To me that is counter intuitive, but that is the way it is designed.

When I rebooted, I had to reactivate.
15 minutes on the phone for no good reason is 15 too many...
 
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