Vista reactivation question

  • Thread starter Thread starter Roger
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Roger

I have a dodgy motherboard (Asus M2A-VM HDMI) which produces a flickering
display some of the time (it's a well known fault that Asus don't seem to
able to fix). Anyway if I change the motherboard for a completely different
one, will my Vista 64 require re-activating? If so will this happen without
any problem or will it be taken as an attempt to install my copy on a second
machine and activation be blocked?

Thanks,

Roger.
 
Hi Roger,

Yes. If you change a major component then Vista will need reactivating. A
motherboard is the heart of any computer and, as such, it will need a fresh
install of Vista in order for you to get the most out of it. You will not be
able to activate online, however, but instead you will have to do this over
the phone. If you cannot activate with the automated system, then hang on
until a live person comes on the line. Explain the situation to them and they
should be able to give you the code to activate. Don't rush to do this - use
the 30 days that you have got to make sure that your computer is working as
it should.
Dwarf
 
Roger said:
Anyway if I change the motherboard for a completely different one,
will my Vista 64 require re-activating? If so will this happen without any
problem or will it be taken as an attempt to install my copy on
a second machine and activation be blocked?
Click to expand...

You may get problems with activating online, especially if you have an OEM
license, even though what you intend to do is perfectly legal under the
EULA. If that happens, use the phone activation service, and wait until an
actual person answers your phone if necessary. You need to explain the
situation to him or her.

Charlie42
 
You have one of several possibilities:

1. Your system contains an OEM version of Vista:
According to the EULA, a motherboard change is not specifically
addressed.
MS has taken the stance, quite frequently that this is an "upgrade" or
"new computer" and requires a new license.
Direct quote from MS: (Note: You are assumed to be the System Builder in
this statement.)
"Generally, you may upgrade or replace all of the hardware
components on your customer's computer and the end user may maintain the
license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software, with the
exception of an upgrade or replacement of the motherboard. Upgrading the
motherboard essentially results in a new computer, to which the original
operating system software cannot be transferred. This is not the case if the
motherboard is replaced (same make/model) due to a defect."

Since the motherboard you have has a "generic" defect, I can only assume
you are not replacing it with the same type. Therefore, this is an upgrade
and a new license is required.

Additionally, the OEM version may be tied to your current BIOS serial
number. Changing motherboards may render it non-functional.

2. The person on the phone activation doesn't care what version you have as
long as you answer "NO" to this version being installed on another computer
and subsequently provides you with the activation you seek.

An answer of no would be correct since by MS definition, a new
motherboard is a new computer and the original one has been removed. NOTE:
If OEM, this is a transfer of the software to another computer which is
prohibited, but they may give you the activation anyway.

3. It's under warranty:

Take it back to the dealer and tell them to replace it with something
that works.

4. It's not under warranty, but is OEM and MS won't activate it:

Get ASUS to replace the OEM OS since their motherboard is defective and
the OS is tied to this motherboard.

5. You have a retail version of Vista:

If less than 120 days since last activated, you will not need to speak
to anyone. Otherwise, you will have to tell your story to a person an
manually activate over the phone.
 
Everyone, thanks for your replies. Unfortunately it's an OEM license which
seems to present some worrying possibilities. I'll have to look into this
further before deciding what to do.

Roger.
 
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