Windows Vista Vista Ultimate Upgrade -- Re-activate?

Hello,

In around early March of this year I built a new PC and with the hardware, I also purchased the Upgrade edition of Windows Vista Ultimate. I used the trick of performing a clean Vista install, and then performing the upgrade on top of that.

Life was good until about two days ago. I installed a Windows update (I don't remember the name, I believe it was a critical update from around 6/28, maybe 7/1), rebooted and it said that Windows needs to be re-activated due to hardware changes, and gave me 24-hours to do so. It refuses to re-activate online, saying the Product code is invalid and that I need another one.

After doing some Google searches and prowling through these Forums, I haven't came across any other posts (yet?) from someone with the same problem. So my question is this; Is this an act of Microsoft tightening its grip, or did some file on my hard drive get changed/corrupted. I haven't changed any hardware on the PC, but I have been experiencing a problem with my RAM, and or my CPU and Video card.

If this is simply a problem localized around myself, I will try to re-activate by phone and see if that works.

Thanks for any support you may give...

 

Hello zVigilent,

To test the theory that it was a recent critical update(s), you can try uninstalling the update(s).

MS with Vista did "tighten the screws ". How much a factor here, can't tell.

The way you installed Vista is completely legitimate and with Ms's knowlege, lots of folks including myself have installed Vista that way.

Regards - Charles

 

I sort of wonder if there might be a bad connection in the hardware somewhere, thinking about it, maybe on the harddrive. Vista can read the information of the hardware and record it for activation, if it thinks the hardware has changed, that's probably when it will ask to reactivate.

I would open the case, pull out and reseat the connections, particularly for the HDD (one thing activation tries to overcome is cloned harddrives).

If it is still under warranty, take it back and explain the situation. I think you have lost an "activation ", which means that if you get around to changing all the hardware that is recorded for the activation process, it will terminate prematurely.

Only a theory, but if it keeps happening you will have to do a lot of explaining to MS.

Matt
Edit: I now see you built it yourself, check those connections [mmm, if it is an IDE harddrive, check the jumper settings].

 

Thanks for the help. I ended up calling Microsoft's automated activation center, and getting it re-activated.

I had a problem with one of my Corsair Dominator memory DIMMs going bad, so I'm down to 1GB untill I can get it replaced. I am still having trouble with my graphics card messing up all the time. The display hangs and then resets randomly (more frequently when CPU is under load) and Vista notifies me that my display driver stopped responding but has recovered. This is my punishment for spending to much money on a computer.

specs;
EVGA 680i SLI mobo
Intel Core2 Extreme E6800
2GB (now 1GB) Corsair Dominator 5-5-5-15 1066MHz
WD Raptor 10k RPM 150GB SATA2
BFG nVIDIA 7600 (cheap)
630W Powersupply

 

I think you should make sure the hardware is "stable" or you might find you are reactivating again (and again). Without checking, I don't think RAM is part of the recorded hardware, I know the graphics adapter is, CPU and HDD. You want to get your hardware "finalised" in the 30 days before you are forced to activate.

If there was major catastrophe at some stage and things were "reset ", that may be why you are being asked to reactivate.

The problem I might see with the graphics, apart from removing the card and cleaning the connectors with a soft pencil eraser, is that there might be a resource conflict on the motherboard. Check through the BIOS settings at startup and try disabling the onboard hardware one at a time. See if the graphics works correctly then. If there might be a conflict with say, the LAN or the audio, you can get a PCI card replacement for them.

Check the temperatures, "under load" might be significant.

Are you confident about the chipset and graphics drivers? Even the audio drivers will play a big part in something like gaming. I found updated Vista drivers for all my hardware.
...Drivers should not have an influence on reactivation though!

Matt

 

I experienced the SAME issue and had to reactivate my Vista. It gave me 3 days LOL. Microsoft is overdoing this piracy thing a little.

It was no problem as I have a legitimate copy of it, but the fact that I only had to take 5 minutes of my life to re-activate Vista was more of an annoyance than a problem. Maybe Bill Gates is peeved that he is no longer the richest man on the planet.

 

well (just saying) what if a program that you worked SOO hard at, then you sell it, then to find out it was stolen/ pirated so you cant get the money from it. But bill gates is rich enough isnt he?

 

That depends on your definition of "rich enough ", and your statement is also only an opinion. I've had my own business since I was 16, and I am an opportunist and capitalist. I got ripped off once pretty good, but I learned an expensive lesson. It's also harder to rip me off as I don't sell services or software, but rather tangible goods.

My definition of rich is to be able to live off the interest by investing my money at a low risk (think money market accounts), and also that I only have to work when I feel like it. I know I sound arrogant but I've been called "rich" by so many friends of mine, and I simply disagree. I definitely will be rich, though.