Hardware change requires re-activation

schwizer · May 20, 2007

I just recently got a message that wants me to re-activate windows (Vista home premium) due to a hardware change. When i follow the steps, i get a message telling me the key is already in use (by me i guess). The link for help is pretty useless and i was hoping if anyone else has experienced a similar problem?

Cheers
Schwizer

Brink · May 20, 2007

Hi schwizer,

Your going to have to do the phone activation from Microsoft. Just select to talk to a operator and explain what you did and they'll activate it for you. You must only have it installed on one hard drive

Hope this helps you,
Shawn

Quote from MS:
To contact a Microsoft customer service representative to activate Windows by phone, follow these steps:
1. Click Control panel, point to System, and then click Activate Windows.
Or, click the Windows Activation icon in the notification area.
2. Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to active Windows now.
3. Click Read the Windows Product Activation Privacy Statement, click Back, and then click Next.
4. Follow the steps in the Activate Windows by phone dialog box, and then click Next.

Note The number appears now and differs based on the location that you select.
5. When activation is completed and you receive the following message, click OK.
You have successfully activated your copy of Windows.

z3r010 · May 20, 2007

I had to use the activation line the other day, what a pain in the arse!! it asks you to key in the massive code then tells you that your serial is in use and cuts you off, no do you want to speak to an operator no nothing just cuts you off.

The only way I could find to get to talk to somebody was to just keep keying in ### until the system gave up on me.

TBH after sp1 comes out, if there is a decent cracked Vista out there I will switch just to get away from this crap!

dmex · May 20, 2007

I hear there is/was a bug involed with that, im sure I saw a KB article and patch from WU or the microsft site...

z3r010: when I have been testing things with vista in vm I use a grub bootloader to permanatly activate ultimate...oh the irony

z3r010 · May 21, 2007

Here we go again....I updated some of my drivers last night from windows update, I reboot and its telling me I need to reactivate, I try to reactivate via the internet and my serial is in use...this is realy starting to piddle me off.

schwizer · May 21, 2007

lol this is quite the catch 22 bug because since windows update now thinks i have an invalid liscence, i can't get any upates and since i can't get any updates they can't release a patch to validate my windows.

Oh yeah i definitely typed in the valid key as well just to get the message that its already in use.

And Start --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Activate Windows doesn't seem to work for me because i don't see the option "Activate Windows"

Brink · May 21, 2007

Hi all,

Go into Device Manager and do the Roll Back Driver option under the driver tab (for the device you changed the driver on) to go back to the one that worked (still activated). Now reboot and try to download the update patch from MS while your activated. I don't know what the link is, but at least your activated for now.

Schwizer can you post the link for the patch?

Hope this helps,
Shawn

schwizer · May 21, 2007

Hmm, i can't seem to open the device manager or the control panel. When i try to open the control panel, the window just pops up and immediately closes again. Is this because i'm not activated or is there another problem?

Schwizer

Brink · May 21, 2007

schwizer said:
Hmm, i can't seem to open the device manager or the control panel. When i try to open the control panel, the window just pops up and immediately closes again. Is this because i'm not activated or is there another problem?

Schwizer

It shouldn't have any thing to do with being activated or not. I hate to say this, but this is possibly a known Virus symptom. I would run a full scan with your AV program to be safe. If it's clean, you might try just doing a restart to see if it fixes it. I don't know otherwise.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

dmex · May 21, 2007

Check if you have this patch from microsoft installed...(link)

You may be prompted to activate Windows Vista on a computer on which Windows Vista was already activated by a Volume License or OEM installation

SuperFuzz · May 22, 2007

I ran into the same thing and it was caused by the 05/21/07 Windows update KB925528, which addresses a problem with Vista when more than 2GB of RAM is present. In addition to the update resolving the problem, it also checks for any hardware changes and requires reactivation of Windows. If you have made any hardware changes since installing Vista, and I mean any, like adding RAM or adding a second video card to run SLI, it will detect you have installed new hardware and prompt you to purchase a new activation code.

I had added a second 8800 GTS and another gig of RAM, so I ran into this issue. I contacted MS tech support and after 40 minutes or so on the phone, they reactivated windows for me and made the support call free (didn't activate my 90 day free support) since their update caused the issue.

That said, they told me that many core updates will require reactivation and if any hardware changes have been made, it won't accept your old code and you will have to call them for a new code. Nice that they will resolve it but what a pain in the butt!

schwizer · May 22, 2007

Ok, so i'm pissed off........

My computer goes into "Reduced mode" because the activation period expired (even though i originally activated it).

So i try use the phone activation........i'm prompted to enter 8 groups numbers (about 6 numbers per group) to an automated telephone system. Only to tell me that they cannot validate the installation number (and i'm thinking "No schit" every person who is calling this number is calling it because thei're getting a message that sais their key is already in use, of course it can't be validated).

After the "i'm sorry the automated machine can't help you" message i get transfered to an operator. Only problem is i wait on the phone for 20 minutes only to get a message that sais no operators are available.

I call a different number today (i got the number from a technical help line and this one's supposed to be 24h) but this time i skip straight to the operator. The operator tells me to please call back in 30 minutes because thei're having some technical issues.

While on the phone with this dude, i ask him if i'm going to have to re-activate my vista everytime i make a hardware change? and he sais (hopefully someone can confirm or disprove this) i can only activate windows online once, after that, i have to re-activate windows by phone everytime i "MAKE ANY MINOR OR MAJOR HARDWARE CHANGES". If this is true then Windows XP is going to get re-installed on my computer faster than you can hit Ctrl-Alt-Del. With XP i swap hardrives, videocards, BIOS. So please someone tell me that the man from microsoft wrong.

Oh yeah thank you for the link to the patch above but there a problem with it (and i may be missing something but) in order to download the patch that solves having to re-activate windows you have to VALIDATE WINDOWS. well i can't dowload the patch to fix my "invalid" version of windows because in order to download the patch you have to validate windows.

Please Help

Schwizer

Brink · May 22, 2007

schwizer said:
Ok, so i'm pissed off........

My computer goes into "Reduced mode" because the activation period expired (even though i originally activated it).

So i try use the phone activation........i'm prompted to enter 8 groups numbers (about 6 numbers per group) to an automated telephone system. Only to tell me that they cannot validate the installation number (and i'm thinking "No schit" every person who is calling this number is calling it because thei're getting a message that sais their key is already in use, of course it can't be validated).

After the "i'm sorry the automated machine can't help you" message i get transfered to an operator. Only problem is i wait on the phone for 20 minutes only to get a message that sais no operators are available.

I call a different number today (i got the number from a technical help line and this one's supposed to be 24h) but this time i skip straight to the operator. The operator tells me to please call back in 30 minutes because thei're having some technical issues.

While on the phone with this dude, i ask him if i'm going to have to re-activate my vista everytime i make a hardware change? and he sais (hopefully someone can confirm or disprove this) i can only activate windows online once, after that, i have to re-activate windows by phone everytime i "MAKE ANY MINOR OR MAJOR HARDWARE CHANGES". If this is true then Windows XP is going to get re-installed on my computer faster than you can hit Ctrl-Alt-Del. With XP i swap hardrives, videocards, BIOS. So please someone tell me that the man from microsoft wrong.

Oh yeah thank you for the link to the patch above but there a problem with it (and i may be missing something but) in order to download the patch that solves having to re-activate windows you have to VALIDATE WINDOWS. well i can't dowload the patch to fix my "invalid" version of windows because in order to download the patch you have to validate windows.

Please Help

Schwizer

Hi Schwizer,

Go into Device Manager and do the Roll Back Driver option under the driver tab (for the device you changed the driver on) to go back to the one that worked (still activated). Now reboot and try to download the update patch from MS while your activated. I don't know what the link is, but at least your activated for now.

Hope this helps you,
Shawn

schwizer · May 22, 2007

I don't recall changing drivers for anything. Is there a way i can find out when the last driver update for each device was?

Schwizer

Brink · May 22, 2007

schwizer said:
I don't recall changing drivers for anything. Is there a way i can find out when the last driver update for each device was?

Schwizer

Ok,

Well if you didn't change any, then you might check in Windows Update under the View Update History to see if there was a driver update there. Other than that, I don't know. May have to fight MS on the phone to activate long enough to download the patch if there isn't a driver update listed.

Hope this helps some,
Shawn

dmex · May 25, 2007

I searched around to find a link to download that patch directly and couldnt find one... If you need it badly I can e-mail it to you or a more secure method try ""http://www.autopatcher.com/"" Each month they release a new autopatch with every lastest patch available to install for your specific system.

schwizer · May 25, 2007

I was able to re-activate using the phone system altough i am not happy lol.

My question is this. Will this patch allow me to make hardware changes (such as installing new drivers, adding another hard drive, adding RAM, etc) without having to call the phone number for a re-activation code?

I belive that these changes are not unreasonable and i should be able to play with my computer without getting a headache everytime (having to phone for a re-activation code).

PS: in an earlier post mentioned that i could not go into Device Manager or Control Panel (while my windows was in "not genuine" mode), this problem fixed itself with re-activation so i am relieved that it was not a worm.

Thanks
Schwizer

dmex · May 25, 2007

I believe that is why microsoft released patch kb-931573, to fix the re-activation requests when you change your hardware.

AutoPatcher is a program to have every single patch available in one program to update a system in one go without having to download them all again, its usefull for people who dont like windows update or update a few computers and dont want to download again and again...

Arteekay · May 26, 2007

z3r010 said:
I had to use the activation line the other day, what a pain in the arse!! it asks you to key in the massive code then tells you that your serial is in use and cuts you off, no do you want to speak to an operator no nothing just cuts you off.

During the dozens of calls I've witnessed corporately over the last few years, none have taken more than 10 minutes total, including those that require telling the agent what component(s) you've changed. As well, I have never been questioned or made to feel like I was being interrogated, nor heard any first hand reports.

Although, I do admit that it is inconvenient, evidenced no more so than by overhearing "GO ON!" impatiently being yelled into the phone.

schwizer · May 26, 2007

During the dozens of calls I've witnessed corporately over the last few years, none have taken more than 10 minutes total, including those that require telling the agent what component(s) you've changed. As well, I have never been questioned or made to feel like I was being interrogated, nor heard any first hand reports.

Well both calls i've made have taken more than 10 minutes simply because after the numbers are entered into the system, it just tells you that the code can't be validated and then it just lets you hang on the phone wihout even telling you whats going on. So i feel it is very inconvenient and the fact that i have to ask microsoft for their express permission to re-activate the windows (that i bought) everytime i make a hardware change makes me feel extremely interigated.

Anyone else feel this way?

Schwizer

PS: i will download that patch and if it works then I'm happy. Altough still cranky.

Hardware change requires re-activation

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