Windows 7 Retail

Whether a reactivation of an OEM license works or does not work is one thing - but in any case it is a violation of the EULA if you use it on another PC. But you can always try, LOL.

gregrocker said:

There really isn't a deactivated Win7. The activation servers don't know you deleted it off the disk or even that you changed the Product Key which writes a new hardware signature for the new key to the servers.

What then, does this tutorial actually do if "there really isn't a deactivated Windows 7"?

This will show you how to uninstall the product key number of a local or remote Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 computer so it will no longer be activated by that product key and left in a unactivated (deactivated/unlicensed) state afterwards.

Sorry gregrocker, I may have been a bit lost.

@whs:
Haha, as last resort, yes. I have read things now like getting lucky with a robo call or a sympathetic M$ customer support rep.

gregrocker said:

There really isn't a deactivated Win7. The activation servers don't know you deleted it off the disk or even that you changed the Product Key which writes a new hardware signature for the new key to the servers.

Only when an attempt is made to reactivate with that same key do the servers do their comparison with the existing hardware signature. My understanding is that if there's already a hardware signature tied to that key, the next question is "How many PC's is this copy of Win7 installed upon?" to which you can only answer one to proceed. It then overwrites the old hardware signature with the new one and activates. Until this happens that key sits in the servers with the old hardware signature.

Great info thanks

gregrocker said:

Good question, Kathy. I wish I'd found that tutorial earlier (thanks!) as I'd not have ventured into the subject.

I think I picked up the idea that the hardware profile associated with that Product Key is never overwritten until the Key is activated on new hardware from one of the Activation experts I trust most, the former Bill2 or Noel. We can ask Noel for sure. Until then I would go with what Shawn says since he's rarely wrong. It may just be a different interpretation of deactivation.

I think the airtight way to prove the deactivation is have a Retail license deactivated using the tutorial's methods and try to activate it again in another machine. Since it is Retail (and if the deactivation proves true), theoretically, the license should activate in that machine (because the one-activation-at-a-time rule was still honored).

Unfortunately, I'm not in the position to test this, but clearly something that makes me very curious about.

For now, I will take your advice and consider Shawn's tutorial. :)

In the past I've always deleted the old OS partition to uninstall but assumed that didn't make any difference to reactivation since how would MS servers know I'd done so? Only until an attempt is made to reactivate or Win7 connects to internet does either make contact with MS servers.

Wouldn't same be true for running slmgr -upk to uninstall Product Key? Maybe when the old key is uninstalled it deletes the old hardware profile on the old key, but I'd always learned a key continues to hold the last activation hardware profile until it is reactivated.

Maybe I wouldn't get prompted to answer "How many computers is this copy of Win7 installed upon" if I deactivated first? I will try that next time. But I still don't get how merely deactivating using an slmgr command could deactivate the key, until a new activation overwrites the old hardware profile which it does anyway.

Noel would likely know for sure as it's his specialty. My head is spinning and until I get caught up with backlog.

gregrocker said:

In the past I've always deleted the old OS partition to uninstall but assumed that didn't make any difference to reactivation since how would MS servers know I'd done so? Only until an attempt is made to reactivate or Win7 connects to internet does either make contact with MS servers.

Wouldn't same be true for running slmgr -upk to uninstall Product Key? Maybe when the old key is uninstalled or new key activates it deletes the old hardware profile on the old key? I'd always learned a key continues to hold the last activation hardware profile until it is reactivated.

Indeed, you make good points. Makes me curious all the more about the intended purpose of the deactivation tutorial. Would there be such a thing then as a "deactivated Windows 7"? I guess this is important for Retail license holders.

gregrocker said:

So deactivating the old key should be a step before deleting the old OS to free it up for reuse?

I have arrived to the same question as well. Should you be able to test this next time, I'd be interested to hear your results. :)

gregrocker said:

Noel would likely know for sure as it's his specialty. My head is spinning and until I get caught up with backlog.

I'm quite shy to approach NoelDP again as I've already done so in a previous support thread. Hopefully he swings by.

Thank you for all your help, derekimo. It's much appreciated. :)

AddRAM said:

Here ya go.

Microsoft Windows 7

Yep, big bucks.

My 4 XP retails were $99 each.