Windows 7 - Product activation on a replacement PC

At the beginning of 2010 I bought myself a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. I can't remember precisely when I activated it but around March or April 2010. It was activated on a 32-bit machine.

I now want to buy myself a 64-bit machine. I've heard that after a certain period of time I can re-install onto a new PC but I don't know exactly what the allowed time period is. I'd like to contact Microsoft to find out my exact activation date.

Does anyone have a low cost telephone number for Microsoft in the UK? There seem to be loads of companies offering premium rate phone numbers for "Microsoft Support" but when you look a little deeper, they're nothing to do with Microsoft!!

The booklet that came with Windows 7 lists a couple of freephone numbers - but only for the US and Canada.

Also, what's the allowed time period for re-installation onto a new PC?

There is no time restriction.
Note, however, that
1) if it's an OEM copy of Windows, it cannot be transferred to a new machine. OEM Licenses are locked to the first motherboard on which they are activated

2) You will almost certainly have to activate by telephone.

Look in the Reading phone book (use Yell.com) for MS's usual UK contact details.
for Activation, the activation wizard will supply an 0800 number for you.

Thanks for the prompt reply Noel. No, it's not an OEM copy. It's the full version. I suppose I should have made a note of the 0800 number at the time but I didn't think of it.

Doesn't matter - you'll see it againwhen you get to activate the new system

You won't be able to get that from them without the original activation information, because all of that is tied to the machine hash, and if you can't provide that then MS won't be able to look it up. It doesn't matter, however, because (assuming you uninstalled it from the old machine, or the old machine went to the scrap heap and is no longer usable) you can reinstall retail copies and re-activate as often as you'd like, as long as you only have it installed and activated on one machine at any one time. If there's an issue with online activation you will have to call the number that comes up during the activation wizard sequence, but you can reinstall on a new machine if the old machine is no longer able to run Windows 7 (either dead or you uninstalled/flattened the old installation).

If you uninstall Windows 7 on one computer, and then reinstall it on another you need to follow these instructions:

Click the Start button and in the Search box type in: slui.exe 4

Press Enter and choose your country from the list then follow the instructions for telephone activation at no charge.

Pardon?

With a Retail License there is NO problem whatever with moving the license from one machine to another - but such a move will almost certainly require telephone activation so that MS can put overrides into the activation/validation system.

I've already explained the requirements to the OP - and he has acknowledged them.

Well, actually you can usually get internet activation to work if it's anywhere near 180 days after the last time it's checked in, and I've had it work about 40 days afterwards. It will eventually not work at all, but I've never had to phone to activate when moving an install. Getting Microsoft to give you your activation information won't be possible, though, hence my post.

That is total hogwash.

1) XP used to have a 120-day threshhold on system upgrades - that hasn't been the case for either Vista or Win 7.
2) While the Activation servers may have a refresh date, ALL activation and validation for ANY Key is available at need to the Acitvation operators (although this may be restricted to 2nd-level support).
3) ANY Win 7 install which goes out of 'hardware complince' will require re-activation. Occasionally, this may work by Internet, but most of the time, it will require telephone activation.
4) There is NO problem about MS transerring the activation to new hardware, so long as they don't think you are lying to them. - that's one of the reasons that Retail versions of Windows are more expensive than OEM ones.
5) there IS a threshhold for the number of internet activations of any given Key - which MS will not publish - but this is simply an administrative thing, and telephone activation is still available thereafter for the life of the Key (which is perpetual).


If you know different, please quote your source.

If you're changing hardware that frequently, yes - however, assuming you don't do this more than twice in approximately a year, the internet activation should work.

Correct, and I've not said anything different than this.

Again, you are correct, and I've not said anything different than this.

I'm not sure why you're so combative here. You're reading more into my post than is really there, it seems - I haven't contradicted you at all, at least not that I can see. Oh well, it's the internet - text doesn't have the same effect as communication in person, so maybe this is just wire-crossing.