Windows 7 license query

[edwardsaus]

Hi all,

I have installed Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit on my Toshiba laptop from Windows 7 DVD. The DVD provided licenses for 3 machines. Installing Windows 7 on my laptop left me with 2 licenses.

I want to uninstall and reinstall Windows 7 on my laptop. Can I reinstall it from the same DVD without surrendering another license?

Thanks,

Edwards

 

[Bill2]

This must be the win7 family pack. A reinstall on the same machine wouldnt count as an additional license unless you have changed some hardware. Be sure to use the same key.

 

[mjf]

If you did an uninstall of Windows on the laptop isn't the slate wiped clean and the OP is back to 3 licenses. Even if say major hardware changes where made to the original machine?

 

[Bill2]

What slate? How would MS servers know you uninstalled windows? The only thing those servers understand is the hardware hash that is transmitted to them when you activate, that hash is a composite of various hardware components on the computer, the most important being the mobo. Now, if you make a significant enough hardware change, then activate, it'll be a NEW hash UNCONNECTED with the old one.

Once 3 such hashes are scored, you would have used up the 3 licenses. if you attempt to activate a new set of hardware, the servers will fail you. In any case, it'll be a violation of the EULA because for MS, the mobo IS the computer. Ditto for cumulative hardware changes that add up.

 

[mjf]

If you buy a RETAIL copy of windows you can move it to whatever machine you like provided it is installed on ONE machine at any one time (in accordance with the EULA) - that's the "slate" I'm talking about. I'm assuming this is a 3 use RETAIL "family pack" deal.
If it's OEM (which we did to death yesterday) then fine it's 3 physical machines

 

[Bill2]

The family pack is indeed a retail pack and retail licenses are completely transferable, as long as one license is used only on one computer at a given time. Point is that when you uninstall on one computer and install on another, there is no corresponding RESET of hardware data on MS servers i.e. its not that the old hardware hash gets deleted and is replaced by the new one. So it may happen, particularly if you swap hardware frequently that those servers will interpret it as multiple installs with one key and reject activation.

In that case you'll need to call MS and explain to them.

 

[Ponmayilal]

..... Point is that when you uninstall on one computer and install on another, there is no corresponding RESET of hardware data on MS servers i.e. its not that the old hardware hash gets deleted and is replaced by the new one. ......

Here is a "cut and paste" from Activation Error: 0xC004C008 (Can't activate on more than one computer)

"Can You Move Windows 7 To A New Computer

If it's a retail Full or Upgrade license - yes. You can move it to a different computer as long as it's only installed on one computer at a time (and if it's a Windows 7 Upgrade version the new computer must have it's own qualifying XP/Vista license). The previous Windows 7 installation on the old computer must be formatted/deleted. You might have to call Microsoft and explain what happened to complete the activation. Activating it on the second computer will automatically in effect "deactivate" the license for the first computer. The key will work with both 32 and 64 bit, but only one can be installed at a time."

The last sentence italics made by me.

The point is if one has successfully activated it on a second computer (immaterial whether such activation went through in the normal course or whether one had to call MS to activate) the previous one gets deactivated. If one now goes back to the first computer and installs it after formatting/deleting it from the second computer, he may have to reactivate it again. That is how I understand it.

 

[unifex]

Here is the Microsoft's own explanation of the issue.

 

[Bill2]

The italicized sentence is meant for the end user. A lot of users ask how they can "deactivate" windows and install it on another computer. Answer is there is no such thing as "deactivating", if you want to move a retail copy, uninstall on the first and install on the second.

The other sentence is in your post is "You might have to call Microsoft and explain what happened to complete the activation". Precisely. Because, uninstallation of windows is a LOCAL action, it has no sync with MS activation servers. If everything happened automatically and beautifully, there would have been no need to call MS ever.

 

[Ponmayilal]

The italicized sentence is meant for the end user. A lot of users ask how they can "deactivate" windows and install it on another computer. Answer is there is no such thing as "deactivating", if you want to move a retail copy, uninstall on the first and install on the second.

The other sentence is in your post is "You might have to call Microsoft and explain what happened to complete the activation". Precisely. Because, uninstallation of windows is a LOCAL action, it has no sync with MS activation servers. If everything happened automatically and beautifully, there would have been no need to call MS ever.

Yes, the wording is you might have to and not you need to.( That need will arise only if you get an activation error message,not otherwise) I have read some reports from end-users that upto two or three times the activation goes through without any need to call MS.

And going by your conception, if on the third day I decide to go back and install it on the first computer then such a reinstall should not require any activation since it would not have been deactivated.

I do agree we are debating some hypothetical situation.

 

[1Bowtie]

Hi all,

I have installed Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit on my Toshiba laptop from Windows 7 DVD. The DVD provided licenses for 3 machines. Installing Windows 7 on my laptop left me with 2 licenses.

I want to uninstall and reinstall Windows 7 on my laptop. Can I reinstall it from the same DVD without surrendering another license?

Thanks,

Edwards

You all make valid points, but had nothing to do with his original question, all he wants to do is clean install on the same laptop so the answer would be YES you can and you will be using the original license and have two left

 

[MacGyvr]

If you buy a RETAIL copy of windows you can move it to whatever machine you like provided it is installed on ONE machine at any one time (in accordance with the EULA) - that's the "slate" I'm talking about. I'm assuming this is a 3 use RETAIL "family pack" deal.
If it's OEM (which we did to death yesterday) then fine it's 3 physical machines

OEM is only good for one physical machine. There is no OEM Family Pack.

 

[MacGyvr]

Hi all,

I have installed Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit on my Toshiba laptop from Windows 7 DVD. The DVD provided licenses for 3 machines. Installing Windows 7 on my laptop left me with 2 licenses.

I want to uninstall and reinstall Windows 7 on my laptop. Can I reinstall it from the same DVD without surrendering another license?

Thanks,

Edwards

You all make valid points, but had nothing to do with his original question, all he wants to do is clean install on the same laptop so the answer would be YES you can and you will be using the original license and have two left

Thank you. This board has a reputation for going all over the map to answer a VERY simple question.

 

[mjf]

This must be the win7 family pack. A reinstall on the same machine wouldnt count as an additional license unless you have changed some hardware. Be sure to use the same key.

To 1 Bowtie & MacGyvr.
Read it slowly now.
This is the first response to the OP and it is wrong. This was the reason for my response and it was relevant to the original post. The OP would go away thinking the license would not be valid if I upgraded the hardware. It may involve a phone call to MS but it is within the terms of the EULA. Many other people read these posts and take the advice on board.
The only reason for me mentioning OEM is that those licenses do not allow PC change or significant change to hardware.

 

[gregrocker]

There isn't ever really an issue with reinstalling with the same key to the same hardware.

I believe when there is a hardware signature already associated with a specific key and you try to reactivate with changed hardware, the activation computer asks you how many machines it is presently installed upon. You can only answer "one" to proceed with activation, which updates the new hardware signature. MS views this as authorization to deactivate that key if it shows up again on any other hardware signature, including the old one.

What I haven't seen yet is how this is regulated with family 3-pack. Does it ask how many machines it is installed upon only if it shows 3 hardware signatures already locked to key? And if you answer "yes" how does it know which one to release in MS activation computers if it uses the same key for all 3?

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has experienced this.

 

[Kari]

I have succesfully used this method to first uninstall the product key always before reinstalling. I am of course not sure if it's because of this, or because of other reasons, but I have never had any problems re-using the product key after following this simple procedure.

Kari

 

[Tepid]

The super simple answer is,,,,

Reinstall and activate and call MS if there is an issue.
If you can prove that you are in the right, you will not have any problems.

 

[unifex]

Although I think all angles of this issue have been covered already, let me quote Microsoft:

If you changed your hardware, reinstalled Windows 7, or transferred your product key, you'll need to activate Windows 7 using the automated telephone system.

If activation isn't successful, stay on the line to be transferred to a product activation agent who can assist you.

Most licenses only allow you to install and activate one copy of Windows on one computer, but some allow more.

If you've used all of the installations that your license allows and you want to add more, you can buy additional copies of Windows 7.

You can only transfer your product key to another computer if you purchased a retail copy of Windows 7 separately.

I think this summarizes nicely everything that has already been said in this thread. Source.