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#11
Activation and Windows Genuine Advantage are two different things. When you install Windows 7 it will ask for a product key. When you type that in windows verifies that it is a valid product code for the version of windows you are installing. If its not, the product code will be rejected. This all happens before windows activation takes place. If the product code is valid windows will continue with the install. Once that is complete and you boot up to your desktop for the first time windows will prompt you to activate. Your product code will be checked against the windows activation server to see if its been used on another PC, etc. Once it passes that test windows will be activated. Some versions of Windows 7 activate against the hardware. Preinstalled OEM versions that use SLP, System Locked Preinstall do this and are the most common ones used to pirate Windows 7. To combat that and other forms of piracy Microsoft instituted Windows Genuine Advantage. That does further checks and looks for hacked system files etc. Once you pass that you get the blue Genuine logo in system properties. You can pass activation but fail the WGA check.
Long story made short, if you are Genuine now, and install on the same hardware with the same product code, you should be genuine when done then too.
EDIT: The very last statement was made assuming the original install was done using an off the shelf OEM or Retail Windows 7 DVD. If its a pre-installed OEM version see my other post further on down in this thread.
Last edited by alphanumeric; 25 Jun 2011 at 18:30.