H,
I have 2 questions (but related).
1) How do you reinstall windows 7 on a new box, will the license key work?
2) How do you install windows 7 on the same machine will the license key work second time around.
By 'work' I mean will windows activate normally? Or Do I have to get the license reset or something?
Cheers,
Pete
1. The windows key is "tied" to the motherboard of the original machine when you first activate it. You will have to use the telephone method to activate the same key on a different machine. This will deactivate Win 7 on the original machine.
2. The windows key is "tied" to the motherboard when you first activate it. If you reinstall it and have not made major hardware changes (new hard drive, new mobo), it should work fine. If not, you would use telephone activation.
Last edited by Brink; 11 Apr 2010 at 15:21. Reason: added link
ohh,the only way you could get windows 7 from one disc on to two pc's is to pirate it
Last edited by Brink; 4 Hours Ago at 04:21 PM.. Reason: added link
Thank you Brink; I should have done that in the first place.
Thankyou!
Actually not quite true :
1) If the Hardware is IDENTICAL (or even "reasonably similar") then it will work -- note I'm NOT advocating breaking the EULA - just explaining the issue. Until INTEL or other CPU manufacturers include a sort of privileged instruction like the old IBM MVS 370 / 390 mainframe one STCPUID (Store CPU ID) to identify each separate CPU (or "set of processors for duals/ quads etc) then any system based on "hardware - or basically peripheral changes" won't be 100% effective.
I've actually CHANGED a motherboard (different MODEL but same manufacturer) and swapped a DUAL for a QUAD processor and wasn't asked for re-activation -- but adding a Blu Ray device DID ask for re-activation so it's often "unpredictable" when activation is asked for when changing REAL hardware.
Note - activating Windows on another machine DOES NOT DE-ACTIVATE Windows on the machine it came from -- at least it didn't two weeks ago when a colleague of mine did this.
He has actually destroyed the original machine - so no "piracy" involved here BTW -- just informing people that the current activation procedures seem to have more holes in them than a sieve.
2) A Virtual machine can be "cloned" to as many machines as you like since this WILL run on identical Virtual Hardware. - Actually IMO MS needs to implement a different source of license for people who use Virtual machines since one of the main use for these is in testing different hardware and software options. You might not want to run Windows concurrently on many machines but as a developer you might want to TEST different configurations.
MS doesn't have a decent licensing policy in these cases for SMALL businesses or individual developers who want to do this sort of stuff. The large corporate licensing models aren't really applicable to these type of individuals --especially to those just starting out and can't afford several "un-restricted" type of Windows licenses that don't require activation.
I agree MS should be allowed to protect its intellectual copyright such as Windows - but needs IMO to formulate a much more SENSIBLE licensing policy - especially for smaller groups of users such as family's and individual developers who are often changing and testing different hardware and software configurations.
Cheers
jimbo
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