Microsoft Windows just FFDD me

[ronthai]

Attention, to other people who actually have an original version of Windows. I have Windows 7 Home Premium.

2 days ago my motherboard gave up, so to the shop and a new motherboard installed, no problem of course.

Yesterday, the Windows Registration Activation came up to please re-register, due to new hardware detected.

Just simple entering the standard registration key xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx, was not enough.

The Registry insisted on phone registration, so I called the toll free number and went through the whole process (9 numbers series etc.)

That was also not accepted, so got transfered to a live person (grace of God spoke good English)

Again gave her the 9 numbers series and she tells me that my original version can not be activited again due to, different motherboard, must be the same as before, which of course is after 5 years no longer made or sold.

Long story short, she refused and I told her to stuff it and will now for the first time ever get an illegal copy of the internet and will never buy Windows again.

Pppfffff, format, install, update all software again, guess I will be busy for the coming 2 days.

[Crossy]

Interesting, MS are usually pretty good at accommodating customers who have replaced failed hardware, I wonder what set off their alarm bells.

Do you know how many times you had re-installed in the past? Same machine?

[impulse]

I have Win 7 OEM version of Home Premium. Bought it in Thailand when I bought my Ubuntu O/S Laptop. All legal.

Very clearly written on the package was that the OEM version could only be installed on the original computer I first installed it on.

Sucks, but that's what I agreed to in return for getting the 50% discount that buying the OEM version got me. I'm pretty sure the full retail version would have allowed me to swap it over to the next computer I buy to replace my (now aging) netbook...

But I'm holding off for the free upgrade to Win 10. Though I'm sure a lot of us are going to be bummed out by the fact that our (legal) version of Win 7 and Win 8 don't qualify for the free upgrade. If only I hadn't bought the laptop with the Win 8.1 Bing version, or the OEM version of Win 7....

Edited March 29, 2015 by impulse

[Crossy]

And we have our first post advocating activation bypass.

Let's avoid discussing illegal activities.

Did the MS rep give you a decent reason for refusing re-activation? If not I'd be giving them another call tomorrow.

Is your copy of Windows an OEM version?

[Brit_Doggie]

Might i be so bold that in no way is it an illegal activator but have it your way mod.

[KittenKong]

Interesting, MS are usually pretty good at accommodating customers who have replaced failed hardware, I wonder what set off their alarm bells.

Do you know how many times you had re-installed in the past? Same machine?

Indeed. I have never had the slightest trouble activating Windows for myself or for clients over the phone after a motherboard replacement etc. Indeed I've done it many times for totally new replacement machines. They dont seem to care as long as there are a few months between each activation and you give them a sensible reason.

[steve187]

forget windows go Linux

[ronthai]

I had in with my previous comp which had original XP. Had no problem to get re-activated after too many times re-installing, due to format cleanups over the years.

I don't care what reason MS gives, I paid for it again with W7 and now they will not allow me. Sorry but pure robbery.

Signing of, time for a format and do it the Thai way. See you again late tonight or tomorrow.

[kkerry]

Ron, do you know if your version of W7 was a full retail version or an OEM version? If it's the second then it's not robbery at all and you need to read post #3 again.

I've gone through the Windows re-activation procedure without a problem but all my versions of W7 are full retail (more expensive than OEM). You get what you pay for...

[ronthai]

New W7 (Ultimate) installed and back online. Running all Windows updates, no problem.

My previous legal W7 is full retail, if I remember correctly I paid 4-5000 baht for it, but could have been more or less.

I do remember I was at that time already a bit pissed off, because I couldn't get the upgrade price from my original XP version.

Anyway my problem is solved and free.

Now just have to install all software again (a lot)

Edited March 29, 2015 by ronthai

[DogNo1]

Do you backup your machine to an external drive? The Win 7 Ultimate version onward has the built-in capacity to image your machine. Why not do that after you get all of your programs installed again? External USB drives are cheap and Windows will let you create a restore disk to boot from so you can restore your image. Actually, before you install your programs, why not get the Win 10 technical preview? It's free and with the increased number of programs on the web, you can probably dispense with some of your installed programs. Check out the nifty new version of Outlook which has some capabilities that gmail doesn't as well as a button on the upper left that connects you to Calendar, One Drive and the online office apps with one click. Windows 10 is getting good reviews from the various IT commentators.

[bendejo]

I have the impression that when W10 is unleashed MS will begin a whole new licensing/activation paradigm. Not looking forward to it. I'm planning going over to Unix full-time later in the year, just hope I have enough horsepower to use my Windows-based vid editing software in virtual machine.

[dharmabm]

Do you backup your machine to an external drive? The Win 7 Ultimate version onward has the built-in capacity to image your machine. Why not do that after you get all of your programs installed again? External USB drives are cheap and Windows will let you create a restore disk to boot from so you can restore your image. Actually, before you install your programs, why not get the Win 10 technical preview? It's free and with the increased number of programs on the web, you can probably dispense with some of your installed programs. Check out the nifty new version of Outlook which has some capabilities that gmail doesn't as well as a button on the upper left that connects you to Calendar, One Drive and the online office apps with one click. Windows 10 is getting good reviews from the various IT commentators.

<shudder>

sent from my slim 1+ using tapatalk

[Pib]

Expect the OP has a Win 7 Home Premium "OEM" vs a Full version. OEM version is forever linked to the first motherboard it was paired with; full version can still only be activated on one motherboard at a time but can be switched/paired to another motherboard which kills the activation on the old board. If his Win 7 came with his computer then high probability it was an OEM version. OEM version is also commonly sold in stores/online as is full version but OEM version is significantly cheaper...like around 20% cheaper usually.

[Pib]

http://www.zdnet.com/article/what-microsoft-wont-tell-you-about-windows-7-licensing/

[taotoo]

My previous legal W7 is full retail, if I remember correctly I paid 4-5000 baht for it, but could have been more or less.

My retail copy of W7 cost something like 4,600b a few years ago - I could have got the OEM version for maybe 4,000.

When I transferred it to a new pc, they kept telling me it wasn't transferable - I had to explain it was a Retail licence several times before they agreed to switch it over (not sure why the licence number wasn't obviously retail to them).

[Pib]

Over the last 10 years or so I had to call Microsoft twice to get my Windows to activate after a new install because the license number was not being accepted. One time it was an OEM version of Windows and the most recent time (about a year ago) it was a Full Retail Windows version. I both both Windows packages brand new with discs.

The first time was right after I had bought a new laptop and installed an OEM Windows XP version...the hard drive failed within a week and I took the laptop back to the U.S. store for a replacement and did get a new replacement. When trying to install the OEM XP version on the replacement laptop (the license number that had already been installed once on the returned laptop) Windows would not accept the license number....called MS and explained to them what happened...they gave me a new license number.

Second time was with my Full Retail Windows 7 version....once again it would not accept the license number when trying to install it on another one of my laptops due to the first laptop it was installed on was in the shop undergoing hopeful repair. Called MS, they did some magic on their end during the call, and then the license number was accepted/activated on my end. I told them during the call my other computer had died and laid to rest although it was still in the repair shop. Now here's the good part, that one license number is installed on "two" of my computers...it installed/activated just fine years ago when I first put it on my laptop...and when that laptop "temporarily" died about a year ago until I got it repaired I decided to put Win 7 on my other laptop still running XP as I figure the laptop that needed repair would not come back to life/come out of the repair shop. But it was brought back to life in the repair shop by replacing the motherboard VGA chip and (knock on wood) is still running fine with Win 7 on it. So, one license number is being used on two of my laptops...been on one laptop for numerous years and the other one almost for a year now. Both continue to work fine, Windows updates work, etc.

However, I have found I "can not" attempt Check for Windows Updates on both computers "at the same time," as one of them will return a strange error message (I forget the exact wording) after about 30 seconds whether there are any updates or not to download/installed. But run the Windows Update on just one computer and the updates download/install fine....wait a few minutes, and then run Check for Windows Updates on the other computer and the updates download/install fine. I figure the Windows update servers is sensing the same license number trying to get updates at the same time...a license that is only suppose to be on one computer at a time...and then returns that strangely worded error message. I've been expecting one computer to give me the message one day it is no longer activated but it's been almost a year now and that one Windows license number is running & activated on both computers.