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View Full Version : Vista ultimate x64 system builder edition?

cerebrex
11-26-2007, 10:19 AM
Gentleman... please someone fill me in on any disadvantages to buying Vista x64 system builder edition for myself... it states it can't be installed on another PC... well what if that next PC is my next system...? Does it mean there is just 1 valid key... or does it mean only 1 instance one time? I'm assuming I can use this key on whatever PC I build indefinitely (as long as only 1 key is in use at a time).
shade_star
11-26-2007, 11:32 AM
Correct you stick it on one pc and then you build a new machine. You use the disk to load onto the new machine it probably wont activate. You will need to call MS to activate and tell them you loaded it onto a new machine and its no longer on your old one.
Done it plenty of times with no issues
cerebrex
11-26-2007, 11:42 AM
Correct you stick it on one pc and then you build a new machine. You use the disk to load onto the new machine it probably wont activate. You will need to call MS to activate and tell them you loaded it onto a new machine and its no longer on your old one.
Done it plenty of times with no issues

awesome, thanks man...

how exactly does it differentiate systems? Is it a percentage of total hardware changes? I'm sure theres some tolerance involved.
Danith
11-28-2007, 10:14 PM
From what I stumbled upon a couple weeks ago, it seems to make a hash from your components on your motherboard - north bridge, south bridge, network chip.. etc. I think it also takes in to account the graphics card.

Changing something like the graphics card or just the CPU won't make you activate it again, but swapping motherboards will..

edit: here's an overview of how it works for windows XP. I don't think much changed with Vista - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457054.aspx
Danith
12-02-2007, 09:18 AM
Hmm, maybe they did change it for vista.. I just imaged my 250gb OS drive and transferred the image to my raptor 160gb drive. When I booted up windows was asking for the activation again. Had to talk to the phone dude to have it activated.
TechLarry
12-03-2007, 08:05 AM
If you read the Eula, the OEM versions of MS software are for one PC, and one PC only. It is not transferrable to another PC.

Unless MS has changed the license terms for OEM installs...

The ultimate question is what constitutes a new PC, which I've never seen defined anywhere.