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| Thread ID: 124930 | 2012-05-28 07:31:00 | Windows upgrade limets?? | ChazTheGeek (16619) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1277952 | 2012-05-28 08:45:00 | If you are talking about hardware upgrades then yes, sort of. When windows is installed it generates a key based on 10 items of hardware or something like that. Windows requires a set number (not sure 6 or 7) out of 10 to remain the same or you have to reactivate. Sometimes that just means contacting them for a new key, but if it's different enough to constitute a new computer in microsoft's eyes then an OEM version can't be reactivated. A retail version can always be transferred providing it's only on a single PC. On the plus side if you upgrade say a graphics card and reduce the score to 9/10 you can then upgrade it as many times as you want and still be at 9 out of ten. You only lose that point once. I'm not sure what the hardware is that is checked but I'm pretty sure it includes CPU, Graphics, and Network card. I don't know what the rest is. Any hardware that is added after installation doesn't count either unless it replaces something that was. In practice if you keep the same motherboard you can pretty much upgrade a lot without issue. My Media PC swapped CPU twice, Graphics 3 times, and RAM twice without any issues. This is all from memory from XP days and I've forgotten the specifics, but It seems likely recent versions do something similar. Additionally to this the XP activation servers only seem to remember they key for 3-4 months at which time you can reactivate a fresh install without issue. I think 7 deals with it differently. |
dugimodo (138) | ||
| 1277953 | 2012-05-28 09:53:00 | So it is true. Makes sense. | ChazTheGeek (16619) | ||
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