Re-activation after hardware upgrade.

I recently built my own pc using components I have purchased. I have since
upgraded the computer by adding a faster graphics card and installing an
additional hard drive in a RAID formation. When I reinstalled Vista and
tried to activate a message appeared stating that the product key had already
been used on another computer, which of course is not the case. I tried
activating the operating system on the phone with the same result. This is
rather disappointing as I have only had Vista for less than two months. Any
suggestions?

When once you changed the hard drive setup it was picked up as being a new
computer. The hard drive is worth 10 points toward a time out, and
constitutes the majority of points toward accumulating the total that causes
a reactivation. So, when you try to activate, and can't, make that phone
call.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

"TELawrence" <TELawrence@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EB7868A0-F825-42E0-AB59-C7A63C7E2CC7@microsoft.com...
>I recently built my own pc using components I have purchased. I have since
> upgraded the computer by adding a faster graphics card and installing an
> additional hard drive in a RAID formation. When I reinstalled Vista and
> tried to activate a message appeared stating that the product key had
> already
> been used on another computer, which of course is not the case. I tried
> activating the operating system on the phone with the same result. This
> is
> rather disappointing as I have only had Vista for less than two months.
> Any
> suggestions?

Just telephone the Windows Activation line and explain your problem

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
Windows - Shell/User

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
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mail/post..

"TELawrence" <TELawrence@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EB7868A0-F825-42E0-AB59-C7A63C7E2CC7@microsoft.com...
>I recently built my own pc using components I have purchased. I have since
> upgraded the computer by adding a faster graphics card and installing an
> additional hard drive in a RAID formation. When I reinstalled Vista and
> tried to activate a message appeared stating that the product key had
> already
> been used on another computer, which of course is not the case. I tried
> activating the operating system on the phone with the same result. This
> is
> rather disappointing as I have only had Vista for less than two months.
> Any
> suggestions?

When you call and it doesn't activate by the automated system, it should
forward you to a live person that you can explain what you did and they will
get it activated for you with no problem.

A pain in the butt, but its how its done these days. (I hate the
activation!)

--
Dustin Harper
dharper@vistarip.com
http://www.vistarip.com

--
"TELawrence" <TELawrence@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EB7868A0-F825-42E0-AB59-C7A63C7E2CC7@microsoft.com...
>I recently built my own pc using components I have purchased. I have since
> upgraded the computer by adding a faster graphics card and installing an
> additional hard drive in a RAID formation. When I reinstalled Vista and
> tried to activate a message appeared stating that the product key had
> already
> been used on another computer, which of course is not the case. I tried
> activating the operating system on the phone with the same result. This
> is
> rather disappointing as I have only had Vista for less than two months.
> Any
> suggestions?