windows retail re-activation

ashagplz · 19 Jul 2010 at 21:21

with xp if you had a retail version after 3 months you could use the original key on a second computer/installation and it would activate fine and you could use both pc's at the same time. Is it right that with windows 7 retail no matter how long you wait you cant activate the key a second time on different hardware? if you can then using pc's witht he same key would be possible if you disable automatic updates i would think.

MeatLoaf · 20 Jul 2010 at 00:45

No but it wouldnt be a legal copy if you used the key twice even with XP

ashagplz · 20 Jul 2010 at 05:59

yes i know that. Im just trying to understand how it works because im hearing that when someone deactivates windows 7 retail on one machine to use on another (which is legal) they have to use phone activation because you activate the same key twice. What im not sure of is how they did this after original activation.

Brian Stuart · 20 Jul 2010 at 07:34

It seems that you are asking can you use Win 7 on 2 PCs at the same time. The answer is no and this thread is in imminent danger of being closed.

ashagplz · 20 Jul 2010 at 08:02

no im not. I will say it again. When you transfer FROM first pc to SECOND NEW PC, is this always via phone activation? Its quite simple mate, when you activate on your new and now only pc is it no longer possible to online activate?

ste-sim2x9 · 20 Jul 2010 at 09:24

I think it would be via phone activation when moving windows 7 to a new system. My brother brought a retail win 7 but uninstalled it from his pc as he wanted to put xp on and went to install the win 7 on his laptop but he had to phone microsoft as it would'nt activate.

Brian Stuart · 20 Jul 2010 at 09:28

ashagplz said:
with xp if you had a retail version after 3 months you could use the original key on a second computer/installation and it would activate fine and you could use both pc's at the same time. Is it right that with windows 7 retail no matter how long you wait you cant activate the key a second time on different hardware? if you can then using pc's witht he same key would be possible if you disable automatic updates i would think.

I think that quote shows what you are trying to do and it is against the license agreement.

ste-sim2x9 · 20 Jul 2010 at 09:40

no im not. I will say it again. When you transfer FROM first pc to SECOND NEW PC, is this always via phone activation? Its quite simple mate, when you activate on your new and now only pc is it no longer possible to online activate?

As in this quote i'm sure he means he wants to install win7 on a 2nd pc and take it off the 1st or am i way off.

Burnsy2023 · 20 Jul 2010 at 09:58

ashagplz said:
When you transfer FROM first pc to SECOND NEW PC, is this always via phone activation? ?

Not always, but most of the time.

AtreuS · 20 Jul 2010 at 10:00

As far as i know windows does not have the ablity to "report home" when being uninstalled like some games do.. so microsoft have no way to know that you have removed it from a machine.

So when you install on a new pc the phone activation allows them to get a new hardware snapshot and allow activation on that, thus deactivating the old install. So if you keep the old pc installed it will eventually be deactivated when you allow it to talk to microsoft via updates or whatever.