Vista Activation after BIOS update

nicktay2605 · 22 May 2007 at 12:53

I just updated my evga 680i bios to the latest version and a message popped up in the toolbar saying that due to a hardware change I need to reactivate Vista, but when I tried to it said it was already activated and I needed to buy a new copy to get a new activation key.

I could just ignore this but it said if I didn't reactivate it windows would stop working in three days. Has this happened to others? Is it activated despite what Vista told me?

Thanks

Ladforce · 22 May 2007 at 12:56

nope its not, youll have to phone them up.

nicktay2605 · 22 May 2007 at 13:01

Ok thanks for the help, thats pretty annoying to be honest, stupid feature I think.

Ladforce · 22 May 2007 at 13:02

yea, changes to the motherboard are the only thing that triggers the reactivation thing I think. Strange that changing the bios did as I have changed my bios a number of times and it has remained activated.

Datamonkey · 22 May 2007 at 13:11

When you updated the bios does it restore the defaults on your mobo?

I ask as, this could possibly enable any serial ports and such other bits you may have previously disabled.

This could fool vista into thinking you had made more changes than you had infact done.

has happened to me before

masslac · 22 May 2007 at 13:12

Hehe, I'd never heard of having to re-activate after a BIOS flash, either.

nicktay2605 · 22 May 2007 at 13:24

Nope it didn't reset defaults after flash, still got all the same settings. Oh great just realised my Vista edition is OEM, this means they won't help me doesn't it?

Nicos Rex · 22 May 2007 at 13:26

They should help you - after all you have not physically changed the hardware - the BIOS flash is altering the way the existing hardware is reported to Vista.

nicktay2605 · 22 May 2007 at 13:27

Good, thats a relief. Right, I'll give them a ring and if they become difficult about I'll remind them I'm a training lawyer

gareth170 · 22 May 2007 at 13:44

nicktay2605 said:
Good, thats a relief. Right, I'll give them a ring and if they become difficult about I'll remind them I'm a training lawyer

they won't be difficult...

99.9% they'll activate anyone...

and anyway u haven't broken your license....

DrSteve · 23 May 2007 at 21:21

On a similar note.
I bought a copy of Vista 64 OEM and installed it a couple of weeks back. Had a bit of an electrical problem at the house and it looks like the mobo might be dead.
It's a DFI NF4 board and I thought I might as well do a proper upgrade and go C2D instead. What's the odds that MS will let me activate my copy on the new hardware?

Ladforce · 23 May 2007 at 22:09

quite high just put your story across and im sure they will be fine about it.