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It's very random on when you have to call, I'm sure there's some logic behind it somewhere.

I've had retail where I've needed to phone and had OEMs that have activated over the Internet.

The activation process has changed in w8 anyway, so who knowa how often it'll automatically activate.
 
bhavv said:
Hardware changes that require telephone activation on the OEMs are just motherboard and disk drive. I changed my CPU and SSD last christmas and didnt need to call them.

The retail reactivation for Win 7 should happen automatically when you connect to the internet, I think that calling them is just an optional way to do it, but it does reactivate on different hardware automatically.

I have no idea if this is possible, but maybe you got an OEM license by mistake on a retail copy, or even the wrong disk shipped?
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Surely an SSD would be classed as disk drive? Motherboard appears to be the main one in my experience, however even on OEM you just phone up and state you've had a hardware failure and they'll sort it out.

Either way from what I understand it, even on retail there is a limit on the number of internet activation's. After that you have to use their automated phone line which while it is a free 0800 number is a bit of a pain to use due to the sheer amount of numbers to enter/type in.
 
gareth170 said:
well i have win 7 retail and i've had to phone MS after upgrading hardware, i.e motherboard/cpu.
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So did I.

bhavv said:
Hardware changes that require telephone activation on the OEMs are just motherboard and disk drive. I changed my CPU and SSD last christmas and didnt need to call them.
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I changed my motherboard and cpu and had to reactivate. That got rejected and had to phone.

The retail reactivation for Win 7 should happen automatically when you connect to the internet, I think that calling them is just an optional way to do it, but it does reactivate on different hardware automatically.
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It doesn't, I waited maybe 20-25 days before activating to make sure everything was ok with the install. No Windows version I've had activates on it's own. They've all given you 30 days. OEM XP, Vista 32/64 retail and 7 32/64 retail. As I triple boot.

I have no idea if this is possible, but maybe you got an OEM license by mistake on a retail copy, or even the wrong disk shipped?
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Doubt it... http://www.winsupersite.com/article...indows-7-oem-packaging-is-not-for-individuals

OEM keys don't work with retail discs and vice versa. Nowhere on mine does it say OEM because I have a retail box. It doesn't look like the above. My disc is also different to the above same with the authenticity sticker. Plus I've also noticed if you've activated three times under a 6 month period it'll ask for phone activation. As I have activated at least 3 times since owning Windows 7 retail. The initial install with the 32bit disc, then the switch to 64bit and then one time something happened during my triple boot during XP. Something tampered with the activation file during a XP system scan. I had to activate 7 again. This is now the 4th time but due to a hardware change but that one required a phone activation.

My experience with XP and that's an OEM disc which appears to be the same procedure for 7, 3 activations used then it's rejected and it's phone activation. If you don't activate again after 6 - 8, months it resets an activation and appears to be for each one that's been used the longer it goes. As the OEM gold disc has been through so many hardware reinstalls and I'm still using it today.

One of my other OEM XP discs that came with SP1, it hasn't had an activation in years. Transferred the install to a newer PC and the activation went through.

gareth170 said:
no, i bought 2 win 7 retail boxs from 2 different retailers and both are the same and do the same.
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Agreed.
 
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bhavv said:
The retail reactivation for Win 7 should happen automatically when you connect to the internet, I think that calling them is just an optional way to do it, but it does reactivate on different hardware automatically.
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You can untick the automatically activate once connected to the internet box as part of the installation process. I do this to save wasting one of the internet activations if the install proves unusable or problematic, although thankfully that's never happened.
 
If you don't enter a product key you have 30 days which is enough time to check that the installation is stable etc.

No idea how accurate this info is but this is what I've found:

Retail versions : 5 web activations and then phone activations for the "life" of Windows 7.
OEM version : 1 activation and then phone activations when using the same motherboard used on first activation.
 
It's not a problem doing it by phone anyway. You don't talk to anyone but it's a thorough slow process keying all the digits of 5 numbers and characters of 9 sections and continue with the hash key so on and so on to get the new list.

I always used to really detest the phone from Microsoft with XP. You used to key it in and it would reject it so you had no choice having been put through to an operator who spoke abysmal english. Sometimes they couldn't understand you and vice versa and they'd hang up. *bash phone off desk multiple times*
 
bulldog147 said:
I stick to Windows 7 because of more important is Windows Media Center for my TV Tuner Card !

Windows 8 Pro doesn't come with WMC
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BrianB said:
Downgrade for me then. :rolleyes:
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Windows 8 (any version) does not include WMC out of the box, the crux of it was that MS were paying licence fees for the codecs on every copy of Windows when only a small %age of user actually used/needed them.

WMC for Windows 8 will be a free online upgrade until the end of Jan 2013, after that there will be a fee (I've heard approx. £10-15). WMC only works with the Pro edition, standard Windows 8 users will need to upgrade to Pro as well.

MS are no longer actively developing WMC, and in Windows 8 (at least under the preview - it's not available on RTM until 26/10) it was almost identical to WMC for Windows 7.
 
It really isn't an issue, WMC is a free update for the introduction period. Not is pure on the fine print. But even without that, pop DVD in drive. Pops up unable to open, search for app on store or search for app on computer, click search for app on store, download one of the what will be hundreds of free video players.
Or if you are more advance user, download what ever software you like the best.
 
for the oh noes the metro horrorrrrororororoor, theres a bunch of programs which bring the proper start menue back :), so its like w7 but better/different, and go straight to desktop.

I also want to know if i can go 32bit xp > 64bit win8, or just preferably go w8 right away, with a upgrade disc.
 
Well, as I cant afford a decent touch screen, I shall not be getting Win8 [yet...]

Over the years I have found its better to wait for the first service pack before buying any MS O/S.
 
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