Is it possible to change my computer hardware without reactivating vista? This is the question that many PC users ask when they want to change or upgrade their computer hardware. The answer would be yes and no since it depends on what exactly you want to change, if it's more than one component, as well as what kind of operating system you have installed.



Certain changes that Microsoft has deemed as being common like a new hard disk, adding RAM to your computer, upgrading your CD-ROM device or upgrading the video card on your system will most likely not cause the need for a reactivation. However making more than 2 or 3 hardware changes at one time will most likely require a reactivation. Changing your motherboard is considered a major change in the computer's "photograph" taken by Vista when it is being installed and therefore it will always require a reactivation of the operating system.

The first thing you need to know or, to be more exact, to find out is if what type of Vista is installed on your machine: the retail version or just an OEM version (Original Equipment Manufacturer). With the OEM version, your operating system is tied to the motherboard it was installed on and therefore you can't change with a different one except if it was damaged and even so only with the exact model of the motherboard you previously had. Reactivation is still required after replacing the motherboard, but for both operations it is best to contact the original manufacturer. Otherwise you will be required to buy a new copy of Vista. Reactivation is also required if you make major changes to your personal computer. Just like Windows XP Windows Vista has a build-in algorithm which determines if the hardware changes made to your system are significant enough. Though different the algorithm used monitors the changes and the impact they have up to a predetermined limit set by Microsoft. For example, making changes like replacing your hard disk with a new one and adding more RAM to your system will definitely reach the maximum tolerance of changes. However making only one such change, like a new hard disk, will not require of you to reactivate Vista on your personal computer.

For the retail versions of Vista the cases in which you don't need to reactivate Vista are pretty much the same. You can change your hardware but you need to be careful not to reach that predetermined limit set by Microsoft. I you want to make some "major transplants" on your computer but don't want to be bothered with the reactivation of your operating system you could try to make them one by one. This however can take a very long time since you need to make long pauses before you install a new hardware part. In any case, with the retail version of Vista you can reactivate your version of Vista even in the event that you change your motherboard.

Making a hardware change on your computer while running Vista as your main operating system can really be a problem since Vista new algorithm for detecting hardware changes has proven to be very unpredictable up to the point that it becomes annoying. The algorithm in Vista uses a voting system to determine tolerance. When installing it Vista creates a hardware hash that is similar to a photograph. Each of the hardware characteristics recorded occupies about 10% of that photograph, with the exception of the network card which is about 30%. If, when making changes to your computer, you change to many parts at one time, meaning more than 30% Windows Vista considers that it has been installed on a new computer.

Certain changes that Microsoft has deemed as being common like a new hard disk, adding RAM to your computer, upgrading your CD-ROM device or upgrading the video card on your system will most likely not cause the need for a reactivation. However making more than 2 or 3 hardware changes at one time will most likely require a reactivation. Changing your motherboard is considered a major change in the computer's "photograph" taken by Vista when it is being installed and therefore it will always require a reactivation of the operating system.

Despite the obvious annoyances that the Windows Vista operating system has in regards to the new hardware system it is possible to change your computer hardware without reactivating vista as long as the changes you make don't have a to big of an impact on the initial "photograph" of your system.



09:39
Abdul Raauf
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