Windows 7 invalid / illegal?

stationmistress

By comparison JAFA
I recently got a message that my copy of Windows 7 that I've been using for 4/5 years was suddenly invalid. A message in the lower right corner of the desktop appeared and wouldn't go away. Even a reboot didn't help.

After researching on-line, I found the easiest and quickest way to remove the message was to go to Control Panel > System and Security > See the name of this computer (under System).

At the bottom of the page you are taken to, is the line Windows activation. Below that is whether Windows has been activated or not. If not, click Change product key. This will take you to Microsoft where you re-enter the I.D. of your copy of Windows. It will ask for XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. Enter your I.D. and if all is well, after verification has taken place for a few minutes, the message should disappear.

A friend of mine theorized that perhaps changing the motherboard about 2 weeks prior may have been the cause. Since then, no problems have occurred.
 
That is correct. Windows sees this new mother board as being copied to another computer. You will get the same grief when you change hard drives. In an on line conversation with a Microsoft bod I had to argue that it was my right to upgrade my computer without Microsoft assuming that I was trying to clone my copy of their software.

Doug
 
Microsoft's OS reauthorization procedures are a bit nebulous. They have an 8 Point hardware check that will check various items , certain ones by themselves will cause a "flag" while others need to be a combination to raise an alert.

[Display Adapter
SCSI Adapter
IDE Adapter
Network Adapter (including the MAC Address)
RAM Amount Range (e.g. 0-512 MB)
Processor Type and Serial Number
Hard Drive Device and Volume Serial Number
Optical Drive (e.g. CD-ROM)

These seem to not be hard and fast rules however, anecdotal evidence shows a wide variety of people upgrading in all sorts of combinations with varying results. best bet would be to call Microsoft if you have any further issues. No one experience can be considered absolute.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...y/75c4e9b8-2557-43ef-a22f-7021ee1d2e2a?auth=1
 
I have had to call Microsoft a couple of times during reinstalls. The first time I spoke with a worker in Buffalo who was working at home that day because of a major snowstorm. He and I chatted about what I needed and I explained that my motherboard had fried and I was replacing it. He asked other questions like home telephone number, which I verified then he read off the key number to enter.

Another time I went through this process, it was 100% automatic. It appears Microsoft got rid of the human touch though process was rather easy but impersonal.

It's too bad that we have to resort to this because of the IP protection and software piracy. In the old days, we could just reinstall the OS without this hassle.

John
 
Never had a problem changing the system drive, probably as I don't reinstall but restore a backup image to the new disk.
Changing processor, ram and Graphics card in one go needed a re activation but no need for a phone call. Each when changed on their own haven't required any activation.
The one that surprised me was a change of motherboard, I took a gamble on not re-installing and Windows just installed the drivers, no activation needed? Was as if nothing had happened, work that one out I couldn't!
The only one I had problems with was a reinstall of an OEM XP Pro Media Centre Edition, no hardware change just a reformat and re-install, that did need a phone call.
Remains to be seen what is likely to happen with Win 10 installed via the current upgrade route, presumably it will get treated the same as an OEM install as it only applies to one machine.
 
Malc said: "It remains to be seen..."

Timing is everything! I got this in an email today. There's another part on upgrading which I will post separately.

Sorting through the changes in Windows licensing
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By Susan Bradley
With consumer versions of Windows 10 offered free for the first year, many users have questions about licensing.
Windows users have never "owned" the OS they paid for, but Win10 has significantly changed the rules.
Tying the OS license to specific hardware
Windows licensing has always been murky. Windows 7, for example, had retail, original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and enterprise editions. In theory, OEM editions were tied to the hardware they came on. Retail versions, however, were "portable"; if, for example, you purchased Win7 separately from the PC, you could move that copy from machine to machine — as long as you no longer used the OS on the old PC. (Most retail versions of Windows were used for upgrading or for hand-built PCs.) Usually, you had to reauthorize your copy of Windows for the new system, but in most cases that step was a formality.
Long-term, portability is not part of the free version of Windows 10. When you install Win10, Microsoft's activation servers create and store a unique ID based on the old key plus the hardware in your machine. The Win10 upgrade will stay tied to that upgraded system and your original Win7/8 key will no longer be valid. (You can roll back to Win7, but you're not allowed to run both your original OS and Win10, say, in a virtual or dual-boot setup.)
A Microsoft spokesperson stated: "After the first year, you would not be able to move the installation to a different device, as the upgrade is specific to your device, not your license or Windows account. After that first year, for devices not upgraded, you would have to purchase a copy of Windows 10 through the Microsoft Store or Microsoft retail partners."
To make things even more confusing, if you eventually purchase a retail edition of the Win10 license, you will be able to move that copy from one computer to another — that version comes with portability rights.
You can, however, still upgrade a Win10 system. As with earlier Windows versions (typically tied to the Windows Genuine Advantage program), you'll need to call Microsoft to reactivate the license if you change major parts of your computer after upgrading to Win10. (It's usually an annoying but not too painful process.)
Unfortunately, the types of changes that trigger a reactivation always have been — and still are — vague. For example, adding more memory generally does not require a reactivation, but changing the motherboard would. (In OEM setups, changing to a new motherboard is allowed only while the PC is still under warranty.)
 
Pretty much as expected then. No great loss here then as my main PC was an OEM Win7 Pro disk anyway so from my point nothing changed.
 
I'm not too clear exactly what type of Win 7 license I have. I had this machine custom made and ordered Win 7 Home Premium 64 with it. It came already installed when I got the machine and there is a hidden recovery partition that I use to reinstall the OS. I also have the Win 7 discs. Does that mean I can use those discs on any machine, or if I were to change major parts of this one? If I were to say put in a new motherboard/CPU on this one would the preinstalled partition be valid?
 
If truly a retail license you can change anything you want and there should be no problem with 7.

Now with 10 the concern is that I have a 7 retail license, but since I upgrade to 10 is it still a retail license that I can use on a new PC or a new complete build? :eek:
 
You can roll back to Win7, but you're not allowed to run both your original OS and Win10, say, in a virtual or dual-boot setup.)

john.

Where did this come from? I have two machines set up to dual boot, one where Win 10 was added to a Win 7 installation, the other Win 7 was added to Win 10. On the second machine,the first boot prompted a Win 10 selection window asking which OS to boot to, and offered a routine to preselect the OS on starting, so obviously Win 10 was built or is built to accept dual booting.

Peter
 
john.

Where did this come from? I have two machines set up to dual boot, one where Win 10 was added to a Win 7 installation, the other Win 7 was added to Win 10. On the second machine,the first boot prompted a Win 10 selection window asking which OS to boot to, and offered a routine to preselect the OS on starting, so obviously Win 10 was built or is built to accept dual booting.

Peter

Hi Peter,

Yes, Windows 10 is quite capable of doing this just like previous versions of Windows.

The conditions though require for you to have two separate licenses and are not upgrading from a Windows 7 license to the Windows 10 license which will use the same key-number.

John
 
John

That sounds logical but does not seem to be applied in both my cases. I wonder if the restriction applies when it is desired to have both OS's running at the same time in virtual machines. Obviously this would be against the rules and not allowable. Dual booting removes that possibility.

I have never owned two copies of Win 7 Ultimate or Win 7 Pro, what I am running are the original OS's using the original serial number in each case. Not tricks, no fiddles, no pirate software to give me new serials. In all four cases, the installations were validated over the Internet. In every case the OS files reside in different partitions so there is no interaction between the versions.

On both machines I have just updated the Win 10 instillation without a glitch. I am typing this having returned to Win 7 Ultimate. Go figure!

Peter
 
The last time I went to a computer show, one stall had a plastic package up, "5 MS Licenses to MS DOS 7"

I was in a state of shock seeing that, and wondered how many he ever sold.

I didn't dare ask. :eek:
 
John

That sounds logical but does not seem to be applied in both my cases. I wonder if the restriction applies when it is desired to have both OS's running at the same time in virtual machines. Obviously this would be against the rules and not allowable. Dual booting removes that possibility.

I have never owned two copies of Win 7 Ultimate or Win 7 Pro, what I am running are the original OS's using the original serial number in each case. Not tricks, no fiddles, no pirate software to give me new serials. In all four cases, the installations were validated over the Internet. In every case the OS files reside in different partitions so there is no interaction between the versions.

On both machines I have just updated the Win 10 instillation without a glitch. I am typing this having returned to Win 7 Ultimate. Go figure!

Peter


Peter, I can't explain it.. :)

John
 
John

I wonder whether the original 'can't dual boot' limitation was referring only to running two versions simultaneously on one machine, or running old and new on two separate machines. Dual-boot in the strictest sense makes parallel running impossible.

On my main machine, I had Win 10 installed alone as an update/conversion from the original OS. Then after a month or so, without really thinking of the implcations, I used the original disks to install Win 7 Ultimate to a new partition. Next time I booted, Win 10 saw the new OS and presented a selection screen for both versions together with the option to select priority. It made no fuss about me using the same serial number. Strong evidence that Win 10 is designed to handle dual-booting.I think the answer is that whichever I run, it is seen as the same software.

Peter
 
I've always thought that this was a grey area. After all, even if both are running, then it is still on the same machine. Windows can get cranky if you replace parts in a PC, which I frequently do. The software basically thinks you are running an unlicensed copy on a new machine. In my case that's not true.

I have a licenced copy of VMWare Workstation which is designed to run multiple OS's all at the same time. I mostly use it for Linux but have occasionally run beta versions of Windows.

I always liked Borland's philosophy regarding software. It said, as I recall, that you can install the software on as many machines as you like but can only ever run one at a time. A bit like sharing a paper version book.
 
"I always liked Borland's philosophy regarding software. It said, as I recall, that you can install the software on as many machines as you like but can only ever run one at a time. A bit like sharing a paper version book."

This used to be the philosophy of many software companies until Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, and Oracle got greedy and showed everyone else that they can make many more buckos by enforcing single-seat licensing for each machine whether the software is used or not, or whether the software or OS is running in a VM or not. In fact a VM means they can milk this cow even more.

John
 
question ?????? i have an acer desktop with windows 7 installed.....my version of Trainz is for windows XP home edition........will it kill my computer or will i eventually get a fatal error message ???
 
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