Windows Upgrading Hardware With Vista OEM

Hi all,

This is my first post on this forum so hopefully its in the correct area etc.

I recently built a new PC using Vista Home Premium OEM version and unfortunately did not spec a good enough processor and graphics card for the games I want to run. I have read that Vista tracks upgrades and that I may have to re activate windows or even pay for a new licence even though I am only upgrading a couple of components. Is this the case will I have to re register or purchase a new copy of windows?

Thanks

Andy

 

Firstly, welcome to the forums.

You might have to reactivate windows, but I think its hardly likely you will have to repurchase, microsoft see it as, if you change your motherboard, then you require a new licence/key, you can however change other components without having to repurchase.

 

Or if you change your motherboard, just phone up and say that the old one broke and you had to replace it. They should then activate it again.

 

Great, A Q6600 and a 8800 GTX it is then. Thanks for the speedy relpy.

 

There's no issue, yes, Vista tracks upgrades through a points system, you might have to reactivate but just phone them up and tell them something broke, they never check so it's guaranteed to work.

 

Yep Ramble is correct, just phone them up and they will reactivate. Never had a problem.

 

Indeed, phoned them up just a couple of days to reactivate my OEM copy of Vista Ultimate as I had replaced my motherboard, all I got asked was why I was reactivating and whether my new computer was the only machine vista was installed on.

 

Yeah i had to ring up Microsoft no so recently and all they said was "Are you installing Vista on the same machine" So i said yeah and they gave me the code.