Adding RAM caused Vista to "de-activate"

FUTURE · Last edited by FUTURE on Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:09 am; edited 2 times in total

I went from 2 gigs ram to 4 gigs in my Alienware laptop today (see sig), and Vista Ultimate 64 bit (System builders,

OEM, version from New Egg) "deactivated" and gave me that "You have 3 days to activate windows or it will stop

working..." error message.

So, of course, I click Activate Windows, use the on line option, and I get another error message saying "This

version of windows has already been activated on another PC... click here to buy a new copy of Windows". Can you

believe that crap??!!

So, I try several more times, get the same error, and then I try the "activate with the telephone option", in lieu

of calling customer support for 59 bucks.

A screen pops up with a 1-800 number to call, and a long code of numbers generated. I call the number, and was

routed to somewhere in India. The woman asked me for the numbers on my screen, which i read, and she then said that

my product key has already been activated on another computer. I said, "no, it is my same computer, I just added

more ram." Finally, she reads me a string of numbers to input into the window, and then wala, my Vista Ultimate 64

bit activated again.

What a joke. Suppose I want to benchmark my computer with 2 gigs vs 4 gigs. Am I going to have to go through this

each time? Suppose my laptop gets banged around a bit, and one ram dimm comes loose, so the next time I boot it, it

has 2 gigs instead of 4. Same freaking hassle. Microsoft really needs to loosen this up.

And they wonder why guys have the nerve to pirate and hack their OS...

Sorry for the rant.
_________________
Isuzu Pickup

Shared ownership spain

qscomputing

Not surprising, it is a well-documented fact that changing the hardware causes Vista (and XP to a lesser extent) to think that you have completely changed the computer. Though I wasn't aware that just changing one component would do it though...

Arno v. Lumig

That's a bit weird, yes... As said before, changing your hardware will deactivate Windows, but it's insane that just adding RAM will do that...

But why do you press enter two times after each line? It's pretty annoying to read.

kansloos

hehe

There was already a very good windows product called windows XP,
so they took that, made it worse in every single category, made it cost more and called it Windows Vista.

;)

Srs2388

Mine did the same and then wouldn't take my product key... i had a legal one too...
it is on the side of my computer.. same version of windows. same disk.

cvkien

i did also upgrade my ram but it seems like everything fine, it didn't ask for any reactivate and it just keep activated. nothing change.

dmystic

U dont have to go through all that again.... just remember(writing down is smarter) the numbers the one on the telephone gave you, and you can use it again, over and over again... At least that works with Windows XP...

And such a pity that Microsoft uses all this things, becouse it doesnt work.... Legal versions have troubles with WGA and activation, and very much Illegal versions dont have that problems. so it is another reason to go for illegal versions, also the reason why i gone to an illegal version, becouse its too much troubles...