After weeks of gruelling troubleshooting, I've finally had it confirmed by Microsoft Australia and USA -- something as small as swapping the video card or updating a device driver can trigger a total Vista deactivation.
Put simply, your copy of Windows will stop working with very little notice (three days) and your PC will go into "reduced functionality" mode, where you can't do anything but use the web browser for half an hour. You'll then need to reapply to Microsoft to get a new activation code.
Put simply, your copy of Windows will stop working with very little notice (three days) and your PC will go into "reduced functionality" mode, where you can't do anything but use the web browser for half an hour. You'll then need to reapply to Microsoft to get a new activation code.
Just over a month ago I swapped over the graphics card on my Vista Ultimate box. There were some new DirectX 10-based titles out and I couldn’t get the benefit on my old DirectX 9 card. The swap-over went well and I went on my merry gaming way.
Then a few days ago I got a Windows Activation prompt – I had three days to activate Windows or I’d be bumped back to RFM (Reduced Functionality Mode). What the? My copy of Vista was activated, and a graphics card change shouldn’t have triggered deactivation... surely!
I was able to reactivate easily enough, although as the product key was already in use (by me!) I couldn’t reactivate automatically, but had to speak to a Microsoft customer service representative.
View: Full Article @ APC Mag
The article is another episode in Vista Bashing Saga @ Neowin. That's sad.
Anyway, on the flipside (just to provide a little balance I guess) when I had Vista and upgraded my graphics card I didn't have this problem. I toyed with the drivers all the time, downloading and trying out new ones and not once had Windows deactivate.
So this is an interesting problem.
Is this some new update or something?
Now what issues have I had... hmm... well I can only come up with one, havign to run 3DSMAx with DWM deactivated due to the 3D viewports not behavign otherwise, but that's an autodesk issue. I'm guessing they fixed it in Max 2k8 so I should probably test that.
What planet have you been living on? Article after article, like this one, proves that in fact it isn't stable at all for a growing number of users. Its a failure.
slight difference you'd say ? and what's the problem, you have 3 days to do a 5 minute call to MS. actually when I had to reinstall and reactivate the OEM license on my laptop after a partition got fubared (Thank you paragion partition manager, go burn in hell) I blieve my phone said I had been on for what 3.8 minutes ish including typing in the number, getting connected to the agent and getting my code.
Anyway it's been known for a logn time that certain driver changes, mostly system drivers, can and probably will trigger one of the hardware changes allowed in the Vista license, because with the new drivers vista don't know that it's the same hardware due to the changes. I believe this goes mostly for lower level hardware than graphics cards though such as motherboard stuff. Anyway changign the graphics card had allready triggered one change, so if you upgraded some system driver and stuff later that'd do it.
As as you said yourself, it wasn't a big deal, so why the need to make a news "whine" about it ? it's been known since before RTM that this could and would happen.
I am obsessive compulsive and reformat my pc all the time. Currently, I haven't even been activating vista and I just use the rearm command if my installation lasts 30 days. I am planning to switch to a mac whenever the next iMac update is.
No deactivation yet.
Good luck, you'll need it.
Last edited by Tzimisce on 24 Oct 2007 - 19:48
Norton 360 was a bit lighter, it 'only' eats about 18%. Running an office application takes a full minute to load.
My system is rated above 3 in the system index. It should be able to run all the candy without problems so MS say.
I'll wait another couple of years and try again
Brilliant.
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