Post HDD crash procedure

[ram1009]

I just spent about an hour on the W7 website trying to find out what Microsoft recommends after a HDD failure when using W7. It seems like an obvious question to me but I found no obvious answer. IMHO, Microsoft is avoiding that issue as long as possible, hopefully until it happens. I read in the Newegg reviews that even the "retail" versions do not allow a second use of the key under any circumstances and that a second key must be bought presumably for the full price of the OS. What, then is the difference between OEM & retail versions? I'm looking forward to hearing from someone with first hand experience in this area and not some Microsoft fan boy spouting their corporate tripe. Thanks.

 

[Wamphryi]

Once you replace the HDD you can reinstall Win 7 on the new HDD and carry on business as usual. What you are not allowed to do is use the same key on different computers. Reinstall and once you know all is good activate it. If it doesnt work online call the number that comes up and they will step you through activation. I can assure you as long as the key isnt installed else where you have nothing to worry about. That is why you cant find information on a non issue. When they talk of second use of the key they mean second use on another computer resulting in two machines with the same key. The difference between OEM is that the OEM license stays with the machine it was installed on (though MS do allow for upgrading and warranty replacements) and Retail you can install on any machine you like as long is it is uninstalled from any machine it may have been installed upon previously.

 

[ram1009]

This may seem a "non issue" to you but I would wager it's quite prominent in the minds of most. As I said, I spent at least an hour on the W7 website reading answers to MUCH more mundane and less inclusive issues. It's intuitive that the object of this kind of security is to prevent usage of a key on more than one machine simultaneously. What's NOT intuitive is what part of a machine is associated with the key to prevent simultaneous usage. You say that you can re-install W7 on a new HDD with no problems. If true, that would mean that the key was not associated with the HDD identifier. No disrespect to you, but I would feel much better if Microsoft told me there would be no problem re-installing W7 in the event of a HDD failure, an event we will all suffer eventually. That being the case, I believe they are being intentionally evasive which raises the question: WHY??? If they have nothing to hide then why hide it? If it's that easy to recover from a HDD failure then why not make it a feature of their advertising instead of ignoring an obvious eventuality for everybody. Also, what you say about re-use of a "retail" key is contradicted by at least one Newegg reviewer who says Microsoft insisted he buy a new key. It seems to me that all they should have to do is to dis-associate a key from whatever form of machine identifier it uses to prevent duplication, thus allowing it's re-use on a new machine. The Newegg reviewer claims otherwise.

 

[Wamphryi]

I have installed Win 7 hundreds of times. I have run the same OEM license on a machine that originally had a Generation 1 Raptor, Velicoraptors in RAID 0, A Vertex 2 SSD and now a Crucial SSD and each time I have managed to activate the software online or by phone. I have changed RAM and a Motherboard under warranty and I had to ring up MS on that occasion but they still activated it and that was an OEM version. I have also changed GPU's on four occasions now. MS does allow some slack a for the home building enthusiast at their discretion.

Based upon these experiences I am absolutely certain that replacing your HDD will not prevent you from reinstalling anad activating your software. I do not know why the source you mentioned could not reinstall his retail copy. Maybe he did something he should not have. Maybe his friend stole his key. Who would know? They can tell if there is more than one machine not by a HDD identifier but by their activation servers which have received the multiple requests.

 

[nordlead]

Read the licensing agreement and you'll see it is a non-issue. Microsoft already provided you with the licensing agreement. Your refusal to read it isn't Microsoft's fault.

The licensing agreement clearly states that you can use the license on one computer. It also states you can transfer the license to another computer and that computer becomes the licensed computer.

 

[ram1009]

Read the licensing agreement and you'll see it is a non-issue. Microsoft already provided you with the licensing agreement. Your refusal to read it isn't Microsoft's fault.

The licensing agreement clearly states that you can use the license on one computer. It also states you can transfer the license to another computer and that computer becomes the licensed computer.

"Read the licensing agreement " Surely you jest.