Every so often Windows product action will cause problems.  There was a known bug with Vista, that was fortunately solved by Service Pack 1, that caused Windows to occasionally (though very rarely) believe that it was a pirated copy.

In situation such as this you will be presented by a window similar to the one below (you can click on this image to view it full-screen).

On some occasions Windows will refuse to let you log-in, completely crippling your machine until you have reactivated the product.

Obviously the point of Windows product activation is to prevent piracy, and it does this very well.  It does penalise the home user however from time to time who has bought a legitimate copy of Windows, maybe with a new PC, and has either had trouble with it, meaning they’ve had to reinstall Windows a few times, or who has upgraded or replaced their PC.  In these circumstances Windows might think it’s been pirated and stop working.

In practice, though the Microsoft activation phone-line staff might ask questions like “how many computers is this copy of Windows installed on?”, “Did you buy this copy of Windows with this computer?” or “has this copy of Windows ever been installed on another computer?”, I’ve never known them to refuse activation.  That said, I’ve never used a cracked or pirated copy of Windows!

One interesting question is “Did you buy this copy of Windows with this computer?”.  If your computer dies then why should your copy of Windows die with it?  You have after-all paid for this copy of Windows, it wasn’t free.  The official polucy from Microsoft however, and the EULA (End User Lisence Agreement) that you sign up for but, let’s face it, nobody reads, when you first use or install Windows, states that an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) version of Windows (ie. one that came with a new PC) is ONLY lisenced for THAT PC.  COnversely a copy of Windows you buy off the shelf is not limited in this way and can be moved from machine to machine as you replace your computer.

Activation won’t always work under these circumstances.  Below is an example of what might happen.  In this case a PC I bought from the now definct Evesham Technology blew up six months into its life.  I went to install the supplied copy of Windows Vista Ultimate (that I’d paid extra for!) on the replacement PC onto to be greeted with the dialog (below) when time came to activate it.

This is an example of the EULA at work.  The copy of Vista Ultimate had clearly been modified by Evesham to look for something specific, perhaps in the BIOS (Basic Input, Output System) on the motherboard, that on the replacement PC it was unable to find.

Unfortunately in this circumstance, because of the EULA and the fact that Evesham Technology no longer exists, I’m completely unable to ever use this copy of Windows again.  Is there a way around this?

There is, you’ll be happy to hear though it might cost you a bit more when buying a new PC.  The simple answer is to have the PC supplied without a copy of Windows, and to buy that copy of Windows seperately on a website such as Amazon, E-Buyer or Dabs.  On these websites you can pick up full versions of Windows for as little as £80.  If you have a previous copy of Windows for which you have the install disc you can save even more money by buying an upgrade copy.

Installing an upgrade copy of Vista or Windows 7 though can be a long process, but I’ll be writing about this in the next couple of days.