Vista License Key Quandary

Currently I am running my One on Windows XP Professional using a license from a discarded PC I had and I am very happy with it, but I keep getting this nagging feeling that I would like to try Vista. I have tried VistaMizer and the Brico packs to get a Vista feel, but it’s just not the same as the real deal.

I also have a Dell Desktop that came with Vista Home Premium and a HP Laptop which came with the same. Now for the tricky bit...... license keys. I have been reading up and there seems to be some kind of loophole in that when a PC/Laptop comes supplied with Vista its OEM and therefore already registered/activated, because of that it can be installed on a second machine and activated without issue. Am I right in my understanding or have I totally got it wrong. If I then activate/register it, is the fact that all the hardware would be totally different to what it was initially installed on going to set off alarms bells at Microsoft and cause a knock at my door?

I know the recovery CD for the Dell has a full version of Vista on it as I have already totally wiped/formatted/installed it several times, so could I use this?

I would rather use a key number that I have myself than one that I can find via other means.... Google searches/torrents etc.

Would appreciate any comments

 

I realize this in no way helps, except as a bump, but, good luck.

I had the same concerns, luckily (sorta), I had been having problems with my PC when Vista came out, so I got an upgrade. That pc is now long gone, but I still have the key, and it allowed me to do a clean install over XP on my One.

I doubt Microsoft will show up at your door, what with the cost of flying and all, but I suspect that if you can find a key that is used on either of your systems, neither will allow Vista to install.

If it were me, and you have a key, I'd try it. It will either work or it won't.

All the best...

P.S. I've used that Vista upgrade on about 4-5 systems (or system rebuilds), though now it is only running on my One, with no issues...

 

Thanks very much for your advice and I think you are right, I just need to bite the bullit and try it. I have a full image of my current set up to fall back on if it doesn't work

 

Oh Well, nice thought.......

Just went to try it and wondered why my USB CD Drive woldn't work...... then I realised the restore disc is a DVD :roll:

As I have no idea of how to extract the files I need, I guess I will be sticking with XP :cry:

 

Try the Windows 7 beta. Looks like Vista but doesn't suck like Vista.

 

I did think about that, but thought I might like it too much and then be hacked off when the beta expires and I would then have to go back to XP :?

 

It's each to their own of course, but right now I can't see any justification for using any version of Windows other than XP on an AA1. If the rumoured NetBook optimised Win7 builds appear in production then I may be persuaded otherwise.

 

Vista runs well enough, and I've never noticed any performance decrease from when I ran XP to running Vista. If you've got a spare key, there's no reason not to.
That said, you're technically not supposed to reuse the license keys. OEM keys are tied to the hardware (specifically the motherboard) and vendor they were sold with. The 1-2 CPU mark on the license sticker indicates permission to use the license for either a single or dual cpu/core system, not that it can be used for one or two computers. However, as has been mentioned above, it is doubtful anyone will come looking for you unless you make a business out of recycling license keys. It should be noted that Vista is a bit finickier about OEM licenses, so that the BIOS for many (all?) AAO models will not register as an OEM licensed computer. There are workarounds, but by that point it should be clear something isn't right.

A simple thing to do to learn about the licensing scheme is to go to start > run, type winver and hit enter. click on the license agreement. you should see something similar to the following:

2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS. Before you use the software under a license, you must assign that license to one device (physical hardware system). That device is the “licensed device.” A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate device.
a. Licensed Device. You may install one copy of the software on the licensed device. You may use the software on up to two processors on that device at one time. Except as provided in the Storage and Network Use (Ultimate edition) sections below, you may not use the software on any other device.
b. Number of Users. Except as provided in the Device Connections (all editions), Remote Access Technologies (Home Basic and Home Premium editions) and Other Access Technologies (Ultimate edition) sections below, only one user may use the software at a time.
c. Alternative Versions. The software may include more than one version, such as 32-bit and 64-bit. You may use only one version at one time.

Found this by googling for "windows cd-key 1-2 cpu license" on http://social.microsoft.com/forums/en-U ... 6f1e6eed5/

Hope this clears up the confusion regarding reuse of licenses.

 

Thank you for your very informative reply

After realising the Vista restore disc I had was a DVD and the USB Drive I bought for my One is only CD, I decided to stick with XP Pro. However, if I could work a way of ripping off what I need from the DVD and burn to CD, then it might be a different story I am not sure if retail versions of Vista are on DVD or whether Dell put it on DVD because of all the other stuff that gets loaded. My HP laptop didn't come with any media at all, I had to create my own discs on first startup.

 

All the Vista installation media that I have seen has been DVD.

I would imagine that the Vista installation image could be slimmed down to fit on a 700MB CD using vLite.

Oh! Look: http://teamtutorials.com/windows-tutori ... -single-cd

 

Many thanks once again, great link

 

OEM cdkey (hp, acer, dell or whatever) are interchangable. They detect the OEM bios and will be automatically activated. That's why it's possible to use VISTA OEM from HP on acer or dell.