My older computer had motherboard issues lately and I used another machine, one that had Win 7 on a hard drive that went bad, to replace it. I moved the video card and the HD from the Vista machine into the Win 7 box ( the old one was a Gateway, the new one a HP.)
It seemed to work just fine for about a month, then I started getting a message that my copy of Windows Vista was unauthorized and I needed to enter a product key. I used the key from the gateway box and it said it was invalid.
I dont have an installation disc for either one, I do have a restore disk for the Gateway. Is there a way to get Vista running normally again without a wipe and reinstall? I have a lot of data on this comp and nowhere to move it.
I believe technically you are in violation of the license.
What you can try: next time you get that warning and go to the Activation control panel, click the button labeled something like “activate by phone”. This will direct you to a toll-free number and give you a long code you have to recite to a robot on the other end. Once you’re recited the code, the robot will either:
- Give you an activation code right away (if so, you’re done)
- Ask you how many computers it’s installed on (and may or may not give you the code afterwards)
- Tell you you’ve exceeded the number of activations allowed and hang up on you
From my experience, unless your abuse is extremely blatant (i.e. 5 different computers have tried to activate the same key), you’ll get one of the top two options and have very good odds of getting an activation code.
Microsoft knows people hate product activation, so they make it more allowing than they probably should as long as people go through the effort to make the call.