[Discussion] OS Refresh after Hardware Upgrade

[Stanley Sidlov]

On Mon, 28 May 2007 09:11:09 -0600, Don Burch wrote:

>One of my IT tech guys always advocated reinstalling the last windows 
>service pack after making any hardware changes.

Windows, especially XP and Vista generates an ID code that is partly based on the hardware 
configuration when installed and it is matched at each boot. It's a part of the 
'authenticated windows' authorization. Windows allows some hardware changes to happen, 
video, sound cards, new printers and it will generate a new code when these 
happen-sometimes, but there are lot's of stories where it did not happen and people have 
had to call MS and convince them that they did nothing wrong and to give them a new key to 
run windows. But changing a MB or changing a boot hard drive can cause XP/Vista to think 
that you've cloned it to another system and it wants you to get a new key from MS. Windows 
Repair Install is a way around this. I don't know what reinstalling the last fix for 
windows would do....
 
OS/2-eCS is much more generic as Derek said, and it doesn't call home to tattle about 
upgrades.