Vista Tutorial - Motherboard change vista sp1 32bit

I am planning to change my motherboard.I use vista home premium 32bit oem
version.
Do I need to format?
If so will I be able to activate windows ?
Thanks
George

Hi George,

I'm sorry, but I don't think you are going to like my reply. You said in
your post that you have an O.E.M. version of Vista. These versions live and
die with the original installation system they are used on. Changing a
motherboard is a MAJOR upgrade which will need a reinstallation of the
operating system. Although you could reinstall your O.E.M. version of Vista
without any problems, it is extremely unlikely that you would be able to get
it reactivated. Certainly, the automatic activation over the Internet would
not work and so you would need to attempt this over the phone. You will need
to hang on until a real person comes onto the line. Explain your situation to
him - you MIGHT be able to get activated, but there is no guarantee. The
safest thing for you to do would be to purchase a retail version of Vista and
use that instead. The upgrade versions are considerably cheaper than the full
versions and, if you follow the instructions in my post 'Clean Install
Windows Vista Using Upgrade Media' in the newsgroup 'Windows Vista
Installation and Setup' (dated 9/21/2007), you will be able to get your new
system up and running.
Dwarf

http://www.microsoft.com/communities...9-5eb74dcf2be7

"George" wrote:

There is no way of knowing without your telling us what the old and new
mobos are. Also, did the OEM copy come preinstalled on the computer or did
you buy a system builder copy? Details please.

If the mobo is just a replacement of the old mobo with a new one of the same
brand and model then most likely you will be fine. If it is a different
brand and model, different cpu, different ram, etc. then make sure you are
in a position to buy a new copy of the OS because your OEM copy may not even
install much less run. It may be locked to the old mobo using SLA
technology. One way to test is to attempt an installation in a virtual
machine using VPC 2007 (free). If it refuses to install then you likely
have a copy of Windows that is locked to the old mobo.

"George" <hliasal@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:33426A4B-D31C-44C4-B9FB-5C7859443471@xxxxxx