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Advice on using RAID and Win XP/Vista Licensing

S

staatsof

Member
So I'm building some new systems and using RAID 1 for the OP sys but I'm wondering how this affects XP pro 32/Vista when I have to replace a failed drive?

Also, what happens when the second drive goes out after the first one has been replaced?
Now I would have neither of my original drives.

Same questions for RAID 0+1 and 5.

Anyone know?

I guess in a more general sense, what triggers the OS thinking your on new hardware?
Is there a good reading resource for this?

Bob S.
 
There are various components that have a vote in your hardware config (the network card being the biggest one). Worst case you would have to reactivate. Unless both drives die within 120 days from the last reinstall, it would just happen online anyhow.
 
Cutting through all the FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) and uneducated posts about Windows licensing you'll find in this forum, the basic jist is this:

Drive failures in a RAID setup should not affect your activation status. If it does, and I highly doubt it will, see below.

1) Microsoft does not want you running one license key on multiple PC's
2) Microsoft will tell you that OEM licenses live and die with the motherboard, but historically they have not enforced it so long as you adhere to #1
3) If you cannot activate/reactivate on the internet, then try the automated phone system, and if that does not work, then speak to a live person and tell them that your hard drive crashed, and they'll give you a new working key.
 
In my experience I've found Microsoft to be very flexible and easy to work with regarding activation.

I had my legal retail Win XP Pro key installed on my home desktop. I got an IBM T42 with XP Pro OEM on it. Well, it comes with all the extra IBM stuff and I wanted a clean install so I used my retail copy for my desktop -- and yes, I know it's technically wrong. I had to call MS to activate. I told them the truth and they activated me. 🙂
 
I have to reactivate by calling Microsoft.

My raid 0 failed; put new sets of drives in and restore from Windows Complete Restore (Vista). You have 3 days to reactivate.

Not sure about other raid configuration.
 
What is this activation you speak of? Corp Ed. FTW. I will buy a genuine version of an OS but always seek out corp editions just so I don't have to worry about the activation BS.
 
Originally posted by: staatsof
So I'm building some new systems and using RAID 1 for the OP sys but I'm wondering how this affects XP pro 32/Vista when I have to replace a failed drive?

Also, what happens when the second drive goes out after the first one has been replaced?
Now I would have neither of my original drives.

Same questions for RAID 0+1 and 5.

Anyone know?

I guess in a more general sense, what triggers the OS thinking your on new hardware?
Is there a good reading resource for this?

Bob S.
Click to expand...

If you're using a RAID controller, Windows doesn't actually see the physical hard drives. It sees the logical RAID volume. Thus, when you change one of the drives to rebuild an array, Windows never sees anything different.
 
How many components have to change before activation is required for XP is explained on this page (Microsoft). Just scroll down 3/4 of the page to the heading "How does product activation determine tolerance? In other words, how many components of the PC must change before I am required to reactivate?".
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx

I have not found any description like this for Vista.
 
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