Windows Vista FAQ 11. What about product activation–any changes from the version that XP uses?
. Microsoft’s product activation–software that profiles your system’s hardware and uploads a fingerprint-like profile to a database maintained by the company–is alive and well, and in Vista it isn’t optional. Microsoft can change the stringency of its product activation system, but rest assured that the company will be checking to make sure that you don’t install your copy of Windows Vista on more than one PC at a time.
