Will Product Activation allow me to upgrade my hardware?

Yes, Product Activation does allow users to upgrade their hardware. One of the forms of piracy that Product Activation guards against is hard disk imaging. Not all forms of hard disk imaging are illegal. However, by forcing the copied software to be reactivated, Product Activation will prevent a pirate from copying data from one PC’s hard drive to another’s to illegally run the software on two PCs. It does this by comparing the hardware on which it was activated to the hardware on which it is now being booted. If the hardware is substantially different, then reactivation is required. If it is the same or similar, then the software will continue to work. Users who upgrade their PC’s hardware substantially may be asked to reactivate. Reactivation is easy and can be completed by contacting Microsoft to obtain another confirmation ID.