Device driver updates KILLS active Vista copies..?

[Schwaltzvald]

http://apcmag.com/vista_activation

I'm crying and laughing at how annoyingly bad this issue is...

I've finally had it confirmed by Microsoft Australia and USA -- something as small as swapping the video card or updating a device driver can trigger a total Vista deactivation.

Put simply, your copy of Windows will stop working with very little notice (three days) and your PC will go into "reduced functionality" mode, where you can't do anything but use the web browser for half an hour.

You'll then need to reapply to Microsoft to get a new activation code.

How can this crazy situation occur? Read on for the sorry tale.

Way to cripple your OS M$ and screw your consumers yet again.

[Pyrion]

Happened to me once already (albeit not recently, this bug has been around for a long time). Over-the-phone activation seems to work just fine, and since I bought Vista retail, unlimited reactivations are supposedly part of the license.