Maximum PC

Please forgive me if too much information, but many folks do not supply enough.

I built computers for a brother and sister that live in other parts of town and split the cost of a family pak 3 user license. The license key I am using has a G41 motherboard that is getting flaky after a year with a bad pcie video slot and some other issues, not OS issues. Default mobo Intel HDMI video sucks on 32 inch hi-def tv.....fuzzy text etc. (I think board issue, not Intel) Plugged another win7 machine into the TV and video is great using only a 5450 video card on another g41 Intel based board.....so not a TV issue.... I need to rebuild the shared license machine to reuse the quad 9300 in it. With a 15% or so overclock, the 9300 is still a very decent cpu, and I use it a lot. (Current flaky mobo with 9300 has never been overclocked btw.) I have a nice, well tested mobo I can replace the current POC with...... overclocks well, 4 gigs ddr3, 5450 card etc, but has 32 bit Vista that I just simply do not like, and that would be going backwards as well as give me some app issues.

I know by doing a clean install on a new machine, (reminder this is family pak 3 user home premium upgrade) I will get 30 days to clean out the old machine and move files over prior to the activation deadline, which I can probably do in a week or so, and that is where the question comes in. I do not want to create an activation issue either for myself or the other two family members on the day I am ready to activate the new board and send the failing one to the local recycle center.

Been thru the extended on line thing to move a one user license before, which I did not mind, and would have no problem doing it in this case if needed. I have 3 user Office 2003 and 2010 and never an issue to drop one for hardware fail or trashing a motherboard to the recycle center, and pick up a new motherboard......but an OS is a bit more serious.....

Have not used the 1 free support call to MS for this license, so would not mind burning it for this issue if needed

Anyone been thru this process before? With the way the board is behaving, I need to start a process very soon!

Reading this after it posted, some may think the brother and sister computers had not had activation....they were activated with MS many months ago, as well as mine and no issues.....If I failed with clarification, I have a PC with failing hardware that needs a shared license kill and a new PC that needs that third license without issues.......this is not an OEM license.....3 user family pak.

Each machine has its own license key from the family pack, so reactivation of yours should be no problem as it has absolutely no effect on the other keys. I buy OEM licenses and it is supposed to be tied to one motherboard. I have built many machines using the same license and never had to talk to anyone, it just activated on the internet connection to Microsoft.

Nasty

I have the 3-pack upgrade as well and have re-installed on machines after hardware upgrades. All I had to do to activate was call the 800 number, type in the 9 or so fields of numbers, and press Activate! The first time I did it the computer voice on the phone asked me how many machines that key was installed on and I told the truth, 2 others, and it said I had exceeded the maximum number of installations (apparently 2 is greater than 3). I called right back, lied and said "zero" and it allowed it to go through. So you might have to tell a lie in order to be given the opportunity to use what you purchased within the conditions of the agreement.