Just reformatted my hp dv6000

I just got it from costco. Came with windows anytime upgrade dvd. Booted from that. Installed windows.

Just one question....

Can I call microsoft and activate the my computer over the phone with the serial number on the bottom of my HP?

 

Unless you followed the Clean install w/o activation guide, that's your only choice since your new format of Vista will not register over the internet. It's a big hassle to do it over the phone, but you need to activate Vista before it locks down.

 

Burn off the recovery discs and make a copy of the SWTools folder before you do anything.

 

well, what i did was reformat by booting from the disc and following the basic procedures. I deleted the recovery partition and combined the two. When it came for me to enter my activation code i just passed on it. When i got to windows i found the phone number which was the hardest part of the whole process lol. when i got the number i called and read them about 1000 numbers but after that my activation was successful.

Is the way I did it illegal??

And, since i installed from the windows anytime upgrade disc, is it the exact same thing as buying a retail version of premium. Are their any benefits that i missed out on from using the Anytime Upgrade disc rather than the premium disc??

 

Illegal? No. You just did it with the most hassle possible, and slightly dangerous since you didn't burn recovery discs or SWSetup. The copy you have if fully legal with all the features of a retail copy, since that's actually what you put on your machine.