如果您计划在您的 PC 上进行Windows的全新安装，您很可能必须在线或通过电话重新激活Windows 。通常，只要您的计算机(computer hasn)上的硬件自最初安装操作系统以来没有发生太大变化，并且Windows版本与计算机随附的版本完全相同，在线重新激活就可以正常工作。
如果您随着时间的推移更换了硬盘、显卡、内存等，那么当您尝试使用相同的产品密钥(product key)在线重新激活 Windows(Windows online)时，您可能会遇到问题。在这些情况下，您必须致电Microsoft并进行电话激活(phone activation)。
如果硬件没有(hardware hasn)太大变化，您可以备份 Windows 用来确保您的副本有效的信息，然后在重新安装后将其恢复，我将在下面使用免费软件程序对此进行说明。
下载恢复媒体
如果计算机安装了OEM 版本(OEM version)的Windows ，而您使用零售版本的(Windows)Windows执行全新安装，它也不会在线激活(activate online)。以前，新 PC 附带一张OEM DVD，可让您重新安装Windows，但在过去几年中，大多数 PC 现在都有一个单独的恢复分区(recovery partition)，可让您直接从硬盘驱动器恢复。如果以这种方式恢复，激活(problem activating) Windows应该不会有任何问题。
如果您没有DVD 或恢复驱动器(DVD or recovery drive)，您可以致电Microsoft并尝试通过电话激活，也可以直接从Microsoft下载(Microsoft)ISO 映像(ISO image)文件，但您肯定需要拥有COA 贴纸(COA sticker)上的产品密钥(product key)电脑。
要下载 Windows 7 恢复媒体(download Windows 7 recovery media)，您必须先输入有效的产品密钥(product key)，然后才能下载ISO 文件(ISO file)。对于Windows 8.1，您无需提供产品密钥(product key)即可下载。您可以从 Microsoft 网站上的Create Media Reset页面获取Windows 8.1 ISO 。
值得注意的是，多年来您可以从Microsoft 软件(Microsoft software)的官方分销商DigitalRiver下载(DigitalRiver)Windows 7 ISO映像。但是，这些都已被删除，不再起作用。您唯一的合法来源是上面来自Microsoft的链接。
还有一点需要注意的是，如果你的电脑是Windows 8的，这个密钥将无法激活Windows 8.1。如果您有Windows 8.1密钥并尝试激活Windows 8 ，情况也是如此。如果您需要Windows 8 ISO 映像(ISO image)，请查看仅使用产品密钥升级 Windows(Upgrade Windows with product key only)页面。在这里您输入您的产品密钥(product key)，它将下载可以为该特定密钥激活的正确ISO 映像。(ISO image)
视窗
在 Windows XP 中，您只需从Windows 目录(Windows directory) 复制文件并将其保存到外部媒体即可避免重新激活。(avoid having to reactivate)首次激活Windows XP(Windows XP)时，它会创建一个名为WPA.DBL的文件 并将其存储在C:\Windows\System32 目录中。
将此文件复制到您的外部存储设备(storage device)并放在手边。当您重新安装Windows时，您将到达必须激活的地步。拒绝激活并完成安装。
现在，您需要在启动时按F8以进入“高级启动选项(Advanced Boot Options)”菜单，以安全模式重新启动计算机。(Safe Mode)
转到C:\Windows\System32，您应该会看到一个名为WPA.DBL的文件已经存在。只需(Simply)将其重命名为WPA.OLD之类的名称 ，然后将 WPA.DBL 的备份版本复制到当前(WPA.DBL)位置(backup version)。
重新启动计算机，Windows XP(computer and Windows XP)现在应该已激活并正常工作。请记住，这仅在您使用 最初激活Windows XP的同一台计算机上的WPA.DBL 文件时才有效。(WPA.DBL file)如果您在另一台机器上安装 XP 并尝试将WPA.DBL 文件(WPA.DBL file)复制到那里，它将不会激活。
Windows Vista、7、8
如果您运行的是Windows Vista、7 或更高版本，您将无法简单地复制一个文件以避免激活问题(activation problem)。需要更多信息，这使得它变得更加复杂。
幸运的是，有一个名为Advanced Tokens Manager的免费软件程序，它会为您制作所有激活数据的副本，并允许您以后轻松地恢复它。
下载并解压缩文件后，继续运行可执行文件。它不需要任何安装，所以很好。在主屏幕上，它将开始检测任何有效的Windows 和 Office 产品(Windows and Office products)。
如果一切正常，状态应该会检测到您的Windows版本，并且应该显示产品密钥(product key)以及许可证状态(license status)。要备份数据，只需单击激活备份(Activation Backup)按钮。将弹出一个相当大的对话框，基本上解释了所有功能和要求，以便激活正常工作。请务必仔细阅读。
这里的要点是我上面已经提到的：执行还原时不要对硬件进行重大更改，并确保操作系统版本(OS edition)相同。继续并单击是(Yes)，备份将在名为Windows 激活备份的新文件夹中创建，该文件夹与(Windows Activation Backup)EXE 文件(EXE file)位于同一文件夹中。
在重新安装Windows(Windows)之前，您需要确保将此文件夹复制到某些外部媒体。加载Windows后，只需下载并再次运行该程序。确保将备份文件夹复制到与(backup folder)EXE 文件(EXE file)相同的文件夹中。程序将检测备份文件夹(backup folder)，按钮将变为Activation Restore。
单击(Click)它，当它询问您是否确定时，单击Yes。等待大约一分钟左右，如果程序成功，您将收到一条成功(Success) 消息。
此时，您应该很好地使用Windows的激活副本。请注意，如果您还安装了Microsoft Office，则可以单击Office 激活备份(Office Activation Backup)按钮，它将允许您单独备份该数据。
Advanced Tokens Manager的唯一问题是它不完全支持Windows 8.1。它可以保存所有激活数据，但它只能恢复通过电话激活的Windows 8.1副本的激活。如果在线激活，将无法正常恢复。
开发人员表示他们正在尝试解决这个问题，但该程序 2013 年 9 月(program September 2013)没有更新，所以这不是一个好兆头。无论哪种方式，它都适用于Windows Vista、Windows 7和Windows 8。如果您有任何问题，请发表评论。享受！
How to Avoid Problems Activating Windows After a Clean Install
If you arе planning on doing a clean install of Windows on your PC, you will more than likеly have to reactіvate Windows, either onlіnе or over the phone. Normally, the online reactivation wіll work just fine as long as the hardware on your computer hasn’t changed very much since the OS waѕ originally installed and the version of Windows is exaсtly the samе as the versіon that shipped with the computer.
If you have swapped out hard drives, graphics cards, memory, etc over time, then you might run into problems when you try to reactivate Windows online using the same product key. In these cases, you will have to call Microsoft and do an over the phone activation.
If the hardware hasn’t changed too much, you can make a backup of the information that Windows uses to ensure your copy is valid and then restore it after the reinstall, which I explain below using a freeware program.
Download Recovery Media
If the computer came installed with an OEM version of Windows and you perform a clean install with a retail version of Windows, it also won’t activate online. Previously, new PCs came with an OEM DVD that allowed you to reinstall Windows, but in the last few years most PCs now have a separate recovery partition that lets you restore directly from the hard drive. You shouldn’t have any problem activating Windows if you restore this way.
If you don’t have the DVD or recovery drive, you can either call Microsoft and try to activate by phone or you can directly download the ISO image files from Microsoft, but you will definitely need to have the product key from the COA sticker on the computer.
In order to download Windows 7 recovery media, you have to enter a valid product key before it will let you download the ISO file. For Windows 8.1, you are not required to provide a product key for the download. You can get the Windows 8.1 ISO from the Create Media Reset page on Microsoft’s website.
It’s worth noting that for years you could download Windows 7 ISO images from DigitalRiver, an official distributor of Microsoft software. However, those have all been taken down and no longer work. Your only legal sources are the links above from Microsoft.
Another item to note is that if your computer has Windows 8, the key won’t be able to activate Windows 8.1. The same is true if you have a Windows 8.1 key and are trying to activate Windows 8. If you need a Windows 8 ISO image, then check out the Upgrade Windows with product key only page. Here you enter your product key and it will download the correct ISO image that can be activated for that specific key.
Windows XP
In Windows XP, you can avoid having to reactivate by simply copying a file from your Windows directory and saving it external media. When Windows XP is first activated, it creates a file called WPA.DBL and stores it in the C:\Windows\System32 directory.
Copy this file to your external storage device and keep it handy. When you go to reinstall Windows, you’ll reach the point where you have to activate. Decline the activation and complete the installation.
Now you’ll need to restart your computer in Safe Mode by pressing F8 on startup to get into the Advanced Boot Options menu.
Go to C:\Windows\System32 and you should see a file called WPA.DBL already there. Simply rename it to something like WPA.OLD and then copy your backup version of WPA.DBL to the current location.
Restart the computer and Windows XP should now be activated and working normally. Remember that this will only work if you use the WPA.DBL file from the same computer that Windows XP was originally activated on. If you install XP on a different machine and try to copy the WPA.DBL file there, it won’t activate.
Windows Vista, 7, 8
If you are running Windows Vista, 7 or higher, you won’t be able to simply copy one file in order to avoid the activation problem. There is a lot more information that is required, which makes it a lot more complicated.
Luckily, there is a freeware program called Advanced Tokens Manager that will make a copy of all the activation data for you and allow you to easily restore it later on.
Once you download it and unzip the files, go ahead and run the executable file. It doesn’t require any installation, so that’s nice. On the main screen, it will start detecting any valid Windows and Office products.
If all works out well, the status should detect your version of Windows and it should display the product key along with the license status. To backup the data, just click the Activation Backup button. A fairly large dialog will pop up that basically explains all the features and the requirements in order for the activation to properly work. Make sure you read it carefully.
The main points here are what I had already mentioned above: don’t make major hardware changes when performing the restore and make sure the OS edition is the same. Go ahead and click Yes and the backup will be created in a new folder called Windows Activation Backup, located in the same folder as the EXE file.
You’ll want to make sure to copy this folder to some external media before you reinstall Windows. Once you have loaded Windows, simply download and run the program again. Make sure to copy the backup folder into the same folder as the EXE file. The program will detect the backup folder and the button will change to Activation Restore.
Click on that and when it asks you if you are sure, click Yes. Wait about a minute or so and if the program succeeds, you will get a Success message.
At this point, you should be good to go with an activated copy of Windows. Note that if you Microsoft Office installed also, you can click the Office Activation Backup button and it will allow you to back that data up separately.
The only issue with Advanced Tokens Manager is that it does not fully support Windows 8.1. It can save all the activation data, but it can only restore activation for Windows 8.1 copies that were activated by phone. If activated online, it won’t be able to restore properly.
The developers say they are in the process of trying to figure this out, but there has been no update to the program September 2013, so that’s not a good sign. Either way, it works well for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. If you have any questions, post a comment. Enjoy!
