I thought I would mention this and also provide a link to the Microsoft article referencing this fact. Will you have to reactivate your copy of Vista after installing SP1? I did. Microsoft mentions the following circumstances in which you may need to reactivate:

Cause 1: Changes to hardware or to hardware device drivers are detected

Part of the Windows Genuine process requires that you reactivate your computer when certain hardware is changed or when certain hardware device drivers are changed. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 may update some installed device drivers. Therefore, you may be prompted to activate Windows Vista again.

Cause 2: The copy of Windows Vista that is installed on your computer was not activated

Before you installed the service pack, an activation exploit may have been installed on your computer. This activation exploit may have been created to circumvent the Windows Vista activation process. This kind of exploit can cause extreme alterations to important system components in Windows Vista and can affect system stability. Windows Vista SP1 addresses exploits that are created to circumvent the activation process. Windows Vista SP1 also includes updates that targets and disables these exploits.

I would recommend that you have your product key handy when installing SP1 for Windows Vista just in case you fall victim to having to reactivate your already activated copy.

It should be interesting to see how many people will have to reactivate their copies once SP1 becomes available to the masses.

Comments welcome.

Full article is here.

[tags]windows, vista, sp1, reactivate, causes, [/tags]