Windows Vista product key activation. Is it a 1 to 1 activation?

I had installed vista ultimate on my laptop but i dont know for what reason it keeps on crashing, i had activated vista using the activation key. Currently i am trying to install it on other machine and but while doing that i am getting an message saying PID is already in use and i will have to use some other key. I wanted to know if there is some other way by which i can install vista on other machine using same license? or i will simply have to get a new copy?

If you want then you can go with phone activation, you just have to type "slui.exe 4" without quotes in Start Menu Search box and hit enter. It will take about five minutes for activating the line. Once it gets connected you can address your issue to the one on call and ask them to activate the system for you.

I was going to suggest you same thing, some of my friends have tried out contacting them for same reason but only few of them have got it activated. They said that it depends on the operators who answer the call, if they are satisfied with what you address them then there are chances that they'll activate it for you else they wont. I also wanted to add the telephone line is automated so there are chances that you wont get connected to the operator directly, you will have to wait for some minutes so have patience while being on line, best of luck and let me know if you get it activated.

If you are having OEM copy of windows vista then you wont be able to transfer it to some other system and you will surely have to get a new copy. There is no point of using phone activation method, this is the answer you will get from them "'You can't activate your copy of Vista'. If you dont believe then you can very well clarify it. I also wanted to add OEM is designed for companies manufacturing computers and laptops so once you install OEM software on a system then it gets license gets tied to it and you cannot use it on some other system, Microsoft wont help in this case.

If it is retail one then like i have mentioned you can go with phone activation thing. SpearMan has already mentioned what you have to do for that. You wont be able to get it activated by other means.