Windows 7 is my first boxed copy of an OS, since I've always relied on what came with the machine. As such, I am new to having a Windows that has to be activated. Are there limits to how many times I can delete my partition and reinstall Windows 7 now?

GAAAAAAAH! Oh, well, guess I'd better watch how many times I refresh, then.

1. That's five machines (one at a time). So, if you replace your motherboard and other core components every couple of years then you'll still get 10 years out of it without any hassle. You can install as many times as you like on one machine.
2. As with other activation limits, phoning MS will get you some more if needed.

Technically correct, functionally wrong.
You can call them up, and get it renewed quite a lot more often. I usually reinstall my XP-Pro every few months (because of all the crap and utils I test/install/run) and occasionally because of hardware failure.
It's a fully-automated system these days, and you don't even have to cry "hardware failure", just push button 1 - it's the only copy on any machine...

Activation isn't really aimed at the end user market anyway, its mostly for businesses

Lol. :D

Are there even activation limits on "normal" Win7, aside from the fact you can't use it on more than one machine at any given time?
Also, Microsoft are generally lenient these days about reactivating / giving you a new key should something fail. I lost my factory install on the laptop and the new install wouldn't validate, a call to Microsoft promptly fixed that problem.

There'd be limits but for home users it'd be for "the database won't accept an empty field" reasons. From what I understand microsoft's home user market is just a bonus offshoot from their real moneymaker, business volume licencing

I activated on my laptop by mistake (autoactivate was ON) and now i'm screwed for activation on my desktop. 5 times my ass. Just downloaded an unnoficial activator to solve this shit.
This OS is good but their activation limitations are a pain. They should have done something like Apple for OSX 10.6 : You can activate it on your desktop and laptop.

they did, it's called the three license home version.

Oddly enough, MS do that, my licence for office 07 has that clause

Not for their OS though, except for the special family pack of Home Premium.
It'd be grand if I could use my English copy of Win7 Ultimate on the laptop as well, the "free" upgrade I get is bound to be in Swedish, and 32-bit no less (ie. crippled). I've always used Windows in English, and Mac OS in Swedish for some reason, and have trouble finding anything if that changes.