How much hardware can you replace before you have to buy another copy of windows?

M

MachineMessiah

Husband has a lemon of a motherboard on a machine we built less than 6
months ago. I've found a couple new motherboards that will work with all
the existing hardware. Will we be able to re activate Windows if we
replace the motherboard?
 
J

JS

If you used an OEM copy of Windows with that old motherboard, then that OEM
copy is tied to the old motherboard and no longer legal. If you used a Full
or Upgrade version of Windows XP then you should have no problem activating
over the internet or at worst it's a simple phone call.

JS
 
P

Patrick Keenan

MachineMessiah said:
Husband has a lemon of a motherboard on a machine we built less than 6
months ago. I've found a couple new motherboards that will work with all
the existing hardware. Will we be able to re activate Windows if we
replace the motherboard?

Depends heavily on the terms of the license that came with the Windows
license. If it's any kind of retail, it's very flexible. If it's OEM it's
tied to the system, but the system still exists even if a few components
have been replaced. . Yes, you may well ahve to activate, but at worst
that is one toll-free phone call.

HTH
-pk
 
K

Ken Blake, MVP

Husband has a lemon of a motherboard on a machine we built less than 6
months ago. I've found a couple new motherboards that will work with all
the existing hardware. Will we be able to re activate Windows if we
replace the motherboard?



Is yours a retail copy of Windows or an OEM copy? If it's a retail
copy, no problem. You can replace all the hardware you want, and even
move Windows to an entirely different computer.

With an OEM copy, it's a can of worms, as far as I'm concerned. The
OEM EULA states that the license is valid only for the original
computer it's installed on, and it may never be moved to another.

The problem is that the Microsoft OEM EULA does not precisely define
exactly what constitutes the "computer." Some people claim that the
motherboard constitutes the computer. However logical that might seem,
the EULA does not state that, and the EULA is the document that
defines the rights of both parties to the agreement.

Some of those people point to a web site for System Builders, where
Microsoft defines the computer as the motherboard. However it's not
what it says on some web site that defines the customer's rights, it's
the EULA; besides, that web site is not even available to the general
public. I'm not a lawyer, but my guess is that if it ever came to a
court case and someone cited that web site, he'd be laughed out of
court.

So, can you replace a motherboard, consider the result the same
computer, and reuse your OEM copy of Windows? Regardless of what I
think, you think, or anyone else thinks, or even what a court might
rule if it came to that, the real issue is whether Microsoft will
permit you to reactivate if you do. Unfortunately the answer is again
not clear-cut, and we have heard here from people who have had both
experiences--some were reactivated and others were not. If they refuse
to reactivate you and you take them to court, you might win, but who
of us would be willing to undergo that trouble and expense to find
out?

So the answer, with an OEM version, is that there is no real answer.
 
G

Guest

Wow, so much confusion here when in reality, Microsoft's EULA is actually
quite simple.

As already mentioned, if this is a retail version of Windows, you can
transfer this with no issues or problems.

If this is an OEM version, you are also fine since this is a case of
hardware failure. The OEM EULA specifically has allowances for failed
hardware. In your case, your motherboard and OS is less than six months old,
so this really can't be justified for "go buy another copy of Windows" as you
wouldn't be doing so if you didn't have bad or flakey hardware.

You will likely need to telephone activate your copy of Windows, but will
have no problems as it will take under 5 minutes. If you replace your
motherboard/RMA with the same model/make, you probably wont even need to
telephone activate as it will more than likely activate normally. If you
replace your motherboard, simply try normal internet activation, and if this
fails, call the 1-800 number and explain your situation (bad motherboard =
replaced). This is well within the Windows XP EULA and you should encounter
no hassles.
 

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