Is a PSU considered in XP OEM licensing as well as motherboard?

[Martin C]

I know that replacing a motherboard has been asked in terms of activating an
XP Home OEM, but this is a bit further.

My PSU died. After getting another one, it looks like it has taken out my
motherboard as well. As it is proving impossible to get hold of another one,
it looks like I will have to get some other type of motherboard.

If I get another board, but everything else is the same (apart from the
PSU - which is now a different type), does this mean that I will have to get
a new XP licence or can I reactivate it again. I got the OEM XP disc at the
same time as I bought all the other bits to the new PC, so it is not linked
to any one bit of hardware. It is therefore not BIOS linked.

Thanks for any help you can give,

Martin.

 

[Alias]

I know that replacing a motherboard has been asked in terms of activating an
XP Home OEM, but this is a bit further.

My PSU died. After getting another one, it looks like it has taken out my
motherboard as well. As it is proving impossible to get hold of another one,
it looks like I will have to get some other type of motherboard.

If I get another board, but everything else is the same (apart from the
PSU - which is now a different type), does this mean that I will have to get
a new XP licence or can I reactivate it again. I got the OEM XP disc at the
same time as I bought all the other bits to the new PC, so it is not linked
to any one bit of hardware. It is therefore not BIOS linked.

Thanks for any help you can give,

Martin.

I've done it on two computers and both activated on line no problems.

Alias

 

[Leythos]

If I get another board, but everything else is the same (apart from the
PSU - which is now a different type), does this mean that I will have to get
a new XP licence or can I reactivate it again. I got the OEM XP disc at the
same time as I bought all the other bits to the new PC, so it is not linked
to any one bit of hardware. It is therefore not BIOS linked.

depending on how MS states it, in the old days the Motherboard was the
determining factor, now, the entire PC is the determining factor, so I
can't really say.

The OEM that sold you XP is the real factor, if they support your
changing of the parts then you're good to go. If you are the OEM, then
you can support changing the motherboard.

Also, you can change a defective motherboard, even with a different
motherboard, when no direct replacement is available, due to a failure,
and it's legit.

So, just install, do a repair, and then call them to reactivate if
needed.

 

[Martin C]

Thanks guys,
It makes me breathe a little easier. I have put in a returns request with
the supplier, but they no longer sell the motherboard. I will have to see
how I get on with it all.

Cheers.
Martin

 

[Pop`]

I know that replacing a motherboard has been asked in terms of
activating an XP Home OEM, but this is a bit further.

My PSU died. After getting another one, it looks like it has taken
out my motherboard as well. As it is proving impossible to get hold
of another one, it looks like I will have to get some other type of
motherboard.
If I get another board, but everything else is the same (apart from
the PSU - which is now a different type), does this mean that I will have
to get a new XP licence or can I reactivate it again. I got the OEM
XP disc at the same time as I bought all the other bits to the new
PC, so it is not linked to any one bit of hardware. It is therefore
not BIOS linked.
Thanks for any help you can give,

Martin.

Whatever happens, it'll work. Worst case you might have to make a short
phone call to get it activated.

Pop`

 

[Alias]

Whatever happens, it'll work. Worst case you might have to make a short
phone call to get it activated.

Pop`

Not necessarily. People have reported in this very newsgroup having
problems with the phone activation like being hung up on. I still don't
understand the phone activation. If they always activate, what's the
bloody point?

Alias

 

[Leythos]

Not necessarily. People have reported in this very newsgroup having
problems with the phone activation like being hung up on. I still don't
understand the phone activation. If they always activate, what's the
bloody point?

Actually, they don't always activate. I had a MS Office install, it was
OEM, and I was under the impression that I could have one on my PC and
one on my laptop, like with Retail. The phone activation person told me
that OEM would only allow activation on a Single PC and it was a
violation of the licensing for OEM to install on two machines, but that
retail still qualified for Dual Install (PC/Laptop for MS Office). Sure
enough, I read the license agreement on the OEM Office and it was
different than the Retail - limited to one system. They would not
activate the OEM on the second machine.

 

[Ron Martell]

I know that replacing a motherboard has been asked in terms of activating an
XP Home OEM, but this is a bit further.

My PSU died. After getting another one, it looks like it has taken out my
motherboard as well. As it is proving impossible to get hold of another one,
it looks like I will have to get some other type of motherboard.

If I get another board, but everything else is the same (apart from the
PSU - which is now a different type), does this mean that I will have to get
a new XP licence or can I reactivate it again. I got the OEM XP disc at the
same time as I bought all the other bits to the new PC, so it is not linked
to any one bit of hardware. It is therefore not BIOS linked.

Thanks for any help you can give,

Martin.

It may or may not work. If your OEM Windows XP Home is a "BIOS
Locked" version then it cannot be activated unless the motherboard
BIOS is from the same OEM that supplied the original computer.

As it appears that your computer is not operational at present it is
not possible to determine if your OEM version is in fact "BIOS
Locked".

"BIOS Locked" OEM versions are self-activating when installed on a
mothrboard with the correct BIOS so if your original computer did not
require activation when you purchased it, or if and when you
subsequently reformatted and reinstalled Windows, then you have a BIOS
Locked version. However if you had to do the online (or telephone)
activation procedure when new and/or after a reinstall then it would
appear that your OEM version is not the BIOS Locked type.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[AJR]

From Microsoft at the time of activation implementation:

""Pre-activation" of Windows XP by the OEMs will be done in one of two
different ways depending on the OEM's own configuration options and choices.
Some OEMs may protect Windows XP using a mechanism which locks the
installation to OEM-specified BIOS information in the PC. This technology
works very similar to existing technologies that many OEMs have used over
the years with the CDs they ship to reinstall Windows on these computers. We
expanded and integrated the existing OEM CD BIOS locking mechanism with
product activation, and call this method of protection "System Locked
Pre-installation," or SLP.
Successfully implemented, SLP uses information stored in an OEM PC's BIOS to
protect the installation from casual piracy. No communication by the end
customer to Microsoft is required and no hardware hash is created or
necessary. At boot, Windows XP compares the PC's BIOS to the SLP
information. If it matches, no activation is required.

Every single piece of hardware could be changed on a PC with SLP and no
reactivation would be required - even the motherboard could be replaced as
long as the replacement motherboard was original equipment manufactured by
the OEM and retained the proper BIOS. In the unlikely scenario that the BIOS
information does not match, the PC would need to be activated within 30 days
by contacting the Microsoft activation center via the Internet or telephone
call - just as in a retail scenario.

OEMs may also activate Windows XP by contacting Microsoft in the same way
the consumer would activate. Activation done in this way is the same as
activating a retail boxed version of Windows XP. This is discussed in more
detail further below.

For OEMs who do not employ either of the above two methods of
pre-activation, a new PC acquired with Windows XP preinstalled must be
activated by the customer. This activation is completed in the exact same
way as would someone who acquired Windows XP by purchasing a boxed version
at a retailer."

 

[Alias]

Actually, they don't always activate. I had a MS Office install, it was
OEM, and I was under the impression that I could have one on my PC and
one on my laptop, like with Retail. The phone activation person told me
that OEM would only allow activation on a Single PC and it was a
violation of the licensing for OEM to install on two machines, but that
retail still qualified for Dual Install (PC/Laptop for MS Office). Sure
enough, I read the license agreement on the OEM Office and it was
different than the Retail - limited to one system. They would not
activate the OEM on the second machine.

We were talking about Windows XP, not Office XP. Try to keep up, Leythos.

Alias

 

[Alias]

It may or may not work. If your OEM Windows XP Home is a "BIOS
Locked" version then it cannot be activated unless the motherboard
BIOS is from the same OEM that supplied the original computer.

Martin C wrote:

"I got the OEM XP disc at the same time as I bought all the other bits
to the new PC, so it is not linked to any one bit of hardware. It is
therefore not BIOS linked."

As it appears that your computer is not operational at present it is
not possible to determine if your OEM version is in fact "BIOS
Locked".

See above.

"BIOS Locked" OEM versions are self-activating when installed on a
mothrboard with the correct BIOS so if your original computer did not
require activation when you purchased it, or if and when you
subsequently reformatted and reinstalled Windows, then you have a BIOS
Locked version. However if you had to do the online (or telephone)
activation procedure when new and/or after a reinstall then it would
appear that your OEM version is not the BIOS Locked type.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

Can you answer the question with the assumption that he bought a generic
OEM XP?

Alias

 

[NoStop]

We were talking about Windows XP, not Office XP. Try to keep up, Leythos.

That's hard to do when he's so busy saying "thank you master, thank
you".

Cheers.

Alias

--
Linux is ready for the desktop! More ready than Windoze XP.
http://tinyurl.com/ldm9d

"Computer users around the globe recognize that the most serious threats to
security exist because of inherent weaknesses in the Microsoft operating
system." McAfee

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I know that replacing a motherboard has been asked in terms of activating an
XP Home OEM, but this is a bit further.

My PSU died. After getting another one, it looks like it has taken out my
motherboard as well. As it is proving impossible to get hold of another one,
it looks like I will have to get some other type of motherboard.

If I get another board, but everything else is the same (apart from the
PSU - which is now a different type), does this mean that I will have to get
a new XP licence or can I reactivate it again. I got the OEM XP disc at the
same time as I bought all the other bits to the new PC, so it is not linked
to any one bit of hardware. It is therefore not BIOS linked.

Thanks for any help you can give,

Martin.

It's true that many OEM installations, specifically those performed
by major computer manufacturers and shipped pre-installed on their
assembled computers, are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore
not transferable to a new motherboard. However, this technical
limitation does not apply to unbranded, generic OEM CDs, such as may be
purchased from many sources with a qualifying non-peripheral hardware
component.

According to its EULA, an OEM license may not be transferred from
one distinct PC to another PC. Nothing is said about prohibiting one
from repairing or upgrading the PC on which an OEM license is installed.

Some people believe that the motherboard is the key component that
defines the "original computer," but the OEM EULA does not make any such
distinction. Others have said that one could successfully argue that
it's the PC's case that is the deciding component, as that is where one
is instructed to affix the OEM CoA label w/Product Key. Again, the EULA
does *not* specifically define any single component as the computer.
Licensed Microsoft Systems Builders, who are allowed to distribute OEM
licenses with computers they build and sell, are _contractually_
obligated to "define" the computer as the motherboard, but this
limitation/definition can't be applied to the end user until the EULA is
re-written.

Microsoft has, to date, been very careful _not_ publicly to define
when an incrementally upgraded computer ceases to be the original
computer. The closest I've ever seen a Microsoft employee come to this
definition (in a public forum) is to tell the person making the inquiry
to consult the PC's manufacturer. As the OEM license's support is
solely the responsibility of said manufacturer, they should determine
what sort of hardware changes to allow before the warranty and support
agreements are voided. To paraphrase: An incrementally upgraded
computer ceases to be the original computer, as pertains to the OEM
EULA, only when the *OEM* says it's a different computer. If you've
built the system yourself, and used a generic OEM CD, then _you_ are the
"OEM," and _you_ get to decide when you'll no longer support your product.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Alias]

That's hard to do when he's so busy saying "thank you master, thank
you".

Cheers.

So true.

Alias

 

[Leythos]

We were talking about Windows XP, not Office XP. Try to keep up, Leythos.

And you seem to have forgot a post I made that you replied to where the
XP installation was not bios locked and was OEM and they would not
activate it - it's somewhere out there in Usenet land.

The point was that you said they "always" activate and I said they
don't, which is true.

 

[Alias]

And you seem to have forgot a post I made that you replied to where the
XP installation was not bios locked and was OEM and they would not
activate it - it's somewhere out there in Usenet land.

The point was that you said they "always" activate and I said they
don't, which is true.

If you reveal only what MS says you have to reveal, the code, it WILL
ALWAYS BE ACTIVATED so what's the point??????????

Alias

 

[Leythos]

If you reveal only what MS says you have to reveal, the code, it WILL
ALWAYS BE ACTIVATED so what's the point??????????

If you answer the questions of the phone droid, you may or may not get
activation - as long as you understand that you don't have a valid point
in replying.

 

[Leythos]

So true.

Strange, but stating that MS doesn't alway activate is not really saying
"thanks", it's more like saying that Alias is wrong, although I wish he
was right and they just activated without ever refusing.

 

[Alias]

If you answer the questions of the phone droid,

According to MS, the only information you need to provide is the code.

you may or may not get
activation - as long as you understand that you don't have a valid point
in replying.

Huh? Sorry, that doesn't make sense to me.

Alias

 

[Alias]

Strange, but stating that MS doesn't alway activate is not really saying
"thanks", it's more like saying that Alias is wrong, although I wish he
was right and they just activated without ever refusing.

Considering that I have a legit copy that was born and raised on the
same computer, they damn well better activate if I reinstall Windows or
upgrade one or more of its components!

Again, sigh, WPA and WGA ONLY inconvenience the paying customer as
cracked versions do not need to be activated.

This is the ONLY reason I am learning Linux. I like Windows. I know how
to use Windows pretty well and don't look forward to undergoing the
learning curve for Linux but I am sick and tired of the you are a thief
until you prove otherwise trip and I'm not alone.

Alias