transferring Windows XP onto a rebuild computer

[Bill in Massachusetts]

I purchased from Dell a Dimension 8200 in 2001. I purchased Windows XP
professional with it.I am going to rebuild the computer with a new
motherboard, CPU, memory, and video card. I want to keep the same hard disk
with the operating system and other software. Will this work, or will
Windows think that I'm trying to put it on another computer and prevent me
from using it? If so,is there a workaround?

 

[Alias]

I purchased from Dell a Dimension 8200 in 2001. I purchased Windows XP
professional with it.I am going to rebuild the computer with a new
motherboard, CPU, memory, and video card. I want to keep the same hard disk
with the operating system and other software. Will this work, or will
Windows think that I'm trying to put it on another computer and prevent me
from using it? If so,is there a workaround?

It depends on what type of XP Professional you have. If it's a retail or
generic OEM, it should work. If it's a Dell recovery CD, it probably
won't work.

Alias

 

[R. McCarty]

What "Constitutes" a PC is a hot button topic. Some professionals
consider the Motherboard the heart of the PC and if it's changed
then you really have a new computer. Based on the age of your PC
it's not likely it's a BIOS enabled Activation. Unless the new PC is
using the same vendor Chipset ( Intel, Via, nVidia ) then the switch
over to new hardware won't boot without a Repair install. For that
you'll need an Dell OEM branded XP install disk. You can expect
that if you do a repair install, activation will fail and require you to
phone in for an activation code.

"Let the arguments on Activation, OEM Licensing and what makes
up a PC begin...."

 

[David B.]

XP will likely blue screen after installing the upgraded hardware, you may
or may not be able to use your Dell install CD to perform a repair
installation, if you are able to get that far, it will likely not activate.

 

[Bob I]

Is it still a Dell? Sound like you are trying to put the Dell hard drive
in a new computer to me.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You will have to do a repair install of Windows but there is a chance that
it will not work and you will have to reinstall from scratch. Save your
files and settings with the Files and Settings Transfer wizard and make sure
you have all of your application installation cd's handy.

If the XP Pro cd is a Dell restore cd then you are not going to be able to
do what you want to do. You will have to reinstall Windows with it. If you
have a retail copy of XP Pro then you will be OK. Plan for the worst case
scenario and that is that you will have to reinstall Windows and your apps.
Make sure that you have all the drivers for the devices. You should have
the drivers for the mobo and integrated devices on the cd that comes with
the mobo.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:28:00 -0700, Bill in Massachusetts <Bill in

I purchased from Dell a Dimension 8200 in 2001. I purchased Windows XP
professional with it.I am going to rebuild the computer with a new
motherboard, CPU, memory, and video card. I want to keep the same hard disk
with the operating system and other software. Will this work, or will
Windows think that I'm trying to put it on another computer and prevent me
from using it? If so,is there a workaround?

There are two potential issues here:

1. The licensing issue.

Yours is an OEM copy of Windows. An OEM copy comes with several
restrictions, the most severe of which is that its license ties it
permanently to the first computer it's installed on. It can never
legally be moved to another computer, sold, or given away (except with
the original computer). Exactly what constitutes the same computer is
a gray area, but if you're replacing everything but the hard drive,
you might well have a hard time selling the idea that it's the same
computer.

2. The technical issue.

Most brand name OEM copies are BIOS-locked to the original
motherboard, and won't install on another, unless it's
identical to the original one.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I purchased from Dell a Dimension 8200 in 2001. I purchased Windows XP
professional with it.I am going to rebuild the computer with a new
motherboard, CPU, memory, and video card. I want to keep the same hard
disk
with the operating system and other software. Will this work, or will
Windows think that I'm trying to put it on another computer and prevent me
from using it? If so,is there a workaround?

This will almost certainly not work. The Dell OEM version of Windows
typically checks the motherboard BIOS for a 'Dell" signature, and won't
install if it isn't found.

And you are almost certainly going to have to do a repair install to account
for the different hardware on the new motherboard.

As well, that drive is now 7 years old, and near the end of its reliable
life span.

HTH
-pk

 

[Alan]

Hello Bill,

The EULA licensing issue -- and regarding what constitutes a computer, or a
'new' computer -- has been kicking around for a long time. And the reality
is that Microsoft has never really defined it, nor have they tried testing
their vague words in any legal venue.

Bruce Chambers wrote the following back in January in relation to a question
akin to yours.

I'll repeat it here, but if you want to read Bruce's entire reply, go to
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/ad6c22ecfba353c7

To read the whole discussion, go to
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...388a9b7d790/ad6c22ecfba353c7#ad6c22ecfba353c7

Alan
(also from Massachusetts)

"Some people mistakenly believe that the motherboard is the key
component that defines the "original computer," but the OEM EULA itself
does not make any such distinction. Others have said (tongue in cheek)
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_ to *publicly*
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"

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hello Bill,

The EULA licensing issue -- and regarding what constitutes a computer, or a
'new' computer -- has been kicking around for a long time. And the reality
is that Microsoft has never really defined it, nor have they tried testing
their vague words in any legal venue.

Not quite true any more. Have you seen
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/a...
or http://tinyurl.com/384gx5

which says,

"If you acquired Windows Vista pre-installed on a computer from a
major manufacturer (sometimes referred to as an Original Equipment
Manufacturer or OEM), Windows Vista will require re-activation if you
replace the motherboard with a motherboard not provided by the OEM."

It's about Vista in particular, not XP, but I assume if they say it
about Vista, the same very likely applies to Windows XP. Since
replacing a motherboard requires reactivation, that implies that
replacing the motherboard and using the same OEM copy of Windows *is*
permitted by the EULA.

 

[Alan]

Hi Ken,

So, to use Bruce's tongue-in-cheek comment, it looks as if so long as the
computer's case is the same, there's no problem deciding what a 'new'
computer is anymore. :>

Alan

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I purchased from Dell a Dimension 8200 in 2001. I purchased Windows XP
professional with it.I am going to rebuild the computer with a new
motherboard, CPU, memory, and video card. I want to keep the same hard disk
with the operating system and other software. Will this work, or will
Windows think that I'm trying to put it on another computer and prevent me
from using it? If so,is there a workaround?

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific motherboard chipset and
therefore are *not* transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
*before* starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical
(same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the one
on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll need to
perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with WinXP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point.
You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If
you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a
Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style
foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it,
is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any
old hardware configuration you throw at it. On installation it
"tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This is one of the
reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable
than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than
120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most
likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's
been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

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

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi Ken,

So, to use Bruce's tongue-in-cheek comment, it looks as if so long as the
computer's case is the same, there's no problem deciding what a 'new'
computer is anymore. :>

My only point here is that Microsoft, who had long been silent on this
issue, has finally spoken up on it recently. Given that statement of
theirs, my interpretation is that the claim that changing the
motherboard means that it is no longer the same computer (which many
people have made in these newsgroups) is false.

Beyond that, I don't claim to know what Microsoft considers to be the
same computer, nor whether any claim of theirs would stand up in
court, if it came to that.

By the way, Bruce's comment about those speaking tongue in cheek about
the motherboard defining the computer refers to several posts I've
made in the past. He's referring to this statement (or a similar one)
that I've made in the newsgroups numbers of times:

"My own view is that you might be able to successfully argue in court
that, silly as it may sound, the computer is defined by the case,
since that's where Microsoft requires that the product key sticker be
affixed. You could therefore change everything inside the case, and it
would still be the same computer."

Note the phrase "might be able" in that quotation. I'm not a lawyer,
and can't guarantee that that's correct.

 

[Bill in Massachusetts]

This will almost certainly not work. The Dell OEM version of Windows
typically checks the motherboard BIOS for a 'Dell" signature, and won't
install if it isn't found.

And you are almost certainly going to have to do a repair install to account
for the different hardware on the new motherboard.

As well, that drive is now 7 years old, and near the end of its reliable
life span.

HTH
-pk

thank you for the advice.you're too late about the disk.I had to replace the original and reinstall all my software about a year ago.

Bill