Upgrading or building new pc ?

[Guest]

I plan on either upgrading or building a new pc soon. I have my own copy of
windows xp pro. Can i use it again on a new pc or do i have to call microsoft
first? I have reinstalled it a few times on the pc i have now.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

First, if you build a new PC, you can not have it installed on both
the computers at the same time.

If your Windows XP is retail, you can move it to another computer and
reinstall an unlimited number of times as long as it is installed on
only one computer at a time.

If your Windows XP is OEM, generally it can never be transferred
regardless the condition of the original computer.

Read the EULA for details:
Start/Run
Type "winver"
Click the license agreement note.

 

[Daave]

If your Windows XP is OEM, generally it can never be transferred
regardless the condition of the original computer.

Generally?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I plan on either upgrading or building a new pc soon. I have my own copy of
windows xp pro.

Is it a retail copy or an OEM copy?

Can i use it again on a new pc

If it's a retail copy, and you take it off the old computer, yes.

If it's an OEM copy, you are subject to the biggest disadvantage of
OEM copies: 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.

or do i have to call microsoft
first? I have reinstalled it a few times on the pc i have now.

That's irrelevant.

 

[Lil' Dave]

First, if you build a new PC, you can not have it installed on both the
computers at the same time.

If your Windows XP is retail, you can move it to another computer and
reinstall an unlimited number of times as long as it is installed on only
one computer at a time.

If your Windows XP is OEM, generally it can never be transferred
regardless the condition of the original computer.

Read the EULA for details:
Start/Run
Type "winver"
Click the license agreement note.

Is your copy of the installation CD for XP: retail, OEM generic, or OEM
specific?

Why would you upgrade a new PC?
Dave

 

[RJK]

(OEM) "...it can never be transferred..."

That's not strictly true ! ...whilst that is the OEM EULA stipulation,
Microsoft appreciate that after a ridiculously short period of time, ones
motherboard is no longer in production and may need to be replaced with a
different make and model, and so MS has not been as strict as they could
have been with OEM and that "Genuine Advantage" thingy that keeps wanting to
verify ones hardware mix agains license no. etc.

regards, Richard

 

[Gordon]

(OEM) "...it can never be transferred..."

That's not strictly true ! ...whilst that is the OEM EULA stipulation,
Microsoft appreciate that after a ridiculously short period of time, ones
motherboard is no longer in production and may need to be replaced with a
different make and model, and so MS has not been as strict as they could
have been with OEM and that "Genuine Advantage" thingy that keeps wanting
to verify ones hardware mix agains license no. etc.

Replacing the motherboard is NOT transferring "from one computer to
another"....

 

[RJK]

What's the difference ? ? <VBG>

regards, Richard

 

[Ron Martell]

Generally?

It is clearly and specifically provided for in the End User License
Agreement for all OEM versions of Windows XP. The license is
permanently locked to the first computer that it is installed on and
may not be transferred to another computer under any circumstances,
even if the original computer is lost, stolen, scrapped, or destroyed.
The EULA terms for other versions of Windows XP, such as retail and
volume license, are different in this regard.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2008)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

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

 

[Ron Martell]

What's the difference ? ? <VBG>

regards, Richard

Maybe just a technicality, but there is a difference. With a
motherboard swap there are some residual components of the original
computer present, such as the case, power supply, disk drives,
possibly RAM, and maybe some accessory cards (modem etc) so it can be
argued that it is still the same "computer" with just some different
parts inside it.

With a new computer everything is different so that argument is not
available.



Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2008)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

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

 

[Daave]

It is clearly and specifically provided for in the End User License
Agreement for all OEM versions of Windows XP. The license is
permanently locked to the first computer that it is installed on and
may not be transferred to another computer under any circumstances,
even if the original computer is lost, stolen, scrapped, or destroyed.
The EULA terms for other versions of Windows XP, such as retail and
volume license, are different in this regard.

Doesn't sound like "generally" to me.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Have you read the agreement?

 

[Daave]

Have you read the agreement?

No, but I read Ron's (snipped) reply to me which said:

"The license is permanently locked to the first computer
that it is installed on and may not be transferred to another
computer under any circumstances, even if the original
computer is lost, stolen, scrapped, or destroyed."

Since your reading of the EULA is different from Ron's, I'm curious as
to how you both arrived at your conclusions.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

I interpret it the same, but am not as willing to post definitively.
You have read a few interpretations, now read the license and see what
you think.
Note: This refers to OEM which is significantly different from retail
in this respect.

 

[Daave]

This is from my EULA:

* Software as a Component of the Computer - Transfer. THIS
LICENSE MAY NOT BE SHARED, TRANSFERRED TO OR
USED CONCURRENTLY ON DIFFERENT COMPUTERS.
The SOFTWARE is licensed with the COMPUTER as a single
integrated product and may only be used with the COMPUTER.

Sounds cut and dried to me.

Granted, there are other parts of the EULA that are arguably murky, but
this seems to me to be a categorical (rather than general) rule.