Windows XP license

[Randy]

OK this is what I want to do. I have XP home on my computer and want to
install XP Pro upgrade. That is all fine and good but I want to give my copy
of XP Home to my son to put on his computer, can I do that and he stay
legal? I have a licensed copy of Win 98SE and one of WinMe so the XP Pro
upgrade should be covered under that license to upgrade right? I don't want
to buy XP Pro then fine out he can't legally use the XP Home.
Please let me know A.S.A.P. so I can get XP Pro while it's on sale before
the week is out.

Thanks
Randy
CakemanXXX @charter.net
DROP THE XXX OUT OF MY ADDRESS.

 

[Bob I]

If the XP Home came installed on the PC (OEM version) It is licensed to
the PC it came on. It can't be moved to a new or another PC. It's stuck
to the PC it came on. As far as the other versions of Windows if they
are OEM the same applies. If they were on a PC, they belong to that PC.

 

[Vincent Lape]

If you are instaling an upgrade copy you can not install home on another
computer.

 

[Chuck]

If you do everything correctly, Yes.
If not, No.
You can only "upgrade" one computer with the XP Pro Upgrade. (Obvious)
The previous version of windows (whatever it was) that was installed should
then be retired.
On the other hand--
Suppose that you backed up XP home using a good backup utility (as
insurance) (or just pulled the hard drive)

Then formt/reformat and partition the hard drive, and installed a full
version of one of the older windows versions before you use the XP Upgrade.
This frees up the XP home version for use on another PC. (Provided that it
was not an OEM version that is locked to a specific PC).When things are
working properly, and you have extracted any needed info, the backup can be
destroyed.
You may want to have floppy boot disks available for XPpro, and XP home, as
well as whatever older operating system version is to be used. There are
some methods that use a floppy boot set and an upgrade version that may or
may not work with the XPPro upgrade. (Be sure to have the appropriate
install CD for the full version of the ops system that you are upgrading
from.)
I usually end up getting a spare hard drive involved in the process. It can
simplify things, or allow you to make a "clean install" with out disturbing
the original hard drive's contents.
On some systems an additional hard drive, such as a USB hard drive can be
quite useful.

 

[Randy]

All version are mine (no OEM's) I build my own computers. Son's was also
built by me so no OEM there either. I just wanted to know what Microsoft
would do when we install XP home on his computer and register it. XP home
will only be on one computer his and pro on mine.

Randy

 

[NotMe]

I see that these are NOT OEM versions.
To be 'completely proper' you should probably clean install both.
To clean install XP Pro on your machine, just boot from the XP Pro CD,
format the drive and install.
It will ask for your old (WinME) media during the install.
Do the same on your son's machine with the XP Home CD. If it is an upgrade
version, it will ask for your old (W98) media.

Though some would consider it 'not completely proper'; you could upgrade
your XP Home without formatting; then use the XP Home on the son's machine.
It saves you reinstalling/reconfiguring and you DO own the qualifying prior
version software.
If the XP Home CD is an upgrade version as well, you should be able to
upgrade it instead of clean installing.

 

[Randy]

Thanks I just might try that.

Randy

I see that these are NOT OEM versions.
To be 'completely proper' you should probably clean install both.
To clean install XP Pro on your machine, just boot from the XP Pro CD,
format the drive and install.
It will ask for your old (WinME) media during the install.
Do the same on your son's machine with the XP Home CD. If it is an upgrade
version, it will ask for your old (W98) media.

Though some would consider it 'not completely proper'; you could upgrade
your XP Home without formatting; then use the XP Home on the son's
machine. It saves you reinstalling/reconfiguring and you DO own the
qualifying prior version software.
If the XP Home CD is an upgrade version as well, you should be able to
upgrade it instead of clean installing.

 

[Bob I]

In that case you have one XP Pro installation (upgraded from ME) and
one XP Home installation. All is good.

 

[Ken Blake]

All version are mine (no OEM's) I build my own computers. Son's was
also built by me so no OEM there either.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't think you understand what an OEM version is.
It doesn't matter who build the computer. There are retail version of
Windows XP and there are OEM versions. Some OEM versions come with
name-brand computers like Dell and Gateway, but other generic OEM versions
can be bought; they are supposed to be sold with hardware, but sometimes
they are sold by themselves.

OEM versions are cheaper than retail versions, and sometimes people buy them
without realizing that they aren't retail, and that because they are
cheaper, they come with some disadvantages. Perhaps the most significant of
those disadvantages is that their license states that once installed on one
computer, they can never be installed on another computer.

 

[Ron Martell]

If you are instaling an upgrade copy you can not install home on another
computer.

Wrong. Retail Upgrade versions can be moved from computer to computer
to computer as the owner sees fit, provided that:
- the license is only ever installed on a single computer at any given
point in time.
- the license previous version of Windows (the version that the
computer was upgraded from) is not used on any other computer. That
license is merged into the upgrade license and must remain with that
same computer.

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

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm