Activation needed?

[Mark or Libbie McCutcheon]

I loaded a restoration Windows XP on an old computer. The computer will not
be on the Internet.

It is asking for activation. If I call to activate it, will they activate it
since the recovery CD came on another computer that now has SP2 loaded?

If I load an SP2 cd on this computer, will the msg stop and the computer not
shut down after 30 days?

 

[Tom Willett]

Nope. OEM software supplied with one computer will not transfer to another.
A restoration CD is not a full O/S.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I loaded a restoration Windows XP on an old computer. The computer will not
be on the Internet.

It is asking for activation. If I call to activate it, will they activate it
since the recovery CD came on another computer that now has SP2 loaded?

No, they shouldn't. In affect, you're pirating software, the very
thing the Activation process is designed to deter.

If I load an SP2 cd on this computer, will the msg stop and the computer not
shut down after 30 days?

I would certainly hope so.

Certainly. You need to purchase a separate WinXP Pro license for
each computer on which you install it.

First of all, that "restoration CD" represents an OEM license
for WinXP. An OEM version must be sold with a piece of hardware
(normally a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC) and is
_permanently_ bound to the first PC on which it's installed. An OEM
license, once installed, is not legally transferable to another computer
under _any_ circumstances.

Secondly, as it has *always* been with *all* Microsoft operating
systems, it's necessary (to be in compliance with both the EULA and
U.S. copyright law http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/117.html), if
not technically) to purchase one WinXP license for each computer on
which it is installed. (Consult an attorney versed in copyright law
to determine final applicability in your locale.) The only way in
which WinXP licensing differs from that of earlier versions of Windows
is that Microsoft has finally added a copy protection and anti-theft
mechanism, Product Activation, to prevent (or at least make more
difficult) multiple installations using a single license.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Mark or Libbie McCutcheon]

What's so crazy, I was in such a hurry.. I had changed the harddrive in this
old computer but DID have it's restoration CD with me. For some thoughtless
reason, I used a restoration CD I had borrowed from someone when I was just
replacing one system file earlier this year.

So, can I maybe load the right restoration CD on the machine on top of the
one that goes to another computer?

What if I used the product key that is on this computer? It is still on the
machine. (even though the restoration CD I formatted the drive with goes to
a different machine?)

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I loaded a restoration Windows XP on an old computer. The computer will not
be on the Internet.

It is asking for activation. If I call to activate it, will they activate
it since the recovery CD came on another computer that now has SP2 loaded?

If I load an SP2 cd on this computer, will the msg stop and the computer
not shut down after 30 days?

No, it will not. SP2 does not remove the activation requirement. If
you have already installed that license on another machine and that license
is still on that machine, you should replace the new one with its own
license. Retail and OEM copies of XP are limited to one system per
license/ install key.

Only the "corporate" or VLA (volume license agreement) version of XP PRO
can use multiple installs of one key. That starts in quantities of five,
and they still have to be activated.

HTH
-pk

 

[Patrick Keenan]

What's so crazy, I was in such a hurry.. I had changed the harddrive in
this old computer but DID have it's restoration CD with me. For some
thoughtless reason, I used a restoration CD I had borrowed from someone
when I was just replacing one system file earlier this year.

So, can I maybe load the right restoration CD on the machine on top of the
one that goes to another computer?

What if I used the product key that is on this computer? It is still on
the machine. (even though the restoration CD I formatted the drive with
goes to a different machine?)

You may be able to change the key to the correct one with the Magic
Jellybean key finder, but if the versions were different there may be issues
with this.

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

HTH
-pk