Activation question

[Guest]

I am currently using Windows XP Home. It is activated and working fine. I am
however, planning on upgrading my motherboard, harddrive and cpu. If I either
transfer my data to this new drive while erasing the other, or, erase the
other and install XP fresh on the new drive, with this new hardware, will I
still be able/have to re-activate it, or need to buy an additional new
version of XP? What options do I have regarding this? Buying another XP or
license, seems kinda dumb and redundant, as, in the end, I will have XP on
only one machine.

Thanks,
John

 

[peter]

If you uninstall from one machine you can install on another
machine............unless it is an OEM version of XP that came with the original
machine.
peter

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

I am currently using Windows XP Home. It is activated and working
fine. I am however, planning on upgrading my motherboard, harddrive
and cpu. If I either transfer my data to this new drive while erasing
the other, or, erase the other and install XP fresh on the new drive,
with this new hardware, will I still be able/have to re-activate it,
or need to buy an additional new version of XP? What options do I
have regarding this? Buying another XP or license, seems kinda dumb
and redundant, as, in the end, I will have XP on only one machine.

Thanks,
John

You will have to activate again.
If it's an OEM copy provided by the manufacturer it may be BIOS locked to
the original computer, in which case you will not be able to use it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
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[Richard Urban]

If you installed XP Home from a retail CD you have no problems.

If XP Home came with a store bought computer it is an OEM version and can
legally be used on only the original setup.

A new M/B constitutes a new computer.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

so, in getting a new motherboard, along with the rest of the upgraded
hardware, does the 'newness' void or allow the reinstall? --i am using a
store bought retail version of xp.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I am currently using Windows XP Home. It is activated and
working
fine. I am however, planning on upgrading my motherboard,
harddrive
and cpu. If I either transfer my data to this new drive while
erasing
the other, or, erase the other and install XP fresh on the new
drive,
with this new hardware, will I still be able/have to
re-activate it,
or need to buy an additional new version of XP? What options do
I
have regarding this? Buying another XP or license, seems kinda
dumb
and redundant, as, in the end, I will have XP on only one
machine.

If your copy of XP is a retail version, you can do what you want
without difficulty. You'll have to reactivate, but that's not a
problem.

But if yours is an OEM version, its license is much more
restrictive and ties it to the first machine it's installed on;
it can never legally be moved to another. Exactly what
constitutes a new computer is a somewhat grat area, but I think
you'd have a hard time convincing someone that it's the same
computer if you changed as much as the motherboard, hard drive,
and cpu.

 

[Alias]

: so, in getting a new motherboard, along with the rest of the upgraded
: hardware, does the 'newness' void or allow the reinstall? --i am using a
: store bought retail version of xp.

You will have no problem other than maybe having to make a five minute phone
call. If it's been over 120 days since you activated, you won't even have to
do that; just activate it like you did the first time.
--
Alias

Use the Reply to Sender feature of your news reader program to email me.

Utiliza Responder al Remitente para mandarme un mail.
:
: "Richard Urban" wrote:
:
: > If you installed XP Home from a retail CD you have no problems.
: >
: > If XP Home came with a store bought computer it is an OEM version and
can
: > legally be used on only the original setup.
: >
: > A new M/B constitutes a new computer.
: >
: > --
: > Regards,
: >
: > Richard Urban
: >
: > aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard
: >
: > If you knew as much as you thought you know,
: > You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
: >
: >
: > : > >I am currently using Windows XP Home. It is activated and working fine.
I
: > >am
: > > however, planning on upgrading my motherboard, harddrive and cpu. If I
: > > either
: > > transfer my data to this new drive while erasing the other, or, erase
the
: > > other and install XP fresh on the new drive, with this new hardware,
will
: > > I
: > > still be able/have to re-activate it, or need to buy an additional new
: > > version of XP? What options do I have regarding this? Buying another
XP or
: > > license, seems kinda dumb and redundant, as, in the end, I will have
XP on
: > > only one machine.
: > >
: > > Thanks,
: > > John
: >
: >
: >

 

[Ken Blake]

In

so, in getting a new motherboard, along with the rest of the
upgraded
hardware, does the 'newness' void or allow the reinstall? --i
am
using a store bought retail version of xp.

If it's truly retail, you can change the motherboard or the
entire computer without a problem. There are no restrictions
against new hardware or moving it to a new computer.

But be careful--don't mix up "store-bought" and "retail." Some
store-bought copies are OEM, not retail.

If you're not completely sure that yours is retail, please
describe what it says on the CD, and what the packaging looks
like.

 

[Bob]

Does this response mean that you cannot reactivate XP if the BIOS has been
upgraded?

Thanks
Bob

 

[Courtney]

In



If your copy of XP is a retail version, you can do what you want
without difficulty. You'll have to reactivate, but that's not a
problem.

But if yours is an OEM version, its license is much more
restrictive and ties it to the first machine it's installed on;
it can never legally be moved to another. Exactly what
constitutes a new computer is a somewhat grat area, but I think
you'd have a hard time convincing someone that it's the same
computer if you changed as much as the motherboard, hard drive,
and cpu.

If it's retail it came in a Blue (Pro) or Green (Home) box. If it is
retail, it came preinstalled. It may also came in a white envelope.

courtney sends....


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[Michael Stevens]

Does this response mean that you cannot reactivate XP if the BIOS has
been upgraded?

Thanks
Bob

A system with a locked bios should not use any bios update not issued by the
System manufacturer. BIOS updates available from other sources will trigger
a phone call activation.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
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[Alex Nichol]

I am currently using Windows XP Home. It is activated and working fine. I am
however, planning on upgrading my motherboard, harddrive and cpu. If I either
transfer my data to this new drive while erasing the other, or, erase the
other and install XP fresh on the new drive, with this new hardware, will I
still be able/have to re-activate it, or need to buy an additional new
version of XP? What options do I have regarding this?

Two cases. One is an OEM copy, that came preinstalled or you bought as
an OEM disk - marked something like 'for supply only with a new
computer'. These are tied to the machine where originally installed and
may not be transferred. Just where it becomes a new machine is not
clear, but I think that much change would be seen as different.

A Retail version in box, either Upgrade or Full ('for machines without
windows or with Windows 95') may be freely transferred. provided it is
not retained on the earlier machine, which clearly does not arise here..
Go ahead and install (I would do it as a fresh start). When it comes to
activation, if it is more than 120 days since you last did it, you will
find it will go through on the net just like first time. If not, you
will have to phone a toll-free number that will be given, to explain and
swap one long number for another to check back as you type it in

 

[B Smith]

Big deal, you make it sound like a phone call activation is a big threat...
not so at all. All one has to do is call the number shown for activation,
read a long list of numbers to a robot, the robot says you've got to talk
to a person (probably in India...yes, no kidding) and that person has
you read the long list of numbers again, then he asks if you have that
copy of XP on more than one computer, you say "like no way man",
then he gives you a long list of numbers for you to type into the boxes
and it activates. Not to worry, they speak pretty good English in India.

 

[Greg R]

If you installed XP Home from a retail CD you have no problems.

If XP Home came with a store bought computer it is an OEM version and can
legally be used on only the original setup.

Not correct. You can add stuff and replace stuff. You can even
replace a hard drive. You may have to go about restoring the computer
differently when replacing a hard drive.

A new M/B constitutes a new computer.

That up for debate.

Greg R

 

[Michael Stevens]

Big deal, you make it sound like a phone call activation is a big
threat... not so at all. All one has to do is call the number shown
for activation, read a long list of numbers to a robot, the robot
says you've got to talk to a person (probably in India...yes, no
kidding) and that person has you read the long list of numbers again, then
he asks if you have that
copy of XP on more than one computer, you say "like no way man",
then he gives you a long list of numbers for you to type into the
boxes and it activates. Not to worry, they speak pretty good English
in India.

I should have defined my statement better.
The problem is not in the activation, it is the big possibility the use of a
non-authorized bios update will cause more problems than it would fix. The
mention of the a non-authorized bios update prompting a phone call
activation was anecdotal and not meant as threatening.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
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