Any EASY way to de-activate Windows XP Pro? (retail version)

[Mark Conrad]

Sorry for asking - I have searched online for an answer to this, however
all the advice seems to involve moving disk drives between old and new
laptops, which I hesitate to attempt.

I need to de-activate my retail XP Pro on a old laptop.


Is there any easy way to do this so that I will have no problems when I
attempt to install and activate my Windows XP Pro on the new laptop?

The new PC will arrive with no OS installed, if that makes any
difference.

Mark-


--
PS - seems to me the logical way to do this would be to merely telephone
Microsoft and request a new product key number for my install DVDs.

Does such a Microsoft phone number exist?

Worse comes to worse, guess I will just give up and buy a new retail
version of Windows XP Pro. <sigh>

 

[Malke]

Sorry for asking - I have searched online for an answer to this, however
all the advice seems to involve moving disk drives between old and new
laptops, which I hesitate to attempt.

I need to de-activate my retail XP Pro on a old laptop.


Is there any easy way to do this so that I will have no problems when I
attempt to install and activate my Windows XP Pro on the new laptop?

The new PC will arrive with no OS installed, if that makes any
difference.

Mark-


--
PS - seems to me the logical way to do this would be to merely telephone
Microsoft and request a new product key number for my install DVDs.

Does such a Microsoft phone number exist?

Worse comes to worse, guess I will just give up and buy a new retail
version of Windows XP Pro. <sigh>

There is no deactivation process. Just remove the XP Pro on your old
laptop by either formatting the drive or installing a different
operating system.

Then go ahead and install your retail XP on your new laptop. Don't
forget to install all the drivers for your hardware, too. If it has been
more than 120 days since XP was activated on the old laptop, you can
simply activate over the Internet. At worst, you'll need to phone the
activation number that will be provided during the process. This is not
a big deal.


Malke

 

[Don Schmidt]

After moving your created files from the laptop, format the drive. Or do a
google search for a freebee shredder program and shred the drive.
The second option will take hours to complete.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

As Malke says there is "de-activation" process. With a Retail version of XP
you can legally transfer the license from one computer to another providing
you completely remove it from one system BEFORE you install it on another.
To remove the operating system you can simply format the drive on the
previous system. To format the drive take this link
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm and read How To Format. Once
you have formatted the drive which will remove all contents you can then
install XP on another system.

If XP has been on the laptop for more than 120 days it is highly unlikely
you will encounter any problems activating it on the new system. However,
when you attempt to activate it on the new system and get a message that
says the Activation Center could not be reached you will need to use the
telephone activation process. This is generally an automated process that
takes about 5 minutes.

 

[Harry Ohrn MS MVP]

should have read "there is no de-activation process"

--


Harry Ohrn MS MVP [Shell\User]

As Malke says there is "de-activation" process. With a Retail version of
XP you can legally transfer the license from one computer to another
providing you completely remove it from one system BEFORE you install it
on another. To remove the operating system you can simply format the drive
on the previous system. To format the drive take this link
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm and read How To Format. Once
you have formatted the drive which will remove all contents you can then
install XP on another system.

If XP has been on the laptop for more than 120 days it is highly unlikely
you will encounter any problems activating it on the new system. However,
when you attempt to activate it on the new system and get a message that
says the Activation Center could not be reached you will need to use the
telephone activation process. This is generally an automated process that
takes about 5 minutes.

--


Harry Ohrn MS MVP [Shell\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

Sorry for asking - I have searched online for an answer to this, however
all the advice seems to involve moving disk drives between old and new
laptops, which I hesitate to attempt.

I need to de-activate my retail XP Pro on a old laptop.


Is there any easy way to do this so that I will have no problems when I
attempt to install and activate my Windows XP Pro on the new laptop?

The new PC will arrive with no OS installed, if that makes any
difference.

Mark-


--
PS - seems to me the logical way to do this would be to merely telephone
Microsoft and request a new product key number for my install DVDs.

Does such a Microsoft phone number exist?

Worse comes to worse, guess I will just give up and buy a new retail
version of Windows XP Pro. <sigh>

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Sorry for asking - I have searched online for an answer to this, however
all the advice seems to involve moving disk drives between old and new
laptops, which I hesitate to attempt.

I need to de-activate my retail XP Pro on a old laptop.


Is there any easy way to do this so that I will have no problems when I
attempt to install and activate my Windows XP Pro on the new laptop?

The new PC will arrive with no OS installed, if that makes any
difference.

Mark-

There is no "de-activation" or "de-registration" process, as such.

Assuming a retail license (OEM licenses are not legitimately
transferable), simply remove WinXP from the computer it is currently on
and then install it on the new computer. If it's been more than 120
days since you last activated that specific Product Key, the 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.

Here are the facts pertaining to activation:

Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm


No, not really, as obtaining a new Product Key would entail purchasing
a new license. This would be necessary only if the license you
currently possess is an OEM license, and therefore permanently bound to
the original computer.

Does such a Microsoft phone number exist?

No.

Worse comes to worse, guess I will just give up and buy a new retail
version of Windows XP Pro. <sigh>

Again, this would be necessary pnly if the WinXP license you have is an
OEM license, but not otherwise.



--

Bruce Chambers

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[Vanguard]

Sorry for asking - I have searched online for an answer to this,
however
all the advice seems to involve moving disk drives between old and new
laptops, which I hesitate to attempt.

I need to de-activate my retail XP Pro on a old laptop.

Is there any easy way to do this so that I will have no problems when
I
attempt to install and activate my Windows XP Pro on the new laptop?

No deactivation. Since you never mentioned separately purchasing a
*retail* copy of Windows then you got the OEM version pre-installed on
the old laptop. The OEM version sticks with whatever computer on which
it was first installed.

The new PC will arrive with no OS installed, if that makes any
difference.

No difference. Matters that the old laptop came with the OEM version of
Windows. Getting an unfurnished apartment doesn't give you the right to
ransack the furniture that was included in your old furnished apartment
so you can have it at your new unfurnished apartment. The furnishings
remain with the old apartment.

 

[Mark Conrad]

If XP has been on the laptop for more than 120 days it is highly unlikely
you will encounter any problems activating it on the new system. However,
when you attempt to activate it on the new system and get a message that
says the Activation Center could not be reached you will need to use the
telephone activation process. This is generally an automated process that
takes about 5 minutes.

--


Harry Ohrn MS MVP [Shell\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

My retail version of XP on the old laptop has only been installed for 30
days, so I guess I had better use the telephone activation process to
install the same retail version of XP on the newer laptop.

(AFTER I remove XP from the older laptop, of course)

This seems to be dead easy, and here I thought it would be a hassle.

Many thanks to you, Malke, and the other responders.

Mark-