Authenticity code not authorised?!?!?!?!

[Guest]

I have a copy of windows xp home and a product key on the bottom of the
laptop it came with. Problem is that i have a second computer with nothing on
it so i'm loading my copy of windows xp home on to it but when i try to enter
the product authenticity key thing on the 2nd computer it's telling me that
the key is not authorised. Does anyone know why because i thought it was my
copy of the programme and not the computers? Any help appreciated as i have
18 days left to register it. PLEASE HELP ME

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Well, you cannot install Windows XP that came with
your laptop on another computer. That license is
strictly for use on the laptop it came with. What
you need to do is purchase Windows XP and reinstall
it using the new Windows XP CD and the new
Product Key.

Example:

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059

Please read your End-User License Agreement by going
to Start > Run and type: WINVER , and hit enter. Then
click on "End-User License Agreement".

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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:

| I have a copy of windows xp home and a product key on the bottom of the
| laptop it came with. Problem is that i have a second computer with nothing on
| it so i'm loading my copy of windows xp home on to it but when i try to enter
| the product authenticity key thing on the 2nd computer it's telling me that
| the key is not authorised. Does anyone know why because i thought it was my
| copy of the programme and not the computers? Any help appreciated as i have
| 18 days left to register it. PLEASE HELP ME

 

[Ron Martell]

I have a copy of windows xp home and a product key on the bottom of the
laptop it came with. Problem is that i have a second computer with nothing on
it so i'm loading my copy of windows xp home on to it but when i try to enter
the product authenticity key thing on the 2nd computer it's telling me that
the key is not authorised. Does anyone know why because i thought it was my
copy of the programme and not the computers? Any help appreciated as i have
18 days left to register it. PLEASE HELP ME

OEM licenses for Windows XP, which are usually what you get bundled
with new computers, are permanently locked to the first computer that
they are installed on and cannot be legitimately transferred to
another computer under any circumstances, even if the original
computer is lost, stolen, scrapped, or destroyed.

To determine if your Windows XP is in fact an OEM version right-click
on "My Computer" and select Properties. There will be a 25 character
Product i.d. code displayed as the last item in the "Licensed to:"
section of the window. If the second segment of that code reads OEM
then your Windows XP is an OEM and the above restriction applies. If
the second segment is numeric then your Windows XP is a Retail or a
Volume License version.

You can read the full text of the licensing agreement for your Windows
XP by opening the file EULA.TXT in the \Windows\System32 folder on
your hard drive.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
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."

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I have a copy of windows xp home and a product key on the bottom of the
laptop it came with. Problem is that i have a second computer with nothing on
it so i'm loading my copy of windows xp home on to it but when i try to enter
the product authenticity key thing on the 2nd computer it's telling me that
the key is not authorised. Does anyone know why because i thought it was my
copy of the programme and not the computers? Any help appreciated as i have
18 days left to register it. PLEASE HELP ME

By your own admission, you'll have an OEM license for WinXP. An OEM
version must be sold with a non-peripheral piece of hardware (normally a
motherboard or hard rive, 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 legitimately transferable to another computer under
_any_ circumstances.

You need to purchase a separate WinXP license for each computer on
which you install it. (As long as you have multiple identical licenses,
it doesn't matter if you use the same CD for the installations, as long
as you use a different license each time.)

Just 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.

One can buy additional licenses, assuming one already has a retail
license. Naturally, Microsoft cannot sell additional OEM licenses. Be
aware, however, that you'll probably pay more this way than you would if
you were to buy a second copy of WinXP from a discount retailer;
Microsoft will only offer you a 15% discount off their MSRP.

Additional Licenses for Windows XP Home Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/addlic.asp

Additional Licenses for Windows XP Professional
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/addlic.asp


--

Bruce Chambers

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