Changing Motherboard - OEM Windows

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ed Light
  • Start date Start date
E

Ed Light

My friend has a clone pc he bought with Win XP. It doesn't have a separate
Win XP disk. I'm assuming it has OEM XP.

So, if we change out the wounded kt226a motherboard for a kt400, can we
reactivate ok? It won't be counted as a new computer that this copy of
windows doesn't apply to?


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Ed Light

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How do you know that he didn't purchase XP with a hard drive? The license
isn't ALWAYS tied to the mobo.

--
Posted 'as is'. If there are any spelling and/or grammar mistakes, they
were a direct result of my fingers and brain not being synchronized or my
lack of caffeine.

Mike Brearley
 
Ed said:
My friend has a clone pc he bought with Win XP. It doesn't have a separate
Win XP disk. I'm assuming it has OEM XP.
Click to expand...

One should really own the CD for the OS one is using. Sooner or later
you will need it.
 
Ed Light said:
My friend has a clone pc he bought with Win XP. It doesn't have a separate
Win XP disk. I'm assuming it has OEM XP.

So, if we change out the wounded kt226a motherboard for a kt400, can we
reactivate ok? It won't be counted as a new computer that this copy of
windows doesn't apply to?


--
Ed Light

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MS Smiley :-\

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(e-mail address removed)
Thanks, robots.
Click to expand...

Click on or copy and paste the link below into your web browser address box.
OEM clarification.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/oemeula.htm
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
 
Ed said:
My friend has a clone pc he bought with Win XP. It doesn't have a separate
Win XP disk. I'm assuming it has OEM XP.

So, if we change out the wounded kt226a motherboard for a kt400, can we
reactivate ok? It won't be counted as a new computer that this copy of
windows doesn't apply to?
Click to expand...

If your friend lacks a WinXP installation disk, he won't be able to use
WinXP after changing the motherboard.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations
and licenses are not transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical
(same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the
one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll
need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at
the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this
point. You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the
OS. (If you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as
picking up a Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch
style foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K
before it, is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to
accepting any old hardware configuration you throw at it. On
installation it "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This
is one of the reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much
more stable than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more
than 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key,
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.


--

Bruce Chambers

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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
Mike said:
How do you know that he didn't purchase XP with a hard drive? The license
isn't ALWAYS tied to the mobo.
Click to expand...

The OEM license, once installed, is tied to the entire computer. It
doesn't matter with which component it was purchased. This is stated
quite clearly in the OEM EULA.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
Bruce Chambers said:
before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical
(same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the
one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll
need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at
the very least:
Click to expand...

Even going from a kt266a to a kt400A ? I thought, uninstall all drivers
first, then reinstall after.

Since they use the same 4 in 1 chipset drivers, the only difference would be
the sound drivers.

I hope.

Well, thanks to everyone's input, my friend is going to call the seller of
the system, though it's out of warrantee, to see what they can say about
whether it would reactivate with a new mb, and what they could do about it.
The motherboard's deteriation is really their fault for setting up a
palomino at 1.9v with no case fan and a whimpy hsf.
--
Ed Light

Smiley :-/
MS Smiley :-\

Send spam to the FTC at
(e-mail address removed)
Thanks, robots.
 
Bruce said:
The OEM license, once installed, is tied to the entire computer. It
doesn't matter with which component it was purchased. This is stated
quite clearly in the OEM EULA.
Click to expand...

Well - I dispute the 'quite clearly'. But the clear interpretation that
ties it to the actual item of hardware (eg HD) means you would have to
buy a new copy if the HD fails, so I would go along with the one you put
forward as being less onerous in practise
 
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