Installing Win XP on a second PC

[Peter B]

Hi,

I recently bought a new PC and installed my Win XP Home
edition on it.

Now I am asked to Activate, but it wont accept my CD Key,
saying it has been used to many times. So I realise its
only meant for 1 PC.

Now I'm kinda annoyed at this, I did buy the Win XP (its
an upgrade CD, I was using Win 98), so its legit. I dont
want to have to buy another copy.

I know businesses have a means of buying licenses for
multiple users... do I need to do the same? I look around
in the Microsoft site to see info on licenses, whether I
am eligible to get one or not, etc..

Can anyone help me out?

Thanks!

 

[Norm]

An additional license is $15 less than a full copy and is available on the
Microsoft site.

 

[Rick Hugg]

Call MS.
Tell them you have a new PC.
You must tell them that the Old PC
is no longer used (scrapped) and you
are using XP only on the new system.
They will give you a new activation code.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I recently bought a new PC and installed my Win XP Home
edition on it.

Now I am asked to Activate, but it wont accept my CD Key,
saying it has been used to many times. So I realise its
only meant for 1 PC.

Now I'm kinda annoyed at this, I did buy the Win XP (its
an upgrade CD, I was using Win 98), so its legit. I dont
want to have to buy another copy.

I know businesses have a means of buying licenses for
multiple users... do I need to do the same? I look around
in the Microsoft site to see info on licenses, whether I
am eligible to get one or not, etc..

If you are trying to have it on both computers at the same time,
that's a violation of the licensing agreement. The rule is quite
clear. It's one copy (or one license) for each computer.
There's nothing new here. This is exactly the same rule that's
been in effect on every version of Windows starting with Windows
3.1. The only thing new with XP is that there's now an
enforcement mechanism.

You can buy a second license (see
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/addlic.asp), but
it's not generally cost-effective. The problem is that Microsoft
sells additional licenses at only a small savings over the list
price. You're almost certainly better off just buying a complete
second copy from a discount source.

 

[bob]

peter b..........
we need to know what business you are in.

then we will visit you and maybe you will give us the
same half price off for second product/service.
======thank you john ritter you will be missed======
=====================================================

 

[bern]

If you don't mind having the new XP be tied to the new machine in
perpetuity, the OEM version of XP might be good enough for you. You can get
it for $100 at sites on the web that will deal with the hardware requirement
rule for you.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I recently bought a new PC and installed my Win XP Home
edition on it.

Now I am asked to Activate, but it wont accept my CD Key,
saying it has been used to many times. So I realise its
only meant for 1 PC.

Now I'm kinda annoyed at this, I did buy the Win XP (its
an upgrade CD, I was using Win 98), so its legit. I dont
want to have to buy another copy.

Windows since before Windows 95 has always been sold as a license to be
used on a single machine. If yours is a retail XP CD (and an upgrade
will be) you are entitled to *remove* it from the machine that it was
on, and install it on a different one, but not to have it on two
machines. If you are transferring it, the activation on the network
will see a second machine (unless more than 120 days have passed) but
you can take the alternative of activation by phone, call the toll free
number that has been given to explain, and swap one long number for
another to type in (which takes five minutes or so).