rpp77 said:
I have 2 compaq presario systems (one a few years older than the other). The
older compaq has Windows ME installed on it. The newer compaq has Windows XP
installed on it. The newer compaq burned out, so I'm working with the older
one now, but would like to install Windows XP on that system, as ME isn't
working very well for me. The recovery disks don't allow me to do this, but
as I purchased both systems, I expect I'm entitled to one active copy of
windows XP, and am wondering how I go about getting a copy installed on my
older compaq system.
By your own admission, you have an OEM license for WinXP. An OEM
version must be sold with a 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
legally transferable to another computer under _any_ circumstances.
(Which is largely why your Compaq Recovery disk was specifically
designed to prevent illicit installations.
There are some very important reasons that an OEM license costs so
much less than a retail license. OEM licenses are very limited:
1) OEM versions must be sold with a piece of non-peripheral
hardware (normally a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC,
although Microsoft has greatly relaxed the hardware criteria for WinXP)
and are _permanently_ bound to the first PC on which they are installed.
An OEM license, once installed, is not legally transferable to another
computer under any circumstances. This is the main reason some people
avoid OEM versions; if the PC dies or is otherwise disposed of (even
stolen), you cannot re-use your OEM license on a new PC. The only
legitimate way to transfer the ownership of an OEM license is to
transfer ownership of the entire PC.
2) Microsoft provides no free support for OEM versions. If you
have any problems that require outside assistance, your only recourse is
to contact the manufacturer/builder of the PC or the vendor of the OEM
license. This would include such issues as lost a Product Key or
replacing damaged installation media. (Microsoft does make allowances
for those instances when you can prove that the OEM has gone out of
business.) This doesn't mean that you can't download patches and
service packs from Microsoft -- just no free telephone or email support
for problems with the OS.
3) An OEM CD cannot be used to perform an upgrade of an earlier
OS, as it was designed to be installed _only_ upon an empty hard drive.
It can still be used to perform a repair installation (a.k.a. an
in-place upgrade) of an existing WinXP installation.
4) If the OEM CD was designed by a specific manufacturer, such as
eMachines, Sony, Dell, Gateway, etc., it will most likely only install
on the same brand of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature. Further,
such CDs are severely customized to contain only the minimum of device
drivers, and a lot of extra nonsense, that the manufacturer feels
necessary for the specific model of PC for which the CD was designed. To
be honest, such CDs should _not_ be available on the open market; but,
if you're shopping someplace on-line like eBay, swap meets, or computer
fairs, there's often no telling what you're buying until it's too late.
The "generic" OEM CDs, such as are manufactured by Microsoft and sold
to small systems builders, don't have this particular problem, though,
and are pretty much the same as their retail counterparts, apart from
the licensing, support, and upgrading restrictions.
Bottom line: You'll have to purchase a new WinXP license to go on the
older computer, assuming it's even possible. Before going any further,
you should take a few minutes to ensure that there are WinXP-specific
device drivers available for all of the machine's internal components.
There may not be, if the PC was specifically designed for Win98/Me.
Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine with Win9x/Me
very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent hardware quality
requirements. This is particularly true of many early models in
Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or HP's consumer-class
Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K before it, is quite
sensitive to borderline defective or substandard hardware (particularly
motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will still support Win9x.
--
Bruce Chambers
Help us help you:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375
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safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin
Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell
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killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
