Motherboard broken, do I need to buy new Win XP Licence?

[Carl Davey]

This maybe a dumb question but I need to replace by motherboard, does this
mean I need to buy Windows XP again?

 

[Big_Al]

Carl Davey said this on 1/17/2009 9:39 AM:

This maybe a dumb question but I need to replace by motherboard, does this
mean I need to buy Windows XP again?

If you buy the same board, obviously no.
If you have an OEM version that is locked to the bios/motherboard and it
changes, then yes.
If you have a retail CD then no.

OEM versions are supposedly tied to the PC they are first loaded on.
But then what constitutes a PC. If you change the board, but all other
parts are the same, is that the same PC? Hmmmm. (not asking, just
hmmm'ing).

 

[Alias]

This maybe a dumb question but I need to replace by motherboard, does this
mean I need to buy Windows XP again?

The only time it might not work is if your copy of XP is a brand name
OEM tied to the motherboard, not a generic OEM or Retail copy.

Alias

 

[Bruce Chambers]

This maybe a dumb question but I need to replace by motherboard, does this
mean I need to buy Windows XP again?

The answer depends entirely upon the specific type of license and
installation/recovery media you have, and you haven't provided that
information. So, in general:

-- If you have factory installed OEM license from a major OEM (i.e.,
Dell, HP, etc.), get the replacement motherboard from that same OEM, and
follow that OEM' recovery instructions, then no, you needn't buy another
WinXP license.

-- If you have factory installed OEM license from a major OEM (i.e.,
Dell, HP, etc.) and you get the replacement motherboard from some source
other than that same OEM, then you don't necessarily have to buy another
WinXP license. But you will need to somehow obtain an unbranded,
generic OEM installation CD of the same WinXP edition in order to use
the OEM Product Key that on the CoA label affixed to the PC's case, as
the OEM recovery media will have been "BIOS-locked" to the original
hardware. Only if you cannot obtain (even borrow) a generic OEM CD to
use with your OEM Product Key would you need to buy another license.

-- If you have an unbranded, generic OEM installation CD & license such
as provided by a small system builder for a custom-built or home-built,
unbranded computer, then no, you needn't buy another WinXP license.

-- If you have a retail CD & license from a small retail outlet , then
no, you needn't buy another WinXP license.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Carl Davey said this on 1/17/2009 9:39 AM:

If you buy the same board, obviously no.

Right.


If you have an OEM version that is locked to the bios/motherboard and it
changes, then yes.

Right, unless the new motherboard is identical to the old one.

If you have a retail CD then no.

OEM versions are supposedly tied to the PC they are first loaded on.
But then what constitutes a PC. If you change the board, but all other
parts are the same, is that the same PC? Hmmmm. (not asking, just
hmmm'ing).

Even if you weren't asking, I'll answer your "hmmmm."

Yes, it's the same PC. For a long time, it wasn't clear exactly what
constituted the original computer, and many people felt that replacing
the motherboard made it a different computer. However, Microsoft has
clarified the situation. See
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/activationfaq.mspx
or http://tinyurl.com/384gx5

which states

"If you acquired Windows Vista pre-installed on a computer from a
major manufacturer (sometimes referred to as an Original Equipment
Manufacturer or OEM), Windows Vista will require re-activation if you
replace the motherboard with a motherboard not provided by the OEM."

So clearly, if you can reactivate it, it's legal to use it.

Although that page is specifically about Vista, it's reasonable to
assume that the same thing applies to XP.

 

[Daave]

This maybe a dumb question but I need to replace by motherboard, does
this mean I need to buy Windows XP again?

Probably not. What is the make and model of the PC and motherboard?

What exactly is wrong with the motherboard?

 

[Unknown]

'Might not'???????? Ambiguous.

The only time it might not work is if your copy of XP is a brand name OEM
tied to the motherboard, not a generic OEM or Retail copy.

Alias

 

[Daave]

'Might not'???????? Ambiguous.

In the instances where SLP comes into play and the installation routine
is looking for a *specific* motherboard, it won't work. In these
instances, one may use a generic OEM installation disk and the Product
Key from the PC's Certificate of Authenticity sticker. Then again, there
is the gray area as to whether or not the EULA would be violated (in
this case, I believe it is the manufacturer that gets to define what a
new PC is). But the method will still work.

 

[Unknown]

A simple call to Microsoft can easily solve the situation.

 

[Carl Davey]

Motherboard is a A8N-Sli Premium. The PC wouldn’t allow me to install
anything from a CD and started to crash in Windows (started at once a week,
then every few days, then daily, then every other time the PC was turned on)
and was saying such error messages as delayed write failed. I spent hours
going through the internet including these boards, did all the things the
windows support said(including going through the registry, reinstalled
windows). The PC had two hardrives and I found disabling the 2nd hardrive
sort of fixed the problem (PC stopped crashing and could install from a CD).
The PC still has problems like it wasn’t performing as it should when playing
games and after I transferred a song into Itunes from a CD (tried both CD-rom
drives) the song skipped like a scratched CD or there would only be half the
song. Then the PC crashed a couple of times last week, then 6 times yesterday
and today it just crashed (also going really slow e.g. mouse curser would
only move every 6 minutes) and eventually after crashing 20 times now when it
tries to start it says windows cannot start because the
\windows\system32\config\system file is missing or corrupt. PC companies/IT
staff @ company where I work haven’t been sure on the problem and I have been
advised to replace the motherboard.

The XP CD that came with the PC is OEM but can’t see anywhere that it would
be locked to the motherboard, also it looks like a full version of XP e.g.
not a rescue disk (PC was bought from a small company, who went bust and had
no idea what the problem was)

 

[Daave]

Motherboard is a A8N-Sli Premium

The XP CD that came with the PC is OEM but can't see anywhere that it
would
be locked to the motherboard, also it looks like a full version of XP
e.g.
not a rescue disk (PC was bought from a small company, who went bust
and had
no idea what the problem was)

In that case, there is no need to purchase XP again. If it has been 120
days since your last installation, the activation should happen
seamlessly over the Internet. Worst case scenario: telephone activation.
Just follow the prompts on the screen.

 

[Alias]

'Might not'???????? Ambiguous.

If the OP gets the exact same motherboard, it will work. If not, it
won't work. Ergo, "might".

Alias

 

[DLGolfs]

Does this person just install the motherboard and do a "repair" of XP? I was
told this is how to do this. Is this wrong?

 

[Alias]

Does this person just install the motherboard and do a "repair" of XP? I was
told this is how to do this. Is this wrong?

No, you're correct.

Alias

 

[witan]

No, you're correct.

Alias

I have done this repair install once after being forced to change my
motherboard. It went quite smoothly. However, it may not work with an
OEM version. Mine is a full retail version. Also, one has to
reactivate Windows-DP, and then spend several hours (or even days)
getting the updates.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Does this person just install the motherboard and do a "repair" of XP? I was
told this is how to do this. Is this wrong?

After replacing a motherboard, almost always at least a repair
installation is needed. But if the new motherboard is identical to the
old one, no repair installation should be needed.

But he should also note that, depending on how different the new
motherboard is from the old one, a repair installation may not be
sufficient, and a clean reinstallation may be required. That's not
terribly likely, but he should be prepared for the possibility, making
sure, for example, that he has a backup of any data he may need to
reload after the clean reinstallation.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Does this person just install the motherboard and do a "repair" of XP? I was
told this is how to do this. Is this wrong?

No, you're not wrong. Provided he/she has either a retail CD or a
generic, unbranded OEM CD, that would be the correct course of action.

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

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with WinXP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

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.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Bruce Chambers]

witan wrote:

.... Also, one has to
reactivate Windows-DP, and then spend several hours (or even days)
getting the updates.

The time needed for getting updates can be significantly reduced by
creating a new installation CD with the most recent Service Pack and
updates already "slip-streamed" in.

How to integrate software updates into your Windows installation source
files
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;828930

SlipStreaming WinXP
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/slipstream.htm


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot