New motherboard

[Guest]

i want to upgrade my motherboard and have been told that if i so do and iboot
up then windows XP will stop working and i will have to buy a new version of
XP and have to start from scratch again !!
Apart from asuming this is to make Bill Gates the richest
person in the known universe is it true

 

[Uncle Grumpy]

i want to upgrade my motherboard and have been told that if i so do and iboot
up then windows XP will stop working and i will have to buy a new version of
XP and have to start from scratch again !!

Yes, Windows will stop working - because a lot of the hardware will
have changed, and it will require new drivers.

Is your computer a "brand name" computer?

Did it come with it's own version of Windows XP, or did you
upgrade/install Windows XP yourself?

If the former, you could be in deep doo-doo.

More info is needed.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

i want to upgrade my motherboard and have been told that if i so do and iboot
up then windows XP will stop working and i will have to buy a new version of
XP and have to start from scratch again !!

Is yours a retail copy of Windows or an OEM copy? If it's a retail
copy, no problem; you've been told wrong. You can replace all the
hardware you want, and even move Windows to an entirely different
computer.

With an OEM copy, it's a can of worms, as far as I'm concerned. The
OEM EULA states that the license is valid only for the original
computer it's installed on, and it may never be moved to another.

The problem is that the Microsoft OEM EULA does not precisely define
exactly what constitutes the "computer." Some people claim that the
motherboard constitutes the computer. However logical that might seem,
the EULA does not state that, and the EULA is the document that
defines the rights of both parties to the agreement.

Some of those people point to a web site for System Builders, where
Microsoft defines the computer as the motherboard. However it's not
what it says on some web site that defines the customer's rights, it's
the EULA; besides, that web site is not even available to the general
public. I'm not a lawyer, but my guess is that if it ever came to a
court case and someone cited that web site, he'd be laughed out of
court.

So, can you replace a motherboard, consider the result the same
computer, and reuse your OEM copy of Windows? Regardless of what I
think, you think, or anyone else thinks, or even what a court might
rule if it came to that, the real issue is whether Microsoft will
permit you to reactivate if you do. Unfortunately the answer is again
not clear-cut, and we have heard here from people who have had both
experiences--some were reactivated and others were not. If they refuse
to reactivate you and you take them to court, you might win, but who
of us would be willing to undergo that trouble and expense to find
out?

So the answer, with an OEM version, is that there is no real answer.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

What is the make and model of your computer? Who did you buy it from? Do you
have a standard Windows CD with the hologram, etc., or is it a Restore CD or
partition?

 

[Rodney Rogers]

You can call microsoft and obtain a new number! I have done this many
times.................................................

 

[Bruce Chambers]

i want to upgrade my motherboard and have been told that if i so do and iboot
up then windows XP will stop working ....

Probably.


.... and i will have to buy a new version of
XP and have to start from scratch again !!

Only if you have a BIOS-locked OEM Recovery or Installation CD and
obtain the replacement motherboard from someone other than the computer
manufacturer.

Apart from asuming this is to make Bill Gates the richest
person in the known universe is it true

No, it's primarily a technical issue.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore 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

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.

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

Help us help you:



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

 

[Lil' Dave]

Is yours a retail copy of Windows or an OEM copy? If it's a retail
copy, no problem; you've been told wrong. You can replace all the
hardware you want, and even move Windows to an entirely different
computer.

With an OEM copy, it's a can of worms, as far as I'm concerned. The
OEM EULA states that the license is valid only for the original
computer it's installed on, and it may never be moved to another.

The problem is that the Microsoft OEM EULA does not precisely define
exactly what constitutes the "computer." Some people claim that the
motherboard constitutes the computer. However logical that might seem,
the EULA does not state that, and the EULA is the document that
defines the rights of both parties to the agreement.

Some of those people point to a web site for System Builders, where
Microsoft defines the computer as the motherboard. However it's not
what it says on some web site that defines the customer's rights, it's
the EULA; besides, that web site is not even available to the general
public. I'm not a lawyer, but my guess is that if it ever came to a
court case and someone cited that web site, he'd be laughed out of
court.

So, can you replace a motherboard, consider the result the same
computer, and reuse your OEM copy of Windows? Regardless of what I
think, you think, or anyone else thinks, or even what a court might
rule if it came to that, the real issue is whether Microsoft will
permit you to reactivate if you do. Unfortunately the answer is again
not clear-cut, and we have heard here from people who have had both
experiences--some were reactivated and others were not. If they refuse
to reactivate you and you take them to court, you might win, but who
of us would be willing to undergo that trouble and expense to find
out?

So the answer, with an OEM version, is that there is no real answer.

Finally figured out what computer means in the EULA with generic OEM and
retail. The builder of the computer determines that, not MS.
Dave

 

[Opinicus]

Finally figured out what computer means in the EULA with generic OEM and
retail. The builder of the computer determines that

And since I built the computer myself...