OEM Licence

[purplehaz]

Corrected Post

Puplehaz,
I hate to correct you

You are allowed to resell your complete computer system to another
person. Thier are no "no transfer rules" on oem versions.
The only "no transfer rules" applies to specialized version of the xp.
Like xp for students & Teachers or office xp for students & teachers.

I could resell my oem computer system to another person if I want and
Microsoft cant do anything about it.

When complaining about something do research first

Greg P Rozelle

You should probably read the whole thread first. We are not talking about
selling your oem computer to someone. We are talking about transfering an
oem version/license to another computer. MS considers the motherboard the
computer. An oem license cannot be transfered to another
computer/motherboard. There are no transfer rules when it comes to oem xp.
We are talking about transfering the os, not the computer. I use the fact
that you can't install oem xp versions on a new computer to my advantage. To
stay in compliance with the oem eula, the os must stay with the first
computer/motherboard it's installed on. An oem os cannot be transfered to
another computer. That's what we're talking about.
Now, maybe next time before you try to stick your nose into a theard that's
four days old, you should download more headers, read the entire thread, and
do your research correctly. This way when you try to prove someone wrong,
you don't look like a bigger fool than you've already made yourself look
like.

 

[John Sommer]

Tranfering a license?

MS Will let you activate the product as many times
as necessary but of course you need the COA.

Or do i get the feeling we have a PC here with the license key in the mobo
BIOS? Is this one of those ones where you install XP and it simply checks
the BIOS and thats it?

As far as i know, it cannot be extracted.
You should look in the BIOS for any reference which might be useful and
contact MS on their support number to find out more. After all, what your
doing isn't piracy. You will only be using one copy, your just trying to
switch machines.

John.

 

[Michael Stevens]

Let's face it - this is of purely academic interest, MS are not likely
to pursue you because you swapped the motherboard and didn't buy a new
copy .. I doubt the lawyer that drafted the EULA even knows what a
motherboard =is=.

My license number is stuck tot he case .. I figure as long as I keep
using the same case, the wording of the EULA says I'm in the clear. If
MS intend something different they need to re-write the EULA back into
real English (and while they're at it, maybe they can delete the 'only
install one copy on one computer' nonsense at the same time .. I don't
see any reason why they should have conniptions if I install a second
copy for recovery purposes .. it's not like I can boot both at once,
is it .. OK, maybe I can using HyperOS, but I'm still only getting
the same use out of the thing ).

The reason for my clarification is for anyone that needs or feels like they
need to be in absolute compliance with the licensing agreement. If you fall
into this group, you should make sure you are incompliance.
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
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[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Bitstring <#[email protected]>, from the wonderful

. MS considers the motherboard the
computer.

Some =parts= of MS may do. MS 'as a whole' continues to not have a clue,
the lawyers less than most. Nowhere in the EULA does it mention
'motherboard', or say that some sorts of PC repair (replacing a blown
motherboard) will require you to repurchase XP .. and frankly if it did,
it would violate EU consumer protection legislation as an unreasonable
contractual clause.

 

[kurttrail]

Bitstring <#[email protected]>, from the wonderful


Some =parts= of MS may do. MS 'as a whole' continues to not have a
clue, the lawyers less than most. Nowhere in the EULA does it mention
'motherboard', or say that some sorts of PC repair (replacing a blown
motherboard) will require you to repurchase XP .. and frankly if it
did, it would violate EU consumer protection legislation as an
unreasonable contractual clause.

I agree, but PA works outside of the law, and MS could deny a person's
request for activation if that person volunteers that they changed their
mobo. By the time the person sues MS and the case is finished in the
courts, Longhorn will have it's replacement out in the market.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.kurttrail.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"

 

[Sam Baker]

where does it say in the EULA you cant upgrade the motherboard?
If it does not, then who cares that microsoft considers the motherboard to
be the computer? It would not take too long to put a small claim through the
courts for a refund if they refused activation. Microsoft would rather let
you activate than have this tested by a court.

Sam

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Whether or not you agree with the EULA, trying to activate the OEM version
of XP with a change to a non-OEM replacement motherboard will result in
denial of activation when this information is disclosed. The OEM version can
upgrade all hardware except the motherboard and a new activation code will
be issued. The change of MB is considered to be a new system when requesting
activation over the phone and will most likely be denied.

Depends what you mean by OEM version .. if you mean the BIOS locked
'major OEMs own CD' version then you are quite correct. If you mean the
'mass market OEM version, made and packed by MS', you are totally
incorrect. Since I build my own PCs, my idea of 'OEM' is the latter, and
it has no idea what motherboard it 'should' be installed on .. not the
first time it is installed, nor the second, nor ..

 

[kurttrail]

Depends what you mean by OEM version .. if you mean the BIOS locked
'major OEMs own CD' version then you are quite correct. If you mean
the 'mass market OEM version, made and packed by MS', you are totally
incorrect. Since I build my own PCs, my idea of 'OEM' is the latter,
and
it has no idea what motherboard it 'should' be installed on .. not the
first time it is installed, nor the second, nor ..

I agree, but you have to understand that most people don't know the
workings of PA as well as you or me. If you upgrade your mobo, and have
to phone MS to reactivate, you know not to tell the PA rep any more than
you generally upgraded some computer components, but the average, Joe
that buys OEM software because it's cheaper, and MS's support isn't
worth the extra cash for a retail copy, might just say to the PA rep
that he/she upgraded the mobo, not knowing anything about that MS has a
post-EULA policy that defines the mobo as the computer, and just may be
denied activation.

Remember, PA is meant to sucker unsuspecting and/or naive consumers into
believing MS's BS, both in the EULA and MS's post-EULA policies, and
depends on fear, uncertainty, and doubt to be effective. And what
effect does MS want from PA, to get more money out of individuals for
the same software. PT Barnum did pretty good preying on the
insensibilities of those suckers that are born every minute, and he had
a much smaller customer base to work with than the billions MS has to
sucker today! But educated consumers can cut though the all the
MicroFUD, and can protect their rights to their copies of software for
their own private, non-commercial use, and that's why it's up to us
consumers that know better to help educate those that have only heard
the MicroFUD!

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.kurttrail.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"

 

[Greg P Rozelle]

How do you know which you have?

I did a clean install using the i386 folder and
had to activate it. It activated.

Also, My computer states parts and motherboard can be replaced and
upgraded.

I must have an upgradeable oem version.


If I replaced my motherboard and couldn't active it the manufacture
not MS would be in trouble for stating Motherboard can be replaced.



Greg P Rozele
Disclaimer -No accusation or derogatory comments were meant against
Microsoft.

Depends what you mean by OEM version .. if you mean the BIOS locked
'major OEMs own CD' version then you are quite correct. If you mean the
'mass market OEM version, made and packed by MS', you are totally
incorrect. Since I build my own PCs, my idea of 'OEM' is the latter, and
it has no idea what motherboard it 'should' be installed on .. not the
first time it is installed, nor the second, nor ..

Disclaimer
My advice is as-is. It could trash your system.

 

[Michael Stevens]

Depends what you mean by OEM version .. if you mean the BIOS locked
'major OEMs own CD' version then you are quite correct. If you mean
the 'mass market OEM version, made and packed by MS', you are totally
incorrect. Since I build my own PCs, my idea of 'OEM' is the latter,
and
it has no idea what motherboard it 'should' be installed on .. not the
first time it is installed, nor the second, nor ..

I am afraid you don't understand the concept nor how bios locked versions
work. Depending on how customized the bios locked version is, some like
Dell; will install on any hardware combination, but will require a unique CD
key if installing after a motherboard upgrade other than the original to
activate if prompted for a phone call activation. Generic OEM versions can
be re-installed on any hardware combination, but will need a unique CD key
if installing after a motherboard upgrade other than the original to
activate if prompted for a phone call activation. From the quoted replies
from The Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team it looks like it is the
policy of PA to deny activation on upgraded motherboards.
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.
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[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Bitstring <emQTrm#[email protected]>, from the wonderful
person Michael Stevens <[email protected]> said

I am afraid you don't understand the concept nor how bios locked versions
work. Depending on how customized the bios locked version is, some like
Dell; will install on any hardware combination, but will require a unique CD
key if installing after a motherboard upgrade other than the original to
activate if prompted for a phone call activation. Generic OEM versions can
be re-installed on any hardware combination, but will need a unique CD key
if installing after a motherboard upgrade other than the original to
activate if prompted for a phone call activation. From the quoted replies
from The Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team it looks like it is the
policy of PA to deny activation on upgraded motherboards.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/oemeula.htm

Sorry, I understand that perfectly, at least for the generic version - I
try to avoid the BIOS locked 'big OEM's. The 'change of motherboard'
(for a Generic OEM version) has the same result as a 'change of a
significant number of major components' .. 120 days after original
activation it'll go through online just fine. Before then, (for both)
you need to activate by phone.

The if MS OEM System Builder license team would like to communicate
=directly= (I am, after all, a system builder .. I've built two this
year alone 8>.) I shall consider their words, along with the EULA on the
(Generic) OEM copy .. which doesn't mention 'motherboard' as a specific
(and different from all the others) component anyplace in its excessive
length. If they want to try to vary the EULA after the fact, fine, I'll
see them in court (in Europe, naturally).

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful

You still miss the concept. If you have the OEM version and you are prompted
to make a phone call activation after upgrading your mother board to a
non-OEM replacement,

You are still having a problem with this 'retail OEM' concept. There is
no such thing as a 'non-OEM replacement' motherboard for a 'retail OEM'
copy of XP Pro. It was sold to work with =any motherboard=. If you meant
to say 'changing the motherboard from the original' then yes, that will
cause re-activation to be needed, but so would changing a bunch of other
hardware. I don't believe MS know, or care, what exactly you changed.
You'd have to be changing the motherboard within the first 120 days
however .. after that automatic online activation would work fine again.
I've never had a motherboard need changing in the first 4 months (not if
you wait a few days for 'infant mortality' to set in before you actually
activate the first time).

Now if you bought an HP with a bios locked HP OEM copy, and tried to
change the motherboard, I can see you having more interesting problems.
But then HP/MS have some license agreement which may not be the standard
'retail OEM' EULA at all.

YOU WILL MOST LIKELY BE DENIED ACTIVATION.

I doubt it, I really seriously doubt it. If they did that on a retail
OEM copy they would be violating the terms of their own EULA, and laying
themselves open to the biggest fines the EU could impose. They are not
flavour of the month to start with, remember.

This is a
heads up warning about PA policy, not a statement of legality. This
information is supplied for people that want and need to know what Microsoft
accepts,

MS needs to come out and say, explicitly, what they accept. I'm bored
with hearing third hand rumours. Then, having decided what they actually
want, they need to put it in the EULA. If they really mean 'this OEM
copy goes with motherboard serial number xyz only', then they need to
say so, and stop letting hardware vendors sell it with disk drives,
CPUs, mains leads, cases, and other such items.

not a concept of what is fair usage or an individuals assessment of
what is allowed. If the person is concerned for any reason if they would
pass a Microsoft audit,

Now we're getting silly .. the sort of companies that MS is likely to
audit have volume license agreements directly with MS, and the audit is
typically looking for a few hundred, or thousand, more PCs than there
are licenses for, not whether one machine has a different motherboard
from when it was sold.

this information is important to them. They would
not want to be denied access to their information as one reply suggested a
"I'll
see them in court (in Europe, naturally)", while waiting for a judgment.

It costs $200to get/install a new OEM copy .. so I don't think this is
going to frighten anyone off, not when the courts will eventually award
that, or more likely 10 times that, as damages. If they try, I can have
MS in the small claims court in the UK within a few days, at minimal
cost, explaining why they are trying to violate their own license terms.
Admittedly I'd only get a few k$ that way - I'd have to invoke my legal
insurance and set Brussels on them to get the big money.

 

[Greg P Rozelle]

Now if you bought an HP with a bios locked HP OEM copy, and tried to
change the motherboard, I can see you having more interesting problems.
But then HP/MS have some license agreement which may not be the standard 'retail OEM' EULA at all.

Gsv
How do you know if you have a bios locked version?

I have a pre installed system.

I did a clean install of xp using the I386 folder.
I had to activate it. It activated.

Am I still using a bios locked version?

Thank You,


Disclaimer
My advice is as-is. It could trash your system.

 

[kurttrail]

Gsv
How do you know if you have a bios locked version?

I have a pre installed system.

I did a clean install of xp using the I386 folder.
I had to activate it. It activated.

Am I still using a bios locked version?

No. You wouldn't have been prompted to activate if it was BIOS-Locked

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.kurttrail.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Gsv
How do you know if you have a bios locked version?

I have a pre installed system.

I did a clean install of xp using the I386 folder.
I had to activate it. It activated.

Am I still using a bios locked version?

Probably not - most of those do not (as I understand it) need activating
as long as you are still on the same motherboard/OEM maker (my
understanding, as I said somewhere up-thread I don't like to mess with
those mangled versions).

 

[Michael Stevens]

Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful


You are still having a problem with this 'retail OEM' concept. There
is
no such thing as a 'non-OEM replacement' motherboard for a 'retail
OEM'

I believe I left out the "or" in the previous reply.
Should have read 'If you have the OEM version and you are prompted
to make a phone call activation after upgrading your mother board or to a
non-OEM replacement, as you could see that I defined the difference in
previous reply. Also there is no such thing as "Retail OEM", there is retail
and there is OEM sold with hardware and OEM supplied by system builders.

copy of XP Pro. It was sold to work with =any motherboard=. If you
meant
to say 'changing the motherboard from the original' then yes, that
will cause re-activation to be needed, but so would changing a bunch
of other hardware. I don't believe MS know, or care, what exactly you
changed.
You'd have to be changing the motherboard within the first 120 days
however .. after that automatic online activation would work fine
again. I've never had a motherboard need changing in the first 4
months (not if
you wait a few days for 'infant mortality' to set in before you
actually activate the first time).

Now if you bought an HP with a bios locked HP OEM copy, and tried to
change the motherboard, I can see you having more interesting
problems.
But then HP/MS have some license agreement which may not be the
standard 'retail OEM' EULA at all.


I doubt it, I really seriously doubt it. If they did that on a retail
OEM copy they would be violating the terms of their own EULA, and
laying themselves open to the biggest fines the EU could impose. They
are not flavour of the month to start with, remember.

Why would you doubt PA would not follow the Microsoft OEM System Builder
Licensing Team policy? And to state again, there is no such thing as "Retail
OEM".

MS needs to come out and say, explicitly, what they accept. I'm bored
with hearing third hand rumours. Then, having decided what they
actually want, they need to put it in the EULA. If they really mean
'this OEM
copy goes with motherboard serial number xyz only', then they need to
say so, and stop letting hardware vendors sell it with disk drives,
CPUs, mains leads, cases, and other such items.

I think the EULA needs work also.

Now we're getting silly .. the sort of companies that MS is likely to
audit have volume license agreements directly with MS, and the audit
is typically looking for a few hundred, or thousand, more PCs than
there
are licenses for, not whether one machine has a different motherboard
from when it was sold.

Not all systems in a large company is VL, and many IT personal get confused
with this. An audit could be costly from a mistake.

It costs $200to get/install a new OEM copy .. so I don't think this is
going to frighten anyone off, not when the courts will eventually
award that, or more likely 10 times that, as damages. If they try, I
can have
MS in the small claims court in the UK within a few days, at minimal
cost, explaining why they are trying to violate their own license
terms. Admittedly I'd only get a few k$ that way - I'd have to invoke
my legal insurance and set Brussels on them to get the big money.

LOL, if you say so. If it is this easy, why don't we hear more about it?
Please, I am not trying to invoke a ruling, I am only supplying information
on what to expect on activation.
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
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[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful

I believe I left out the "or" in the previous reply.
Should have read 'If you have the OEM version and you are prompted
to make a phone call activation after upgrading your mother board or to a
non-OEM replacement, as you could see that I defined the difference in
previous reply. Also there is no such thing as "Retail OEM", there is retail
and there is OEM sold with hardware and OEM supplied by system builders.

By 'retail OEM' I mean the one that joe public can buy with hardware,
manufactured by MS, not bios locked, and guaranteed complete. If there
is another standard term for it, I'd be pleased to use that instead. 8>.

Why would you doubt PA would not follow the Microsoft OEM System Builder
Licensing Team policy? And to state again, there is no such thing as "Retail
OEM".

They just don't. Look, I tell them I have =repaired the PC=, installed
XP, and need to reactivate by phone. They just do it, they don't ask if
the motherboard got swapped. Heck if I could be bothered to mess with
surface mount packages, I could replace half the components on the
faulty motherboard - you think PA can tell the difference between that
and a new motherboard? The whole concept of 'changing the motherboard
changes the computer' makes no sense, except for a 'big OEM' (eg HP),
where if I swap the guts in the box it for sure is no longer an HP
computer (if HP does it, then presumably it is. Of course if HP does it,
then whether they've used 100,000 or 100,001 XP licenses probably gets
lost in the wash anyway. 8>.).

I think the EULA needs work also.

Hmm, that's polite. I'd say that what it needs is tearing up and
rewriting, preferably with some input from someone who understands
software, how it's used, and how PCs actually work.

Not all systems in a large company is VL, and many IT personal get confused
with this. An audit could be costly from a mistake.

Yes, but I've never seen MS interested in auditing anything other than
quantity of licenses, and maybe a few spot checks on things which there
is no VL for. The cost of a 'did you swap the motherboard' audit, vs the
potential pay-back, would be ludicrous. Of course, my encounters with
them were in the UK, maybe they're more religious about it in the USA
(but I sort of doubt it).

LOL, if you say so. If it is this easy, why don't we hear more about it?

Because MS are not stupid, or petty, enough to walk into that particular
minefield .. they leave end users and small players alone, unless they
have their noses rubbed in it by people ringing up and saying 'I've
moved this OEM copy to a new machine', or people re-activating the same
product key (whether OEM or retail) on 3 different systems every week.

Doubtless the 'Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team' talks to HP,
Dell, IBM, Sony etc. on a daily basis. They don't talk to mom&pop PC
shops ever ... heck it's not obvious they =even= talk to the major
software wholesalers who put the OEM licenses out to the 'mom&pop' shops
in the first place.

If there are any 'Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team' members
reading this, they are free to chip in at any time, and tell me where
they got this interesting concept of 'system=motherboard' from, and just
exactly which =piece= of the motherboard they think it applies to.

Please, I am not trying to invoke a ruling, I am only supplying information
on what to expect on activation.

Ok, peace.

 

[D.Currie]

Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful
person Michael Stevens <[email protected]> said
<bigger snip>

Doubtless the 'Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team' talks to HP,
Dell, IBM, Sony etc. on a daily basis. They don't talk to mom&pop PC
shops ever ... heck it's not obvious they =even= talk to the major
software wholesalers who put the OEM licenses out to the 'mom&pop' shops
in the first place.

If there are any 'Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team' members
reading this, they are free to chip in at any time, and tell me where
they got this interesting concept of 'system=motherboard' from, and just
exactly which =piece= of the motherboard they think it applies to.

Actually, you've got it a bit backward, the OEM System Builder program is
for small builders, mom&pop shops, etc. And yes, the licensing people do
talk to us, as do other MS reps. It's not a daily lunch or anything, but
they do talk to us...

HP, Dell and the rest are in a different league.

As far as motherboard=computer, that's not what the licensing people told me
way back when XP was released, but it is what was posted as an answer to
kurtrail's specific question.

But another thread there had it pretty muddied by saying that if the oem is
warranting the motherboard, it's not a different computer, but if it's out
of warranty, it is a new computer.

Next time I'm at a MS event, I'll corner one of the licensing people and see
if I can get an answer there. They seem to be more realistic in their
expectations in person, whereas when it's in print, they toe the line rather
rigidly.

 

[Michael Stevens]

Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful


By 'retail OEM' I mean the one that joe public can buy with hardware,
manufactured by MS, not bios locked, and guaranteed complete. If there
is another standard term for it, I'd be pleased to use that instead.
8>.

You can use Generic OEM or OEM with hardware purchase, but to use "Retail",
it really muddies the water as it does have restrictions the Retail version
does not have.

They just don't. Look, I tell them I have =repaired the PC=, installed
XP, and need to reactivate by phone. They just do it, they don't ask
if
the motherboard got swapped. Heck if I could be bothered to mess with
surface mount packages, I could replace half the components on the
faulty motherboard - you think PA can tell the difference between that
and a new motherboard? The whole concept of 'changing the motherboard
changes the computer' makes no sense, except for a 'big OEM' (eg HP),
where if I swap the guts in the box it for sure is no longer an HP
computer (if HP does it, then presumably it is. Of course if HP does
it, then whether they've used 100,000 or 100,001 XP licenses probably
gets
lost in the wash anyway. 8>.).

You are right, the PA usually doesn't ask and are not supposed to ask, but I
doubt a company IT would want to purchase MB upgrades that would not pass
audit using the original license in any quantity. If information is offered
during activation about a MB upgrade on OEM versions, it is likely to be
denied.

Hmm, that's polite. I'd say that what it needs is tearing up and
rewriting, preferably with some input from someone who understands
software, how it's used, and how PCs actually work.


Yes, but I've never seen MS interested in auditing anything other than
quantity of licenses, and maybe a few spot checks on things which
there
is no VL for. The cost of a 'did you swap the motherboard' audit, vs
the potential pay-back, would be ludicrous. Of course, my encounters
with
them were in the UK, maybe they're more religious about it in the USA
(but I sort of doubt it).

Spot check is the key here, a MB upgrade on a OEM license would be a red
flag depending on the situation. It could trigger additional checks on the
companies licensing policies. No company would want to have an activation
mistake cause an additional audit.

Because MS are not stupid, or petty, enough to walk into that
particular minefield .. they leave end users and small players alone,
unless they
have their noses rubbed in it by people ringing up and saying 'I've
moved this OEM copy to a new machine', or people re-activating the
same product key (whether OEM or retail) on 3 different systems every
week.

I am not talking about MS prosecuting, I am talking about a person with a
OEM license being denied activation after the disclosure they are installing
to a upgraded MB or NON-Replacement OEM MB; taking MS to small claims court.
I am sure you and I are not on the same page with regard to the reason for
my original post.
My original reply to you is quoted below with the key reason for the post
changed to CAPS.
..
"Whether or not you agree with the EULA, trying to activate the OEM version
of XP with a change to a non-OEM replacement motherboard will result in
denial of activation WHEN THIS INFORMATION IS DISCLOSED. The OEM version can
upgrade all hardware except the motherboard and a new activation code will
be issued. The change of MB is considered to be a new system when requesting
activation over the phone and will most likely be denied."

Doubtless the 'Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team' talks to
HP, Dell, IBM, Sony etc. on a daily basis. They don't talk to mom&pop
PC
shops ever ... heck it's not obvious they =even= talk to the major
software wholesalers who put the OEM licenses out to the 'mom&pop'
shops
in the first place.

If there are any 'Microsoft OEM System Builder Licensing Team' members
reading this, they are free to chip in at any time, and tell me where
they got this interesting concept of 'system=motherboard' from, and
just exactly which =piece= of the motherboard they think it applies
to.


Ok, peace.

Thank you and same here, just trying to get on the same page.
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
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[Alex Nichol]

How do you know if you have a bios locked version?

I have a pre installed system.

I did a clean install of xp using the I386 folder.
I had to activate it. It activated.

Am I still using a bios locked version?

A BIOS locked version, at boot, checks the BIOS to see if things match.
If they do, it goes no further - if they don't, it proceeds to the
regular check of hardware as made by retail ones. If that fails (as it
will first time if the board has changed without a corresponding change
of the lock check) then things proceed as with a retail version - and
you have to activate. And from then on behaves exactly as a retail one.


That is the technical position - not related to any question of whether
the machine will be accepted for activation under the terms of the OEM
licensing