OK to switch licenses between computers?

[Himanshu]

Old machine:
+ DELL with Win2000 Pro (pre-installed)
+ Upgrade to WinXP Pro (purchased separately)

New Machine

+ DELL with WinXP Home (pre-installed)

From what I've read, I should be able to move my WinXP Pro upgrade
from the old machine to the new one as long as I remove it from the
old machine and go back to Win2000 Pro.

My question is if can move the WinXP Home license to the older machine
and move the Win2000+XP Pro upgrades to the new machines?

That way I could have WinXP on both machines (old will have Home, new
will have Pro). I'm not even sure if that's a good idea if I want to
network the two, but just asking.

Thanks!

 

[Logan]

I would personally go with W2K on one and XP Pro on the other...do whatever
you want though.

 

[Gary R.]

I'll leave it to the MVP's to answer the legalistics, but I think you'll
just lose a home version by doing that, I know you can't change machines
with an OEM version and it may not even install on a different system.

But I'm curious as to why you necessarily want XP pro on your new one. I
know there are some self-proclaimed radio guru-esses (well, one anyway 8^)
who seem to think pro is what everyone needs, but I have both on several
machines at home, networked, sharing connections, and don't find any
limitations that matter on the home versions, in fact I don't even notice.
If there's nothing specific you need from pro that isn't in home, I'd just
leave it be and have XP on both...you'd have to tie me down to get me using
Win2k at home, I'd go back to ME before I'd do that, any day.

Frankly, for a general use home machine, if I had XP home on one installed
and working fine, and had an unneeded copy of XP pro laying around, I don't
think I'd even bother upgrading it.

As far as it not being a good idea for networking the two, there's no basis
for that except if you need the advanced network options that Win2k might
have over XP home, and I don't think most people need them. Unless they
like grinding their teeth and pulling out hair from Win2k's constant
networking and sharing headaches.

Gary

 

[Paul]

There is no real reason you can not do this. You may be
violating the license agreement becuase WIN2K can with the
old computer or I think the upgrade for XP is tied to the
previous version of your OS which is in ture tied to the
Dell that it shipped with.

Hope that helps

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Q. "My question is if I can move the WinXP Home license to the older machine?"

A. No. Preinstalled OEM versions of Windows XP cannot be transferred to
another computer. Take a moment to read your End-User License Agreement:
Start > Run and type in: WINVER , and hit enter.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Old machine:
| + DELL with Win2000 Pro (pre-installed)
| + Upgrade to WinXP Pro (purchased separately)
|
| New Machine
|
| + DELL with WinXP Home (pre-installed)
|
| From what I've read, I should be able to move my WinXP Pro upgrade
| from the old machine to the new one as long as I remove it from the
| old machine and go back to Win2000 Pro.
|
| My question is if can move the WinXP Home license to the older machine
| and move the Win2000+XP Pro upgrades to the new machines?
|
| That way I could have WinXP on both machines (old will have Home, new
| will have Pro). I'm not even sure if that's a good idea if I want to
| network the two, but just asking.
|
| Thanks!

 

[kurttrail]

Old machine:
+ DELL with Win2000 Pro (pre-installed)
+ Upgrade to WinXP Pro (purchased separately)

New Machine

+ DELL with WinXP Home (pre-installed)

From what I've read, I should be able to move my WinXP Pro upgrade
from the old machine to the new one as long as I remove it from the
old machine and go back to Win2000 Pro.

My question is if can move the WinXP Home license to the older machine
and move the Win2000+XP Pro upgrades to the new machines?

That way I could have WinXP on both machines (old will have Home, new
will have Pro). I'm not even sure if that's a good idea if I want to
network the two, but just asking.

Thanks!

I'd just install 2K on both, and never have to ever worry about MS's
copy-protection erroring me out of my computer.

The only thing that XP does better than 2K is XP crashes more.

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

 

[MisterKurtz]

As far as it not being a good idea for networking the two, there's no basis
for that except if you need the advanced network options that Win2k might
have over XP home, and I don't think most people need them. Unless they
like grinding their teeth and pulling out hair from Win2k's constant
networking and sharing headaches.

"Constant networking and sharing headaches" ???!
Been running Win2K on several boxes on my home network for a few years
without any problems.
Are you sure it's the machine and not the operator? :0

Kurtz



<< snipped the usual "can I not buy another copy of XP?" story >>

 

[Steve Nielsen]

I'll leave it to the MVP's to answer the legalistics

Does having MVP status make one a lawyer now?

Steve

 

[Steve Nielsen]

Himanshu wrote:




I'd just install 2K on both, and never have to ever worry about MS's
copy-protection erroring me out of my computer.

The only thing that XP does better than 2K is XP crashes more.

That's not "better", just more often. Besides, it's by design; there is
more of it to crash.

Steve

 

[kurttrail]

Does having MVP status make one a lawyer now?

Steve

I would think that MS-MVP status would be an obvious
conflict-of-interest, even for those that are really lawyers, like Jim
Eshelman.

It would be like asking Saddam's lawyers for their legal opinion on
whether Saddam committed "Crimes against Humanity."

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

 

[Himanshu]

Thank you all for your replies.

But I'm curious as to why you necessarily want XP pro on your new one.

XP Pro would be the "best" OS that I would own and the new machine is
definitely the best I will have in my home network. I would be using
the new machine the most and I figured if I could use it on the new
machine, why not? that's why the post. However, I do know that there
isn't much difference for a home user between XP Home and XP Pro.

... but I have both on several
machines at home, networked, sharing connections, and don't find any
limitations that matter on the home versions, in fact I don't even notice.

Good to know. I might just leave the new machine on XP Home then.

Frankly, for a general use home machine, if I had XP home on one installed
and working fine, and had an unneeded copy of XP pro laying around, I don't
think I'd even bother upgrading it.

I had Win2000 Pro on my older machine for about 2 yrs, and my copy of
WinXP Pro upgrade was sitting in it's package for almost year. It
took a system crash (due to a lousy third party s/w) for me to
reinstall my system and finally move it to XP Pro.

Himanshu

 

[Alex Nichol]

Old machine:
+ DELL with Win2000 Pro (pre-installed)
+ Upgrade to WinXP Pro (purchased separately)

New Machine

+ DELL with WinXP Home (pre-installed)

From what I've read, I should be able to move my WinXP Pro upgrade
from the old machine to the new one as long as I remove it from the
old machine and go back to Win2000 Pro.
Yes

My question is if can move the WinXP Home license to the older machine
and move the Win2000+XP Pro upgrades to the new machines?

No. Copies of windows bought with a machine are licensed solely to that
machine and may not be moved to a different one. Even to swap over.

Before doing anything I would make sure that Pro is providing facilities
that are *needed* on both machines. See
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp
for the list of things that are in Pro only. In addition Pro will
support ten simultaneous connections in a network - Home only five

If things like the NTFS file/folder level access are *needed* on both,
then going back to 2000 on machine 1 would be pretty effective.
Otherwise leave things as they are until such a time as machine 1 dies