registering xp

[needshelp]

ok. i just got a new laptop with a spare windows xp cd.
does that mean i can install it on another computer
without paying heaps of money?

 

[JAX]

NO!

 

[Guest]

Why not? can't you use it on up to 5 pc's as long as they
are in your own home?

 

[Norm]

Actually you can install it on as many pc's as you want but only 1 will
work.

 

[Bob Knowlden]

I don't know exactly what you mean by "spare CD".

The value of an XP license isn't in the CD, but rather in the product key
(25 characters). You need one for each copy of XP that you activate.
(Activation is mandatory; it's Microsoft's way of enforcing the license
terms they've been claiming for years: one license, one machine.) There are
exceptions to this (such as: corporate versions that don't require
activation), but you probably don't have one.

Some OEM copies are "BIOS locked", which means they won't install on another
make of PC.

You can always try it, but odds are that you have a copy that you either
can't install, or can't activate.

Good luck.

Address may be altered to avoid spam. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

 

[Alex Nichol]

ok. i just got a new laptop with a spare windows xp cd.
does that mean i can install it on another computer
without paying heaps of money?

No. That CD will be for restoring it to the laptop (unless by 'with a
spare CD' you mean you bought a second copy as a separate matter)
and may not ever be used on a different machine

 

[Gary Tait]

Why not? can't you use it on up to 5 pc's as long as they
are in your own home?

No, XP is licensed to one PC at a time, and with OEM versions ( that
come with PCs), the licens is for the PC it came with.

 

[Gary Tait]

ok. i just got a new laptop with a spare windows xp cd.
does that mean i can install it on another computer
without paying heaps of money?

Did you get a spare COA with it?