Greetings --
This information does shed a different light on the matter. Now
we're getting into a "grey" area where not even all MVP's are in
agreement. I can only give you my opinion here.
As I've said, according to the EULA, an OEM license may not be
transferred from one distinct PC to another PC. However, this most
emphatically does not prohibit one from repairing/upgrading the
original PC. To my mind, replacing a defective motherboard certainly
falls under the category of "repair."
Now, some people believe that the motherboard is the key component
that defines the "original computer," but the OEM EULA does not make
any such distinction. Others have said that one could successfully
argue that it's the PC's case that is the deciding component, as that
is where one is instructed to affix the OEM CoA label w/Product Key.
Again, the EULA does not specifically define any single component as
the computer.
Microsoft has, to date, been very careful _not_ publicly to define
when an incrementally upgraded computer ceases to be the original
computer. The closest I've ever seen a Microsoft employee come to
this definition is to tell the person making the inquiry to consult
the PC's manufacturer. As the OEM license's support is solely the
responsibility of said manufacturer, they should determine what sort
of hardware changes to allow before the warranty and support
agreements are voided. To paraphrase: An incrementally upgraded
computer ceases to be the original computer, as pertains to the OEM
EULA, only when the *OEM* says it's a different computer. Of course,
taken to extremes, this position also implies that, once the OEM
warranty expires, so does the OEM license. As this is so patently
absurd, that it doesn't really bare consideration.
If "liquiddaw.com" used a generic OEM installation CD, as seems
likely to have been the case for a small system builder, as opposed to
the BIOS-locked CD used by the major OEMS like HP, Compaq, or Dell,
there's no technical reason that you can't simply replace/upgrade the
motherboard and CPU. As you've surmised, there should be no issue
with the subsequent activation.
So, _my_ recommendation would be, rather than replacing the entire
computer, for you to take that PC to another shop (or do it yourself -
it's hardly rocket surgery) and have the motherboard & CPU replaced.
Now, about that irrational fear of AMD CPUs..... ;-} Seriously,
I suspect the problems you've had with AMDs are more the result of
poor motherboards or inadequate cooling, then the result of bad chip
design. I've used both AMD and Intel processors in my own machines,
and I support a large (hundreds, iow) mixture of both at work. The
only substantive differences I've encountered between the two is that
AMD's are significantly less expensive than the equivalent Pentium
CPUs, and they require better cooling to last as long as Pentiums.
Since the fact that AMDs run "hotter" than Intel chips is well-known
to competent technicians and systems builders, this usually isn't an
issue. But there's nothing wrong with the Pentium chips, either, so
the choice boils down to a matter of taste, and your taste will
naturally be colored by your experiences.
Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
