System For New Board and Processor

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When I bought the system windows XP was preinstalled. However I want to
upgrade and get a new board and processor. They tell me I have to reinstall
windows. Hpw do you do that without disks??????

Or will the old system just pop up off the old c drive????

please reply (e-mail address removed)
 
You cannot upgrade the motherboard of your computer if
Windows XP came preinstalled. If you did, the OEM license
would become invaild and you would need to purchase
and install a conventional version of Windows XP.

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with XP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

When I bought the system windows XP was preinstalled. However I want to
upgrade and get a new board and processor. They tell me I have to reinstall
windows. Hpw do you do that without disks??????

Or will the old system just pop up off the old c drive????

please reply (e-mail address removed)
 
s2d2ii said:
When I bought the system windows XP was preinstalled. However I want to
upgrade and get a new board and processor. They tell me I have to
reinstall windows. Hpw do you do that without disks??????

Or will the old system just pop up off the old c drive????
Click to expand...

Unfortunately not likely. But it depends on the extent of the differences
between the old MB and new. Most likely you'll need to do a repair install
of your XP which will require an XP disk. If your PC manufacturer did not
supply one, contact them and see if they'll send them for a nominal fee. If
not, then your only option will be to purchase a retail version of XP and
use that to do the repair.
 
s2d2ii said:
When I bought the system windows XP was preinstalled. However I want to
upgrade and get a new board and processor. They tell me I have to reinstall
windows. Hpw do you do that without disks??????
Click to expand...


You can't.

Or will the old system just pop up off the old c drive????
Click to expand...


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
 
Carey said:
You cannot upgrade the motherboard of your computer if
Windows XP came preinstalled.
Click to expand...


That is completely untrue, Carey.

It's true that many OEM installations, specifically those performed
by major computer manufacturers and shipped pre-installed on their
assembled computers, are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore
not transferable to a new motherboard. However, this technical
limitation does not apply to unbranded, generic OEM CDs, such as may be
purchased from many sources with a qualifying non-peripheral hardware
component.

If you did, the OEM license
would become invaild ....
Click to expand...


Also false.

According to its EULA, an OEM license may not be transferred from
one distinct PC to another PC. Nothing is said about prohibiting one
from repairing or upgrading the PC on which an OEM license is installed.

Some people mistakenly 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 (tongue in cheek) 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. Licensed Microsoft Systems
Builders, who are allowed to distribute OEM licenses with computers they
build and sell, are _contractually_ obligated to "define" the computer
as the motherboard, but this limitation/definition can't be applied to
the end user until the EULA is re-written.

As you well know, Microsoft has, to date, been very careful _not_
to *publicly* 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 (in a public forum) 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. If you've built the system yourself, and used a generic OEM
CD, then _you_ are the "OEM," and _you_ get to decide when you'll no
longer support your product.

....and you would need to purchase
and install a conventional version of Windows XP.
Click to expand...


That would be necessary if the OP has a BIOS-locked installation or
Recovery CD, but it's not because of the licensing- it's a purely
technical issue.

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with XP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html
Click to expand...


--

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
 
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