Time Computers Motherboard

[Guest]

I need to upgrade my motherboard as I am getting intermittent faults with it.
I run on Windows XP which was pre installed by TIME computers 3 years ago as
a OEM operating system. As everyone knows they have gone bust. I obviously
don't have a windows CD to repair the installation when I install the new
motherboard. How will I be able to reactivate XP when I have repaired my PC ?

 

[Alias]

I need to upgrade my motherboard as I am getting intermittent faults with
it.
I run on Windows XP which was pre installed by TIME computers 3 years ago
as
a OEM operating system. As everyone knows they have gone bust. I obviously
don't have a windows CD to repair the installation when I install the new
motherboard. How will I be able to reactivate XP when I have repaired my
PC ?

It won't work. You will have to buy an XP CD. I suggest getting a generic
OEM version as they are cheaper than the retail versions.

Alias

 

[R. McCarty]

Unless the motherboard change is an exact model switch, XP isn't likely
to even boot or start up. The only way to accomplish a MB swap and
avoid a "Repair" install is to change the Mass Storage controller to a
generic driver like a Standard Dual PCI controller. This effectively allows
XP to boot and not require vendor specific drivers (Intel, VIA, SIS).
On the first boot with the new motherboard, XP will enumerate all the
new system level drivers. You'll need to pre-download and have all the
new MB drivers available. Just be aware that a motherboard change is
usually considered a "New PC" and invalidates the OEM licensing.

 

[Alias]

Just be aware that a motherboard change is
usually considered a "New PC" and invalidates the OEM licensing.

Horsepucky. Nowhere in the EULA is the word "motherboard" used. Upgrading a
motherboard is acceptable.

Alias

 

[R. McCarty]

Alias - You and I both know it's an "Undefined/Nebulous" thing. I don't
want to ignite another "When is an OEM PC, not an OEM PC'. That's
why I used the term usually in case the poster experiences a BIOS type
lock that prevents activation. Anyway in the context of activation you are
correct and I'm wrong - Next time I give somebody a process to update
an OEM motherboard, I'll leave out any mention of licensing - Hopefully,
this won't start up another "Long Winded" thread on OEM & Licensing.

 

[Guest]

The Motherboard will not be an exact model switch! I don't have a windows XP
CD to do a repair. Can you be a little less technical with the process to
swap the MB please?

 

[kurttrail]

Alias - You and I both know it's an "Undefined/Nebulous" thing. I
don't want to ignite another "When is an OEM PC, not an OEM PC'.
That's why I used the term usually in case the poster experiences a
BIOS type
lock that prevents activation. Anyway in the context of activation
you are correct and I'm wrong - Next time I give somebody a process
to update an OEM motherboard, I'll leave out any mention of
licensing -
Hopefully, this won't start up another "Long Winded" thread on OEM &
Licensing.

"Just be aware that a motherboard change is usually considered a 'New
PC' and invalidates the OEM licensing."

"You and I both know it's an 'Undefined/Nebulous' thing."

Unfortunately, it seems that you did define it.

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

 

[R. McCarty]

Yes I did, I deserve two Black marks on my Permanent Record.

 

[kurttrail]

Yes I did, I deserve two Black marks on my Permanent Record.

You must wear a Scarlet "M," for a month! ;-)

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

 

[-rwxrw-r--]

I need to upgrade my motherboard as I am getting intermittent faults with
it. I run on Windows XP which was pre installed by TIME computers 3 years
ago as a OEM operating system. As everyone knows they have gone bust. I
obviously don't have a windows CD to repair the installation when I
install the new motherboard. How will I be able to reactivate XP when I
have repaired my PC ?

I didn't know TIME Computers had gone bust. In fact, I never heard of TIME
computers before this post.

I'm sure that if contact Microsoft and talk nicely to them, they'll do the
right thing and give you a free copy of XP. It isn't your fault that you
paid them once for it and through no fault of your own, no longer have it.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I need to upgrade my motherboard as I am getting intermittent faults with it.
I run on Windows XP which was pre installed by TIME computers 3 years ago as
a OEM operating system. As everyone knows they have gone bust. I obviously
don't have a windows CD to repair the installation when I install the new
motherboard. How will I be able to reactivate XP when I have repaired my PC ?

Unless you have a CD from which to perform the necessary repair
installation, your question is moot.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations are
BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore 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

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:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH