Utilizing a Windows XP machine for a PCI test bed

[Guest]

I am in the process of building a test system to test large quantities of a PCI product. I was told by our company's IT person that if you remove and replace cards in a sytem too many times, you will be promted to purchase a new license

Is this true? If so, is there a way to work around that phenomenon? I would like to test 3 cards per boot-up. There may be cases where only 1 or 2 cards are installed to be tested; therefore differences in the system will occur in those cases

Since this test station will be released in a production enviroment, I need it to be as bulletproof as possible.

 

[Guest]

Youre info is incorrect,re-installing xp to the computer after re-newin
most of the hardware can/could prompt you for a special new license fo
xp after many regular installations have been made.Once xp is installed,yo
can install pci,other hds,etc. till youre hearts content,there's no record kept
xp doesnt mind if you have the time to do so.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I am in the process of building a test system to test large
quantities of a PCI product. I was told by our company's IT person
that if you remove and replace cards in a system too many times, you
will be prompted to purchase a new license.

Is this true? If so, is there a way to work around that phenomenon?
I would like to test 3 cards per boot-up. There may be cases where
only 1 or 2 cards are installed to be tested; therefore differences
in the system will occur in those cases.

Since this test station will be released in a production environment,
I need it to be as bulletproof as possible.

Your info is incorrect, re-installing xp to the computer after
re-newing most of the hardware can/could prompt you for a special
new license for xp after many regular installations have been
made.Once xp is installed,you can install pci,other hds,etc. till
your hearts content,there's no record kept, xp doesn't mind if you
have the time to do so.

Andrew's information is almost correct.

Here's the deal. There is a record(of a sort - more of a calculation with
your components as the variables) kept of your components and if you change
enough of them (video, sound, hard drive, other PCI/AGP/etc cards) at one
time,. you may be asked to REACTIVATE. Matter of fact, as long as the copy
of XP is retail or better, that is all XP will ever really ask you to do.
You might have to perform a "Repair Installation", should you replace too
much for XP to handle at one time (usually a motherboard replacement would
cause this.

There is no purchase involved in reactivation. If you wait 120 days between
attempts at major change, you likely wouldn't even have to speak to anyone
to reactivate - simply do it over the Internet. If you change too much in
less than 120 days, you might have to call someone to reactivate.

Essentially, as long as you have a RETAIL copy of Windows XP and don't mind
the possibility of reactivating on occasion, change out PCI devices to your
hearts content.