XP Home Licensing Question

[Me]

I bought a Compaq system preloaded with Windows XP Home. The system is out
of warranty, and has a bad motherboard. It's easier to buy a new board and
processor than have Compaq replace the old board.

Here's my question. I have a non-useable system I am gutting to make a new
one. I purchased an XP Home license with the Compaq device but all's I got
is a restore CD. I believe I have legally purchased a license and should be
able to transfer to another pc.

How have people handled this?

 

[Nicholas]

Your Compaq OEM license is only valid when installed
on a Compaq computer with standard Compaq hardware.
It will not install on another hardware configuration. So,
you'll need to purchase a new version of Windows XP if
you deviate from Compaq hardware components.

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

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]


--
Nicholas

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


| I bought a Compaq system preloaded with Windows XP Home. The system is out
| of warranty, and has a bad motherboard. It's easier to buy a new board and
| processor than have Compaq replace the old board.
|
| Here's my question. I have a non-useable system I am gutting to make a new
| one. I purchased an XP Home license with the Compaq device but all's I got
| is a restore CD. I believe I have legally purchased a license and should be
| able to transfer to another pc.
|
| How have people handled this?
|
|

 

[purplehaz]

You have purchased an OEM license with your pre-installed compaq. An OEM
license cannot be transfered to another motherboard/computer. It also may be
locked to the bios of the old motherboard making it impossible to even try
to install it. This is one reason oem is cheaper. You will now have to buy a
retail license with your new motherboard/computer.

 

[Michael Stevens]

Re-build it when you install it if it's been over 120 days
it might do it online, at worse you will have to call and
activate on the automated system.

You may have a issue with the bios SLP in that if Compaq
the CD is for a compaq bios the cd may not boot on another
computer. In that case you need to use the old hard drive
and change it after you get back up and running.

This wouldn't work, as the restore disk would not work on a different MB.
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
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[Alex Nichol]

I bought a Compaq system preloaded with Windows XP Home. The system is out
of warranty, and has a bad motherboard. It's easier to buy a new board and
processor than have Compaq replace the old board.

Here's my question. I have a non-useable system I am gutting to make a new
one. I purchased an XP Home license with the Compaq device but all's I got
is a restore CD. I believe I have legally purchased a license and shouldbe
able to transfer to another pc.

An OEM copy, such as supplied by Compaq (at much reduced price compared
with a retail one) is licensed solely to the machine where first
installed, and may *not* be transferred.

Also Compaq use a lot of proprietary hardware and the system has
probably been seriously customised to match, so it is a doubtful product
for other hardware anyway