XP Licence O.E. v Full Licence

[Guest]

After many weeks of updating my XP system and ensuring new antivirus
software, getting my sp2 disc , getting updated drivers for the motherboard,
and finally buying an online bios upgrade ... then crisis...during the bios
upgrade, my system failed...after bench tests by some pro's I was told the
power supply, motherboard, memory, ect is cooked...the pro's are rebuilding
my system and was able to slavage a few things like my firewire card for my
video system etc... but, I was suprised when the Pros' tell me I have to buy
a new licence for another XP as the one I have (O.E. plus SP1 & SP2 discs)
were only "O.E." and not "Full" XP licence.
What is that exactly? O.E. or Full ? Why do I have to pay again?
I will pay of course, but I dont get the idea of re-purchasing software that
I already owned!

Any idea?

Thanks

Russ

 

[River_Rat]

Hello Russell
I have red flags going up everywhere when reading this and have several
questions but will not ask them for I do not know the whole situation.

Your MB manufacturer will supply BIOS upgrades for free from their website.
What website did you buy them from? Hope you didn't pay much.

It sounds as though you might need to find some new Pros.

OEM software is not suppose to be transferable, it is said to be tied to the
original equipment installed on.

--
Good Day
River Rat




After many weeks of updating my XP system and ensuring new antivirus
software, getting my sp2 disc , getting updated drivers for the motherboard,
and finally buying an online bios upgrade ... then crisis...during the bios
upgrade, my system failed...after bench tests by some pro's I was told the
power supply, motherboard, memory, ect is cooked...the pro's are rebuilding
my system and was able to slavage a few things like my firewire card for my
video system etc... but, I was suprised when the Pros' tell me I have to
buy
a new licence for another XP as the one I have (O.E. plus SP1 & SP2 discs)
were only "O.E." and not "Full" XP licence.
What is that exactly? O.E. or Full ? Why do I have to pay again?
I will pay of course, but I dont get the idea of re-purchasing software that
I already owned!

Any idea?

Thanks

Russ

 

[Guest]

Hi River-Rat, Thanks for your take on it ..I thought I was dealing with the
MB people, must have been a re-direct from AMI and i't website was
'esupport.com, and eventually invoiced by what the phone answered as
"Touchstone Software".
I guess everyone get's hosed now and then when you are the least alert
...like when you have a crash crisis

Too old to live and learn,
Thanks again,

Russ

 

[Guest]

I trust that you mean that the major failure were not as a direct
consequence of the BIOS update.

I have never heard of some small piece of software destroying Power Supply,
Motherboard and Memory......it is very rare indeed for all these items to
fail at the same time. Must have really been a major PSU failure.

As for Original Equipment Manufacture [OEM] editions of XP. Well they are
very very cheap. The OEM buys them cheap and supplies them with their PCs.

Now as you are buying a new Mobo, CPU and Memory - you also qualify for an
OEM version of XP.

The reason they are not transferrable...well it beacuse they are cheap.

 

[D.L.]

After many weeks of updating my XP system and ensuring new antivirus
software, getting my sp2 disc , getting updated drivers for the motherboard,
and finally buying an online bios upgrade ... then crisis...during the bios
upgrade, my system failed...after bench tests by some pro's I was told the
power supply, motherboard, memory, ect is cooked...the pro's are rebuilding
my system and was able to slavage a few things like my firewire card for my
video system etc... but, I was suprised when the Pros' tell me I have to buy
a new licence for another XP as the one I have (O.E. plus SP1 & SP2 discs)
were only "O.E." and not "Full" XP licence.
What is that exactly? O.E. or Full ? Why do I have to pay again?
I will pay of course, but I dont get the idea of re-purchasing software that
I already owned!

Any idea?

Thanks

Russ

Your BIOS and related hardware issues sound alarming...and others have
already discussed some of the weirdness with that (mainly having to
purchase a BIOS update and the scope of the damage).

That said:
I have a homebuilt machine that suffered a major meltdown last year, to
include the loss of the motherboard and CPU. This machine was running an
OEM version of XP. Although the online activation of the OS after
reinstall halted and required me to phone MS to continue, once I
provided them the broadest of details on the hardware issue ("I replaced
a bad motherboard", they couldn't have been nice).

I own two other machines that have been continuously updated over the
years to the point where *only* the MB and processors are original. Each
has had XP OEM lisences re-installed successfully.

MS gets plenty of bashing...but I have yet to see them balk at even the
most marginally acceptable reinstalls of an OEM licences.

Others may have different experiences...but mine has been hassle free.

Good luck

PS:
Here's my approach on MB BIOS upgrades:
Unless there's a major functional issue that a MB BIOS update is likely
to correct: avoid them like the plague. In my lifetime as a Windows
user, I've done exactly two:
(1) for Y2K compliance
(2) to accomomdate Windows XP on an older board.
They seem to cause far more issues than they ever correct