XP Pro CD Key Activation Problem

[Guest]

I have an OEM version of XP Pro installed on my PC at home. I recently
acquired a second-hand PC from a friend and have rebuilt it for my kids. I
have installed XP Pro on it, but I cannot activate it. I go through the
activation process, but when I enter the CD key, it says I can't use it b/c
it's already in use. I figure I should be able to install XP Pro on as many
of my own computers as I want - so why doesn't it let me activate it on the
new computer?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

You can only install one copy of an XP CD onto one PC. If you want to
install onto more than one system, you will either have to purchase another
copy of XP or purchase an extra license - for each system - for the copy you
already have.

 

[Will Denny]

Also - if you have an OEM version, it is 'tied' to the first system it is
installed onto.

 

[Stanley A. Warner]

What about after 120 days? Can the OEM WinXP CD
be used to install WinXP in a new system?

What if the OEM system breaks? Can the OEM WinXP CD
be used to install WinXP in a new system?

-\Stan/-

 

[Mike Brannigan [MSFT]]

What about after 120 days? Can the OEM WinXP CD
be used to install WinXP in a new system?

No.

What if the OEM system breaks? Can the OEM WinXP CD
be used to install WinXP in a new system?

No. The license is tied to the PC even in the event of it becoming non
operational or scrapped that is why they are cheaper then the retail copies.
It is a one time use license.

-\Stan/-

--

Regards,

Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights

Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

A Windows XP OEM license is tied specifically to the very
first computer it is installed on. It cannot be installed and
activated on a different computer. Only a "Retail Version"
of Windows XP can be transferred to a different computer.

In your case, you'll need to purchase a "Retail Version"
of Windows XP for installation on your other computer.

Please take a moment to read the Windows XP EULA.

Go to Start > Run and type: WINVER , and hit enter.
Click on "End-User License Agreement".

Please open XP's "Help and Support Center" and type: EULA
in the Search box, then click on "Questions and answers about
the End User License Agreement".

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

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

:

| What about after 120 days? Can the OEM WinXP CD
| be used to install WinXP in a new system?
|
| What if the OEM system breaks? Can the OEM WinXP CD
| be used to install WinXP in a new system?
|
| -\Stan/-

 

[Yeah right]

In another word , Xp should only be install on one
computer for one license whether its retail , oem ,
upgrade versions ... Only those co-op/business copies of
xp can be installed on many computers, thats because of
the license options which can range from 1 and up

I say its time for another company or companies to make
an operating system thats either better then microsoft or
just as good , then we shall see how prices will drop

 

[dude]

In my opinion nothing is better then retail version , you
can't go wrong , if you get my driffffffff

 

[Bruce Chambers]

First of all, based upon the description you've provided, you have
an OEM license for WinXP Home. An OEM version must be sold with a
piece of hardware (normally a motherboard or hard rive, if not an
entire PC) and is permanently bound to the first PC on which it's
installed. An OEM license, once installed, is not legally
transferable to another computer under any circumstances. You can
remove or replace it, if you like, but you can neither reuse it on a
different computer or resell it.

Just as it says, right on the box, you'll need to purchase a
separate WinXP license for each computer on which you install it.

As it has always been with all Microsoft operating systems, it's
necessary (to be in compliance with both the EULA and U.S. copyright
law http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/117.html), if not
technically) to purchase one WinXP license for each computer on which
it is installed. (Consult an attorney versed in copyright law to
determine final applicability in your locale.) The only way in which
WinXP licensing differs from that of earlier versions of Windows is
that Microsoft has finally added a copy protection and anti-theft
mechanism, Product Activation, to prevent (or at least make more
difficult) multiple installations using a single license.


--

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

 

[Bruce Chambers]

No and No. Read the EULA, why don't you?

--

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

 

[Stanley A. Warner]

Because I don't have a copy of an OEM CD to look at.
Why so hostile?

-\Stan/-

 

[Stanley A. Warner]

Where's the part in the Windows XP EULA about "OEM"?

-\Stan/-

 

[Mike Brannigan [MSFT]]

Where's the part in the Windows XP EULA about "OEM"?

-\Stan/-

There is a specific OEM EULA that ships with the OEM products, that covers
the additional restrictions of OEM licenses operating systems.

--

Regards,

Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights

Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups

 

[Mike Brannigan [MSFT]]

Because I don't have a copy of an OEM CD to look at.
Why so hostile?

Bruce is probably being so direct as without an OEM CD or access to the EULA
then you do not have all the information you require to answer the end users
question.

--

Regards,

Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights

Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups