XP Pro OEM license

  • Thread starter Thread starter WWII
  • Start date Start date
WWII said:
I've got a home built system running with an OEM version of XP Pro. The
system is old and I would like to upgrade it - new MB and CPU. Can I do
this with an OEM XP system? When I called Microsoft they said you cannot
change an OEM system at all, yet when I read their activation guidelines
it appears that I can. Anyway I'm confused at this point. If anyone has
any experience with this I would like your advice.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

You know what I do? I upgrade the case, the power supply, the motherboard,
the memory, the video card, the CD/DVD drive, and add a new primary hard
drive.

I then slave my old OEM hard drive in the new system. I've just upgraded
components around it.

Ok, that is a stretch, but as long as you have your installation media and
the product key that went with it; it's going to activate just fine.

carl
 
I repeat:

With an OEM Windows XP license, you can replace
any internal hardware component with the exception
of the motherboard. If you install a different model
motherboard, the OEM license becomes invalid and
cannot be reused. That is why an OEM license costs
less....less flexibility. Next time, purchase a "Retail
Version" of Windows XP so you don't run into this
limitation issue in the future.
 
Yes, I noted that in a previous post which apparently crossed with yours.

Microsoft KNOWS most users don't have the requisite Deep Pockets, ergo what
you say below is true.

Piracy is a high stakes game of cat and mouse.

I don't blame Microsoft in the least for what they are doing.

Much of this is also collateral fallout from that asinine Anti-Trust Suit.

DSH
 
I would upgrade the system and install XP, if the software
asks for but does not accept online activation use the
telephone option and ask there.

Of course you can upgrade your system, there is a
continually shifting line about what constitutes an upgrade
though.

If possible when buying, the retail versions are the better
(and probably cheaper) in the longer term, especially if you
continually upgrade your system

good luck

Geoff
 
D. Spencer Hines said:
How does one use the Windows 95 CD to do that?

I have one in hand.
Click to expand...


Simply boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS boot order if necessary
to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for a clean installation (delete
the existing partition by pressing "D" when prompted, then create a new
one).

When setup doesn't find a previous qualifying version installed, it will
prompt you to insert its CD as proof of ownership. Just insert theWindsws 95
CD, and follow the prompts. Everything proceeds quite normally and quite
legitimately.


You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm
 
With an OEM Windows XP license, you can replace
any internal hardware component with the exception
of the motherboard. If you install a different model
motherboard, the OEM license becomes invalid and
cannot be reused. That is why an OEM license costs
less....less flexibility. Next time, purchase a "Retail
Version" of Windows XP so you don't run into this
limitation issue in the future.
Click to expand...

There is nothing in my EULA regarding motherboard
replacement. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought
the whole idea behind activation was to prevent piracy,
not to prevent users from repairing or upgrading
their systems. I'm not a software pirate, I don't pass software
around, and I use my OEM license on a single PC only.
Why should Microsoft care if I replace the motherboard?
I'm the system builder OEM and to me it's still the
original PC. Does that make me a pirate?

Yes, yes.. I know that the hardware hash is going to
be different. If Microsoft doesn't have a system in
place to handle these types of special situations,
then the concept of activation is tragically flawed.

W
 
Read your OEM license agreement. The OEM
license is forever tied to the very first computer
it is activated on.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

"Windom" wrote:

| There is nothing in my EULA regarding motherboard
| replacement. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought
| the whole idea behind activation was to prevent piracy,
| not to prevent users from repairing or upgrading
| their systems. I'm not a software pirate, I don't pass software
| around, and I use my OEM license on a single PC only.
| Why should Microsoft care if I replace the motherboard?
| I'm the system builder OEM and to me it's still the
| original PC. Does that make me a pirate?
|
| Yes, yes.. I know that the hardware hash is going to
| be different. If Microsoft doesn't have a system in
| place to handle these types of special situations,
| then the concept of activation is tragically flawed.
|
| W
 
What I have is a Windows 95 disk which came with a Dell Computer I bought in
1997 -- well before all this latest authentication stuff began.

Will that work?

Will it work with an upgrade to Vista when it comes out?

The matrix several folks have posted URL's to says no can do from 95.

DSH
 
Read your OEM license agreement. The OEM
license is forever tied to the very first computer
it is activated on.
Click to expand...

That's exactly my point. It's still the same computer!
The motherboard burns out. I have to purchase a
replacement because the original model isn't available
anymore. Should I have to purchase a new license
because I repaired my PC?

Fiddlesticks! This is pure nonsense.

W
 
In
WWII said:
I've got a home built system running with an OEM version of XP Pro. The
system is old and I would like to upgrade it - new MB and CPU. Can I do
this with an OEM XP system? When I called Microsoft they
said you cannot change an OEM system at all, yet when I read their
activation guidelines it appears that I can. Anyway I'm confused at
this point. If anyone has any experience with this I would like your
advice.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Move XP to new hardware.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
 
Carey said:
I repeat:

With an OEM Windows XP license, you can replace
any internal hardware component with the exception
of the motherboard. If you install a different model
motherboard, the OEM license becomes invalid and
cannot be reused. That is why an OEM license costs
less....less flexibility. Next time, purchase a "Retail
Version" of Windows XP so you don't run into this
limitation issue in the future.
Click to expand...

Why do you keep lying, Carey? There is NO mention of the word
"motherboard" in the generic OEM EULA.

So, you lied twice, once about changing the motherboard constituting a
"new computer" and again when you say that only retail will allow a
motherboard replacement.

You should be ashamed of yourself and apologize.

Alias

Use the Reply to Sender feature of your news reader program to email me.
Utiliza Responder al Remitente para mandarme un mail.
 
1. If its one of those "preconfigured" or "restore CD's" no. It has to
be an Install CD.
2. Vista isn't "available" and the requirements aren't set, so the
answer is no one knows yet.
3. That's correct, you have to do a "clean install" and allow it to
"sniff" the 95 install CD.
 
Quoted from Microsoft's System Builder FAQ:

Q. Can a PC with OEM Windows XP have its motherboard upgraded
and keep the same license? What if it was replaced because it was defective?


A. Generally, you may upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on your customer's computer and the end user may maintain
the license for the original Microsoft® OEM operating system software, with the exception of an upgrade or replacement of the
motherboard. An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a "new personal computer" to which Microsoft® OEM operating
system software cannot be transferred from another computer. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a
defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required. If the motherboard is
replaced because it is defective, you do NOT need to acquire a new operating system license for the PC.

The reason for this licensing rule primarily relates to the end-user license agreement (EULA) and the support of the software
covered by that EULA. The EULA is a set of usage rights granted to the end-user by the PC manufacturer and relates only to rights
for that software as installed on for that particular PC. The System Builder is required to support that license the software on
that individual PC. Understanding that end users, over time, upgrade their PC with different components, Microsoft needed to have
one base component "left standing" that would still define that original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the
"heart and soul" of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created. The
original System Builder, therefore, can not be expected to support this new PC that they in effect, did not manufacture."

Ref: https://oem.microsoft.com/script/contentpage.aspx?PageID=553075
 
Yes, it is an install DVD for Windows 95 from Dell, which I got in 1997.

I'm skeptical that this will work with a copy of Windows XP Pro Upgrade.

The matrix touted by several folks here seems to be saying one cannot use a
Win XP Upgrade to move from Win 95 to XP.

"You can't do an upgrade from Windows 95 to XP, but you *can* use a
Windows 95 CD as proof of a previous qualifying version to do a
clean installation of XP with an Upgrade copy."

Where can I find verification for that statement BY Microsoft on the web?

DSH
 
D. Spencer Hines said:
Yes, it is an install DVD for Windows 95 from Dell, which I got in
1997.
I'm skeptical that this will work with a copy of Windows XP Pro
Upgrade.
The matrix touted by several folks here seems to be saying one cannot
use a Win XP Upgrade to move from Win 95 to XP.

"You can't do an upgrade from Windows 95 to XP, but you *can* use a
Windows 95 CD as proof of a previous qualifying version to do a
clean installation of XP with an Upgrade copy."

Where can I find verification for that statement BY Microsoft on the
web?
Click to expand...

try here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/matrix.mspx
 
You would need a "Microsoft Windows 95 CD" and not a
"install DVD for Windows 95 from Dell" in order to qualify
for using an upgrade version of Windows in the future. Your
Dell DVD would not be recognized as a qualifying product.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

| Yes, it is an install DVD for Windows 95 from Dell, which I got in 1997.
|
| I'm skeptical that this will work with a copy of Windows XP Pro Upgrade.
|
| The matrix touted by several folks here seems to be saying one cannot use a
| Win XP Upgrade to move from Win 95 to XP.
|
| "You can't do an upgrade from Windows 95 to XP, but you *can* use a
| Windows 95 CD as proof of a previous qualifying version to do a
| clean installation of XP with an Upgrade copy."
|
| Where can I find verification for that statement BY Microsoft on the web?
|
| DSH
 
D. Spencer Hines said:
What I have is a Windows 95 disk which came with a Dell Computer I
bought in 1997 -- well before all this latest authentication stuff
began.
Will that work?
Click to expand...


If it's an installation CD, not a restore CD, yes.

Will it work with an upgrade to Vista when it comes out?
Click to expand...


There is never a definite answer to such a question. Microsoft never
preannounces things like this.

I'll venture a guess, though. No, it won't. I think its working with XP was
an accident, and Microsoft hadn't planned it that way.

The matrix several folks have posted URL's to says no can do from 95.
Click to expand...


You can not *upgrade* from 95, but you *can* use a 95 CD as qualifying media
when doing a clean installation with an XP Upgrade CD.
 
D. Spencer Hines said:
Yes, it is an install DVD for Windows 95 from Dell, which I got in
1997.
I'm skeptical that this will work with a copy of Windows XP Pro
Upgrade.
The matrix touted by several folks here seems to be saying one cannot
use a Win XP Upgrade to move from Win 95 to XP.

"You can't do an upgrade from Windows 95 to XP, but you *can* use a
Windows 95 CD as proof of a previous qualifying version to do a
clean installation of XP with an Upgrade copy."

Where can I find verification for that statement BY Microsoft on the
web?
Click to expand...


You won't find verification from Microsoft. As I said in another message in
this thread moments ago, I think its working was an accident.

The statement is correct. You may believe it or not, as you choose. Or try
it yourself to find out.
 
In line

D. Spencer Hines said:
Yes, it is an install DVD for Windows 95 from Dell, which I got in 1997.
Click to expand...
As per #1
I'm skeptical that this will work with a copy of Windows XP Pro Upgrade.
Click to expand...
Correct as per #1
The matrix touted by several folks here seems to be saying one cannot use a
Win XP Upgrade to move from Win 95 to XP.
Click to expand...

What matrix ? As per #3.
"You can't do an upgrade from Windows 95 to XP, but you *can* use a
Windows 95 CD as proof of a previous qualifying version to do a
clean installation of XP with an Upgrade copy."
Click to expand...

As per #3
Where can I find verification for that statement BY Microsoft on the web?
Click to expand...
If the "instructions" exist, you may search as well as I.
 
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