Re: OEM activation with new hardware

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The OEM license for Windows XP is tied to
the original computer hardware it was first
activated on. Replacing the motherboard
with a different one constitutes a different
computer, thus the original OEM license
is no longer valid with a new motherboard.
Only a "Retail Version" of Windows XP
will permit motherboard changes.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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"tahoemark" wrote:

| Bruce,
| I'm a little confused (so what's new?)--I built this computer several years
| ago and as I said I just replaced the motherboard and cpu. I reformatted the
| old hard drive and installed windowsxp pro oem which is the license I had
| bought for the original 4 year old computer. So is it possible to activate
| this or not. I tried doing it by internet and telephone and no luck. The
| telephone method had me taking to a computer and entering a 50 digit product
| id number and than said the id wasn't any good. I couldn't figure out how to
| talk to a human being.
|
| thanks
| mark
|
| "Bruce Chambers" wrote:
|
| > tahoemark wrote:
| > > I decided to replace my aging motherboard and processor and now I'm asked to
| > > activate windows. I follow the activation process and it tells me that my
| > > product key is invalid or something like that.
| >
| >
| > Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
| > installations are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore not
| > transferable to a new motherboard - check yours before starting), unless
| > the new motherboard is virtually identical (same chipset, same IDE
| > controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the one on which the WinXP
| > installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair
| > (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the very least:
| >
| > How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
| > http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341
| >
| > The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
| > licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point.
| > You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If
| > you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a
| > Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style
| > foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it,
| > is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any
| > old hardware configuration you throw at it. On installation it
| > "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This is one of the
| > reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable
| > than the Win9x group.
| >
| > As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
| > important data before starting.
| >
| > This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
| > Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than
| > 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most
| > likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's
| > been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.
| >
| >
| > --
| >
| > Bruce Chambers
| >
| > Help us help you:
| > http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
| > http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
| >
| > You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
| > both at once. - RAH
| >
.

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