Re: new motherboard---forced to buy new copy of XP?!!

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: Alex Nichol (alexn.mvpdts_at_ntlworld.delete.com)
Date: 02/28/04 

Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 20:18:41 +0000

Jim wrote:

>My name is Jim and I live in Colorado Springs, CO. Recently I bought a new motherboard to upgrade my, long-in-the-tooth, e-machine computer. I did consider resealing Windows XP before changing the board but I decided not to since my copy of XP is the upgrade version (at least I assume it is, it was loaded on to the system by the oem, of course) and I thought this could lead to trouble. Besides, I felt I could always explore that option latter if needed.
>
>I did expect the system to protest and perhaps make me call Microsoft for a code but what happened instead came as a complete surprise. After changing the motherboard I first just tried to reboot the computer into the safe mode however Windows XP refused to do this.

It is always a potential trouble with a bulk manufactured machine like
that. They have probably a proprietary design of motherboard and a
customised version of the OS that will not install on anything else.
It is most probable that the CD they supply is not actually an
installation disk, but has an image of the system as set up for their
specific hardware and nothing else.

 And from Microsoft's viewpoint the copy of the system was provided
cheaply (well cheaper) as a part of that system and is not licensed for
installation on a different one - which is now what you are seen as
doing. 

-- 
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K.  Alexn@mvps.D8E8L.org (remove the D8 bit)

Relevant Pages

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