Re: I have a license question

Belle wrote:
I am hoping someone can help me with this



I have a copy of winxp home and I am building a new system the only thing that will be in the new system is my hard drive I am simply moving it over to the new computer that contains my copy of win xp , then I will take my son in laws hard drive that contains his copy of win xp and put into my old system to give to him and my daughter and we will throw away there old system that is very outdated . will both copies of xp make the move and what kind of registration issues will I have






Normally, and assuming a retail license (many 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
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Re-loaded windows using differrent computer
    ... Normally, and assuming a retail license, unless the new motherboard is virtually identical to the one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place ... You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. ... 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. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: Booting up windows in a different computer
    ... On installation WinXP "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. ... 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. ... How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: How can I transfer Windows XP to a new computer?
    ... Normally, and assuming a retail license, unless the new motherboard is virtually identical to the one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place ... You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. ... 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. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: New motherboard installed but now we are locked out.
    ... Normally, and assuming a retail license, unless the new motherboard is virtually identical to the one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place ... 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. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Is XP Pro fussy like XP Home is?
    ... that makes WinXP so much superior to Win9x. ... and licenses are not transferable to a new motherboard - check yours ... one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, ... You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
Loading