Do I have to repurchase Win XP home if I am upgrading my entire hardware?

[Big-G]

I have a genuine copy of Windows XP home edition Sp 2 installed on my computer whose config is -

Mother Board : Asus K8S-MX ( on board sound and graphics)

Processor : AMD Athlon 64 , 2800+

2*512 MB RAM ,

Sony DVD drive with a local powersupply claiming to be 45o watts ( navtech ) on a local ( dunno which brand Cabinet)

Except for the key board , mouse , speakers , scanner , printer , Optical drive , Hard disk I wish to upgrade my entire hardware viz Motherboard , Processor , Ram , monitor , power supply , cabinet .

What I need to know is Do I have to repurchase Windows XP home , if I change the above components viz , MB , Processor , Ram , HD ?

To be more explicit the change of which component(s) in particular would require a repurchase of Win XP home ?

I don't wish to repurchase something which I already have and is functioning fine .

Cant I legally install the same copy of win XP in my upgraded comp , after all it's still just one computer on which this particular copy of XP is installed and also of the same user .

What all are my options ?

Thanks in advance , and just incase if these questions have been answered elsewhere on the forum please give me the link .

 

[s18000rpm]

no need to buy XP again, just pop in the XP install disk & install in your new upgraded pc, enter the cd key....activate.....

 

[Big-G]

are you sure , that doing this won't be illegal ? and I would continue to reap the benefits of a genuine XP ?

My assembler is telling me that the moment I change my Hd or mb or processor , the very same moment I'll need to buy another copy of xp if I wanna go the legal way , as the previous copy has been assigned to my previous config and microsoft has these records and so the moment I would install my first genuine copy on the new config microsof would consider it as a pirated copy ( when I get connected to the internet) and as such I wont be able to avail the free updates from microsoft.

Can sombody please throw light on this ?

 

[iMav]

u dont need to buy a new copy of xp or even vista for tht matter u only need to re-activate them

 

[NucleusKore]

I have a genuine copy of Windows XP home edition Sp 2 installed on my computer whose config is -........

If the Windows XP was provided with your new pc (OEM edition), without a seperate box for the OS, legally speaking you cannot install it to a new pc.

On a practical (illegal) note you can install and activate it, the activation will fail, and then you'll have to call Microsoft helpline, tell them you formatted your pc and activated five times and now your windows refuses to activate, they'll give you the release key.

 

[Ponmayilal]

It is true that OEM editions are tied with the motherboard, and once you install the same copy on a different model motherboard, activation may not go through automatically.You may be asked to phone-up Microsoft. You can tell them that since your previous motherboard got itself burnt, and the same motherboard is not available you are forced to go with this new install.Usually you won't be denied and you will be given a new code with which you can activate your windows and go ahead.

 

[ray|raven]

Usually you won't be denied and you will be given a new code with which you can activate your windows and go ahead.

With millions of illegal copies floating around, i dont think they'd turn down a legit customer

But then again , it's MS , so you never know

 

[NucleusKore]

Yes, you are right, but the poster used the words legally in BOLD, so I replied

 

[juggler]

you wont have to buy a new copy of Windows Xp
I have personally tried it . I have a genuine copy of Win Xp (not OEM)
when i chaned my hardware it gave a notification to reactivate it online through net which completed without hassle.

 

[Zangetsu]

hey the same thread was opened by me....

 

[Ponmayilal]

^^License terms are different for OEM and retail versions.

 

[passion_unlimitedd]

i think u dont need to buy another one. in my case i tried OEM XP Prof SP2 of my friends lappy in a assembled one and it worked fine and got activated too.

 

[Big-G]

Questions to all ...

u dont need to buy a new copy of xp or even vista for tht matter u only need to re-activate them

Exactly how many times ( quantitative count) is a legitimate owner of an OEM and Boxed version of Windows XP home , allowed to re activate .Is there a limit to the number of re activations he or she is allowed before calling microsoft for intervening et al ?

Is there a way out by which I can figure out (via software I mean) , how many of my total allowed reactivation attempts have I exhausted and how many of them are left before I come up with an excuse for microsoft.

Are these re-activation attempts different for OEM and boxed versions .If so why ? And if yes then does that means I should have bought a boxed version instead of the OEM version.

What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with both OEM as well as boxed versions ? Is the owner of boxed version delivered / promised more than the owner of an OEM version .

Was it stupid on my part to buy an OEM version just to save some bucks ?

Should from now onwards should I always buy the boxed versions of any softwares?

What all are the contents of the boxed version , apart from the cd , the oem version contains just the cd and an elementary booklet .Have I missed something by not opting for the boxed version ?

Is the boxed version more stable or secure or faster or in whatever way more superior to the OEM version?


If the Windows XP was provided with your new pc (OEM edition), without a seperate box for the OS, legally speaking you cannot install it to a new pc.

On a practical (illegal) note you can install and activate it, the activation will fail, and then you'll have to call Microsoft helpline, tell them you formatted your pc and activated five times and now your windows refuses to activate, they'll give you the release key

Windows XP was purchased my me after a few months of using my comp with a cracked version .The reason for the purchase was frequent crashes which did got stablised after the genuine thingy under it's hood.It's the OEM version , that is what is writen on the green colored case in which it was sealed.

Would it be so easy to get the re-activation key from them ? Are the guys from Richmond really such big gullibles ?What is the phone number on which I 'll need to speak to them? I hope calling at their India office would do and I don't have to call their head office in US.


It is true that OEM editions are tied with the motherboard, and once you install the same copy on a different model motherboard, activation may not go through automatically.You may be asked to phone-up Microsoft. You can tell them that since your previous motherboard got itself burnt, and the same motherboard is not available you are forced to go with this new install.Usually you won't be denied and you will be given a new code with which you can activate your windows and go ahead.

Are you sure that OEm editions are tied with the motherboard and not with any other piece of hardware component explicitly or implicitly ?

My friends tell me that they are tied to the hard Disk and not the Mother board and that too can be get away with by copying the entire contents of the previous hard disk to the new one .Is this really true .I am really confused and zaped .Different people are telling me different things .

Isn't all this information about the OEM and the boxed versions of XP given explicitly somewhere on microsoft's site or some other legitimate site as to what all are the user options in case he / she wishes to upgrade his hardware .

Kindly please give me the link for such vital legal info , it at all it exists .

License terms are different for OEM and retail versions.

YES , I seem to understand that and it makes some sense also because of different pricing of the two , but I wish to ask that where on earth or web are those terms explicitly written ?

Last and the most , isn't there some way out to elicit some more concrete and informative response with authority from the guys who run digit ?

I hope I am not asking for too much and incase if this has been discussed or explained told before please give me the link .

Thanks and regards.

 

[iMav]

Re: Questions to all ...

before answering ur questions, i would suggest you to call up these guys:

Microsoft India:


91 11 2629-2640
1800 1111 00 or 000800 650-1122

u dont need to buy a new copy of xp or even vista for tht matter u only need to re-activate them

Exactly how many times ( quantitative count) is a legitimate owner of an OEM and Boxed version of Windows XP home , allowed to re activate .Is there a limit to the number of re activations he or she is allowed before calling microsoft for intervening et al ?

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=618834&postcount=7

Is there a way out by which I can figure out (via software I mean) , how many of my total allowed reactivation attempts have I exhausted and how many of them are left before I come up with an excuse for microsoft.

call microsoft

Are these re-activation attempts different for OEM and boxed versions .If so why ? And if yes then does that means I should have bought a boxed version instead of the OEM version.

no, yes u shouldv bought the boxed version

What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with both OEM as well as boxed versions ? Is the owner of boxed version delivered / promised more than the owner of an OEM version .

OEM - original equipment manufacturer - responsibility of the company u bought the computer from, OEMs legally cant be sold without hardware

Was it stupid on my part to buy an OEM version just to save some bucks ?

yes

Should from now onwards should I always buy the boxed versions of any softwares?

yes, if ur not buying it pre-loaded

What all are the contents of the boxed version , apart from the cd , the oem version contains just the cd and an elementary booklet .Have I missed something by not opting for the boxed version ?

the box is fancier in most cases and has nothing more than some booklets and the software, if theres some offer going on then thats different

Is the boxed version more stable or secure or faster or in whatever way more superior to the OEM version?

OEM versions are sold to computer manufacturers, these manufacturers like dell/hp then install it on the machine and sell it to u

boxed versions are sold directly to customers - in short they both are the same no difference what so ever in the software

Would it be so easy to get the re-activation key from them ? Are the guys from Richmond really such big gullibles ?What is the phone number on which I 'll need to speak to them? I hope calling at their India office would do and I don't have to call their head office in US.

given at the top, they will help u they are quite helpful in that matter

Are you sure that OEm editions are tied with the motherboard and not with any other piece of hardware component explicitly or implicitly ?

My friends tell me that they are tied to the hard Disk and not the Mother board and that too can be get away with by copying the entire contents of the previous hard disk to the new one .Is this really true .I am really confused and zaped .Different people are telling me different things .

OEMs are motherboard locked

Isn't all this information about the OEM and the boxed versions of XP given explicitly somewhere on microsoft's site or some other legitimate site as to what all are the user options in case he / she wishes to upgrade his hardware .

MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION (RETAIL) END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR MICROSOFT SOFTWARE

Download OEM License PDF

Last and the most , isn't there some way out to elicit some more concrete and informative response with authority from the guys who run digit ?

not through this section of the forum u will have to mail them

i hope iv answered some questions

 

[Big-G]

not through this section of the forum u will have to mail them

Really , I didn't knew that .Arent these guys active on the forums , they should be , that would streamline the site and make it more concrete , after all digit forums without the digit guys is like playing soccer without the football and the refree .

Dn't they even once in a blue blue moon become active here , if not by their real id's then atleast by their pseudo ones.

Yep , I know they are payed just for the magzine content and not the forum content I wish they all were active here , the site would have been a lot more infotaining then .Not that it is any less now but still there would have been a scope of constructive improvement




i hope iv answered some questions

Thanks imav , you have settled all my queries .

 

[Ponmayilal]

Hmmm............... @ Big-G , here is an interesting article on Windows Product activation and how it works.

*www.aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.php

I have read it many times but still cannot understand it 100% So I am still trying to. If you can, well and good.

The author says that when you first install and activate Windows, put in a cheap Network card that carries 3 "yes" points, which then practically ensures that you can change as many things as you like and still need not go through any fresh activation.

Geeks here may perhaps go through and put it in a simple and easy way for the less privileged to understand.

 

[Big-G]

Hey Ponmayilal

That was the best and most authoritative and informative of all the answers .Reading that article clears each and every doubt which one may have .With that reply this thread can be made sticky :up:


I have nothing more to ask on the same topic .As regards understanding that article , yep I did understood it and even downloaded the software which tells how many yes points a user has presently compared to his score at the time of his first installation .

How did you stumle upon that site? It's a gem of a site on Windows with it's links.

 

[Ponmayilal]

Thanks @ Big-G for the compliments.

As a matter of fact anyone who makes a google search on "Windows Product Activation" could have stumbled on the article.And yes indeed it is a most authentic and authoritative info on the subject which is not found anywhere else, as to my knowledge.

However, why and how I got activated by this subject is a story and that a mystery to this date.

It all started a year or so back, when an outstation friend called me in panic. He has an assembled PC with ASUS M2NPV-MX motherboard running Windows XP Mediacenter Edition 2005 OEM Edition (authentic) purchased by him from Computerwarehouse, Bangalore.(The complete system configuration was as per my recommendations)

For over 8 months everything was running fine, when all of a sudden Windows notified him that there has been a lot of hardware changes and a fresh activation is required.Not a screw in the cabinet was undone,leave alone any hardware change.My friend is not just capable of doing that.

Perplexed, I rummaged through the various websites on the secrets of Product activation and it was at that time,I stumbled upon this gem. I was also looking for anyone having a similar problem, but could come across only one lady crying out with the same problem.However there was no clue whatsoever whether at all it was resolved.

I emailed my friend to activate it online and also install the XP info program mentioned in the article.The online activation went through and he also recorded all the "yes" votes for reference.But from time time anywhere between a fortnight to three or four months, he was required to activate on the same ground, viz a lot of hardware changes.XP Info also showed that the system has lost many "yes" votes.He was also not able to relate this to any specific instance in using the computer prior to such notification, though he was carefully monitoring.He kept on activating online until finally he was notified that he has to phone-up Microsoft.He had three days time.

Again he called me in panic and asked what he should do.Immediately after the very first activation I had asked him to image the "C" drive and also keep a back-up copy of the wpa.dbl and wpa.bak in the system32 under Windows and keep them in safe custody which he had religiously done.From the image the system could be restored as on the very first day.But that would entail that he reinstall all the programs, a big pain.
Now I asked him to start Windows in safe mode, and replace the wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files in system32 with the original ones that he had kept in safe custody.After he did that Windows obliged and withdrew the three days ultimatum to phone-up Microsoft.

Even now from time to time he is asked to reactivate and by replacing the files, he is able to carry-on without calling Microsoft.I have advised him to call-up Microsoft Technical Support for a resolution.

He has the Original CDs, the certificate of authenticity is stuck on the case, the product ID on the certificate matches that of the installed product,the assembler assembled the system in his (my friend's) premises and no hardware changes have been made since it was assembled.Why is this happening?

I still do not know whether he called Microsoft and after I get an update post the same here.

Leaving aside the mystery for now, here is a screenshot of the XP info of my system.

View attachment 1747

I have changed the RAM,Graphics adapter and CD/DVD ROM drive since it was first activated and hence they have lost the "yes" votes.

Still I have seven "yes" votes and hence no need for any fresh activation. (The AMD processor does not have a serial number and hence it is greyed out but all the same it gets a grace vote - anything that is not present when first activated is greyed out but gives a grace vote.) This would also mean I can keep changing these three hardware any number of times but will still retain the seven minimum "yes" votes.But not so if I change anyone of the other devices.

Now the author in his article says an NIC card gives three "yes" votes and therefore recommends that you install a cheap NIC card before you activate for the first time and buy these three votes. This is what I can still not undestand.As far as I can see, the NIC present in my system gives only one vote and that is the MAC address.I presume that the IDE controller and SCSI host Controller are contributed by the motherboard and not related to NIC.Am I wrong?
Now @ Big-G, I am happy that you have understood the article. Can you please clarify this aspect? Or can any one?

 

[Big-G]

To Ponmayilal ....

Sorry for the delay in reply dude.

1.I fail to understand why is the activation screp up happening and rehappening with your pal's pc when he has infact made no hardware changes to his comp.I fail to figure out the reason how come he has come in the bad looks of microsoft.May be it's a bug in windows media centre edition , or may be his key is by any means publicly circulated , or may be this rule of seven yeses doesn't applies to the media centre edition and infact media centre is governed by other rules .I really dunno.Why don't you do one thing - post this query on that site given by you .It has running forums dealing exclusively with such stuff , as I dont think so anybody here is capable of answering it

2.As regards the 3 votes/yeses concept - May be the software is displaying the mac vote being casted as a yes or no and in actual giving it a weightage of 3 points rather than a single point weightage.I mean won't it look somewhat ungeekical ( whatever the coinage is for the purpose of explaination ) that the mac box is shown / displayed checked / unchecked 3 times consecutively .It may be like if it's checked , it's understood u have earned 3 points and if not u have lost your 3 points .Something analogous to the concept of grace votes - if it doesn't applies , it is understood that you have earned a point .Beyond this I couldn't fathom any other logic or interpratation to it and neither even bothered to , as jub apna kaam ho hee gayaa toh kaahe ko lochay may paRna .

3.You can browse their forums and may be some other people have similar queries .I would have dome the same thing , had it happened with me or if it happens with me.

 

[krsamy]

i recently dumped my shuttle xpc athlon system installed with OEM XP and moved to an entirely new machine (gigabyte plus intel processor). Only items that remained were the LCD monitor and the DVD writer. Still iwas able to activate XP. (This XP was purchased 2 and half years ago)