Is Reactivation Required for XP if ...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hunter
  • Start date Start date
H

Hunter

....I build a new system and retain only the
Hard Drive and Floppy Drive?

If so, what is the allowed time?

Can it be done online?
 
Yes. No time limit. Yes.

....I build a new system and retain only the
Hard Drive and Floppy Drive?

If so, what is the allowed time?

Can it be done online?
 
If you replace the motherboard, including CPU and RAM, it is highly probable
that you will need to reactivate. The on-line activation will probably
fail, and you will need to call the 800 number that appears on the screen.
Just explain what happened and the Microsoft representative will exchange a
couple of large number (codes) with you, and your PC will be re-activated.

However, the time to do this may be zero days, 3 days, or 30 days, depending
on exactly where you are starting from.

By the way, the odd are also large that you will need to perfomr a repair
installation of XP to overcome the blue screen of death that probably will
appear as soon as you boot the new configuration. You must have the XP
CDROM to do this.

If you have an OEM restore CD (e.g., Dell, Gateway), that may not be
sufficient. OEM pCs often tie the activation to the BIOS, which will change
if you replace the motherboard. If an OEM PC, contact the PC manufacture
for advice, before you attempt such an upgrade.
 
Are you saying if I bought the OEM version of XP
Professional and installed it on my current system that I
won't be able to activate it on a new system?
 
In
Hunter said:
Are you saying if I bought the OEM version of XP
Professional and installed it on my current system that I
won't be able to activate it on a new system?
Click to expand...


That's correct. The OEM version's license ties it permanently to
the first computer it's installed on. It can never legally be
moved to another computer, sold, or given away. This is in my
view the single biggest disadvantage of OEM versions.
 
Thank you very much for the info.

The restriction makes no sense, other than increasing
MS's bottom line!
 
In
Hunter said:
Thank you very much for the info.
Click to expand...


You're welcome.

The restriction makes no sense, other than increasing
MS's bottom line!
Click to expand...


Well, although I too might like the restriction not to be there,
it's important to realize that the price of an OEM version is
significantly less than that of the retail version. You should
expect to get less if you spend less; neither MS nor anyone else
is often in the habit of selling the identical product at two
different prices.
 
As I undestand it, the RETAIL version includes
TechSupport whereas the OEM does not; hence, the
justification for the higher price tag, but anchoring
the software permanently to a computer is going way
overboard!

At any rate, knowing it is so saves me a lot of
headaches and unnecessary expense.

Again, many thanx!
 
I thought Microsoft only kept the activation records for 120 days. After
that time frame wouldn't you be able to install the OEM version on a
different computer.
 
In
Hunter said:
As I undestand it, the RETAIL version includes
TechSupport whereas the OEM does not;
Click to expand...


That's another difference between the two. The third difference
is that the OEM version can only do a clean installation, not an
upgrade.

hence, the
justification for the higher price tag, but anchoring
the software permanently to a computer is going way
overboard!
Click to expand...


As I said, it too wish it weren't the case. But the restrictions
are Microsoft's choice, not ours. Our choice is to buy a product
if we like it and the terms under which it's sold, or not buy it
if we don't.

At any rate, knowing it is so saves me a lot of
headaches and unnecessary expense.

Again, many thanx!
Click to expand...


You're most welcome.
 
Greetings --

On the contrary, the restriction makes perfect sense. An OEM
license costs considerably less than the equivalent retail license.
As with all things in life, with that reduced cost comes fewer
features and fewer options. You get what you pay for. TNSTAAFL.

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Greetings --

There are some very important reasons that an OEM license
costs so much less than a retail license. OEM licenses are very
limited:

1) OEM versions must be sold with a piece of hardware (normally
a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC, although Microsoft
has greatly relaxed the hardware criteria for WinXP) and are
_permanently_ bound to the first PC on which they are installed. An
OEM license, once installed, is not legally transferable to another
computer under any circumstances. This is the best reason to avoid
OEM versions; if the PC dies or is otherwise disposed of (even
stolen), you cannot re-use your OEM license on a new PC. The only
legitimate way to transfer the ownership of an OEM license is to
transfer ownership of the entire PC.

2) Microsoft provides no support for OEM versions. If you have
any problems that require outside assistance, your only recourse is to
contact the manufacturer/builder of the PC or the vendor of the OEM
license. This would include such issues as lost a Product Key or
replacing damaged installation media. (Microsoft does make allowances
for those instances when you can prove that the OEM has gone out of
business.) This doesn't mean that you can't download patches and
service packs from Microsoft -- just no free telephone or email
support for problems with the OS.

3) An OEM CD cannot be used to perform an upgrade of an earlier
OS, as it was designed to be installed _only_ upon an empty hard
drive. It can still be used to perform a repair installation (a.k.a.
an in-place upgrade) of an existing WinXP installation.

4) If the OEM CD was designed by a specific manufacturer, such as
eMachines, Sony, Dell, Gateway, etc., it will most likely only install
on the same brand of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature.
Further, such CDs are severely customized to contain only the minimum
of device drivers, and a lot of extra nonsense, that the manufacturer
feels necessary for the specific model of PC for which the CD was
designed. (To be honest, such CDs should not be available on the open
market; but, if you're shopping someplace like eBay, swap meets, or
computer fairs, there's often no telling what you're buying until it's
too late.) The "generic" OEM CDs, such as are manufactured by
Microsoft and sold to small systems builders, don't have this
particular problem, though, and are pretty much the same as their
retail counterparts, apart from the licensing, support, and upgrading
restrictions.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Greetings --

You're welcome.

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
In
Hunter said:
Thank you, one and all!

You guys have convinced me to go with the full Retail
version.
Click to expand...


Before you settle on that decision, may I ask if you own a
previous version of Windows? If you do, you qualify for the
upgrade version. The upgrade version has none of the
disadvantages of the OEM version, and costs significantly less
than the full version. And contrary to what many people think,
the upgrade version *can* do a clean installation, as long as you
have the previous version's CD (not a restore CD) to show it when
prompted to do so.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

 
Hunter said:
As I undestand it, the RETAIL version includes
TechSupport whereas the OEM does not; hence, the
justification for the higher price tag, but anchoring
the software permanently to a computer is going way
overboard!
Click to expand...

Actually the OEM version does, at least theoretically, include
support. It is just that the support, whatever it may be, is provided
by the OEM and not by Microsoft.

In some instances the OEMs do provide a modest degree of support for
the OEM software that they sell. However in too many instances the
support consists of "reformat and reinstall".


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
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