OEM versus Retail version

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hunter
  • Start date Start date
Hunter said:
Is OEM transferable to a subsequently acquired system?
Click to expand...

Once an OEM version of Windows is installed, the license is permanently
tied to that hardware. It can not be transferred within the EULA to
another system. The retail Windows license can be transferred to another
system.
--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP Smart Display
http://support.telop.org

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.
 
THANX. :)
-----Original Message-----


Once an OEM version of Windows is installed, the license is permanently
tied to that hardware. It can not be transferred within the EULA to
another system. The retail Windows license can be transferred to another
system.
--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP Smart Display
http://support.telop.org

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.


.
Click to expand...
 
Follow-up question:
Can it be reinstalled on the same computer if for some
reason the HDD has to be reformatted?
 
Yes


message | Follow-up question:
| Can it be reinstalled on the same computer if for some
| reason the HDD has to be reformatted?
|
| >-----Original Message-----
| >Hunter wrote:
| >> Is OEM transferable to a subsequently acquired system?
| >
| >Once an OEM version of Windows is installed, the license
| is permanently
| >tied to that hardware. It can not be transferred within
| the EULA to
| >another system. The retail Windows license can be
| transferred to another
| >system.
| >--
| >Tom Porterfield
| >MS-MVP Smart Display
| >http://support.telop.org
| >
| >Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.
| >
| >
| >.
| >
 
What if you have to replace a motherboard or hard drive? Just thinking ahead
a little here, since I bought a no-name computer from a local retailer for
my sister with OEM Windows XP Home disk included.
 
tom said:
What if you have to replace a motherboard or hard drive? Just thinking ahead
a little here, since I bought a no-name computer from a local retailer for
my sister with OEM Windows XP Home disk included.
Click to expand...

Hard drive replacement is no problem.

Motherboard replacement is a bit stickier because the motherboard is
as close as any single component comes to being "the computer".

I have heard rumors that Microsoft is considering a policy that a new
motherboard means that it is now a different computer. However I have
yet to see that in writing.

Also there is, or at least should be, a difference between replacing a
failed motherboard while retaining the same CPU and RAM and doing an
upgrade with a new motherboard, CPU, and RAM. The first would
definitely still be the "same computer" in my opinion while the second
does at least come very close to being a "different computer".


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."
 
Greetings --

No.

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
 
tom said:
What if you have to replace a motherboard or hard drive? Just
thinking ahead a little here, since I bought a no-name computer from
a local retailer for my sister with OEM Windows XP Home disk included.
Click to expand...

Something to consider: 120 days after activating your copy of XP, the
Activation server deletes the record of your activation. If you
subsequently activate your XP (on whatever computer, motherboard, or HD),
the Activation server will have no record of a previous activation. It will
be as if you had just taken the CD out of the box for the first time and
installed XP. Think about it.
 
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