Hi,
An upgrade license subsumes the license that is upgraded, meaning that your
upgrade would be based on an OEM license that is not transferable to a
different system. If you change the motherboard, you are going to have to
reinstall, and the OEM version may or may not install to it (many
non-generic ones are bios locked and will not even install on other
hardware). So, you won't even get to the upgrade part as the upgrade disk
needs to start from within an existing, qualified operating system.
However, there may be a workaround by installing the upgrade twice. First as
a clean install by booting the disk and not entering the product key, then
as an upgrade to the clean install using the product key. While this is not
in keeping with the license agreement, it should work. I understand at some
point activation of these types of installations may be blocked, but for the
time being it still works.
You will need to phone in activation as the product key has been previously
used.
--
Best of Luck,
Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
Windows help -
www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts
http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com