Transfer of activated license

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Guest

One of my client's pc running is Windows XP Pro.

They would like to decommission and destroy the PC.
Could they transfer the activated license to a new PC?
 
One of my client's pc running is Windows XP Pro.

They would like to decommission and destroy the PC.
Could they transfer the activated license to a new PC?
Click to expand...

If it's an OEM version (such as the type that shipped with a Dell, HP,
Compaq, etc..), no, it's forever tied to the first computer it was
installed on. Retail/Volume License is permitted to be moved.
 
Leythos said:
If it's an OEM version (such as the type that shipped
with a Dell, HP, Compaq, etc..), no, it's forever tied to
the first computer it was installed on. Retail/Volume
License is permitted to be moved.
Click to expand...

What if you remove the HDD and install it in a new machine..?

Ivor
 
Leythos said:
(e-mail address removed) says...
[snip]
What if you remove the HDD and install it in a new
machine..?
Click to expand...

The first computer - a HD is not a computer.

It's the price you pay for getting a discounted copy of
XP.
Click to expand...

Forgive my ignorance, but how would anyone tell..? If I take the HDD out
of my machine and install it in a different one, then all my files,
programs etc. move with it, including the OS. I've done it many times with
Ghost.

Ivor
 
Ivor Jones said:
Leythos said:
(e-mail address removed) says...
[snip]
What if you remove the HDD and install it in a new
machine..?
Click to expand...

The first computer - a HD is not a computer.

It's the price you pay for getting a discounted copy of
XP.
Click to expand...

Forgive my ignorance, but how would anyone tell..? If I take the HDD out
of my machine and install it in a different one, then all my files,
programs etc. move with it, including the OS. I've done it many times with
Ghost.

Ivor
Click to expand...

See http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx
Depending on how different the new hardware, re-activation may be needed.

Also, with OEM licenses the technicalities of whether it works or not after
you transfer have nothing to do with whether it's legal or not (read the
license agreement, call a lawyer, decide for yourself...whatever.)
 
Ivor Jones said:
Forgive my ignorance, but how would anyone tell..? If I take the HDD out
of my machine and install it in a different one, then all my files,
programs etc. move with it, including the OS. I've done it many times with
Ghost.

Ivor
Click to expand...

Windows XP marries itself very closely to the actual hardware found
when it is installed. A major hardware change, such as a motherboard
replacement or moving a hard drive to a new machine, almost invariably
requires a Repair Install of Windows XP so as to rebuild the HAL
(hardware abstraction layer) to match the current hardware.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."
 
Charles said:
One of my client's pc running is Windows XP Pro.

They would like to decommission and destroy the PC.
Could they transfer the activated license to a new PC?
Click to expand...


Assuming a retail license (OEM licenses are not legitimately
transferable), simply remove WinXP from the computer it is currently on
and then install it on the new computer. If it's been more than 120
days since you last activated that specific Product Key, the 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.

Here are the facts pertaining to activation:

Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrum Russell
 
Ivor said:
Forgive my ignorance, but how would anyone tell..? If I take the HDD out
of my machine and install it in a different one, then all my files,
programs etc. move with it, including the OS. I've done it many times with
Ghost.

Ivor
Click to expand...


Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed 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

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with WinXP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

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:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrum Russell
 
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