WGA: replace motherboard but keep my copy of XP?

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Matt

Hi,

I find that, due to a lightning strike, my Dell Dimension 4500
motherboard and/or my CPU is bad. I bought the system nearly four years
ago, and the warranty is expired. I have the original XP install disk
that came with the system, and all the original drives, memory stick,
video card, case, PSU, etc., all of which seem to work.

If I buy a replacement motherboard and/or CPU from Dell or elsewhere,
can I legally use the original copy of Windows XP? Is it going to be a
nightmare getting past the WGA check so I can get updates?

Thanks for your help.
 
Matt said:
Hi,

I find that, due to a lightning strike, my Dell Dimension 4500
motherboard and/or my CPU is bad. I bought the system nearly four years
ago, and the warranty is expired. I have the original XP install disk
that came with the system, and all the original drives, memory stick,
video card, case, PSU, etc., all of which seem to work.

If I buy a replacement motherboard and/or CPU from Dell or elsewhere,
can I legally use the original copy of Windows XP? Is it going to be a
nightmare getting past the WGA check so I can get updates?

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

Unless the replacement motherboard is the same model as the original you
would probably have Windows Product Activation issues. You might also
have issues with the old Windows installation not being able to work
properly without a repair installation or a clean installation.

I would be surprised if installation media from a name brand like Dell
would cooperate with attempts to repair or reinstall in a system that
contains any motherboard other than a relatively narrow group of models
from that manufacturer.

Be VERY careful about Motherboard-PSU compatibility issues. SOME name
brands use non standard power connector pin outs, despite having the
same connector as the generic ATX connector.
 
RobertVA said:
Unless the replacement motherboard is the same model as the original you
would probably have Windows Product Activation issues. You might also have
issues with the old Windows installation not being able to work properly
without a repair installation or a clean installation.

I would be surprised if installation media from a name brand like Dell
would cooperate with attempts to repair or reinstall in a system that
contains any motherboard other than a relatively narrow group of models
from that manufacturer.

Be VERY careful about Motherboard-PSU compatibility issues. SOME name
brands use non standard power connector pin outs, despite having the same
connector as the generic ATX connector.
Click to expand...

If you use the Dell supplied CD, it won't even go through activation. It's
BIOS locked and will work fine.

Tom
 
You absolutely have every right to use the CD (IMNSHO).

If you get the motherboard from Dell and boot from the CD, you should
never see any prompt for a serial number or activation.

Regards,
Hank Arnold
 
Hank said:
You absolutely have every right to use the CD (IMNSHO).

If you get the motherboard from Dell and boot from the CD, you should
never see any prompt for a serial number or activation.

Regards,
Hank Arnold
Click to expand...
Yes, but if you get a motherboard from someone else you not only MAY
need to get a new PSU (the Dimension's 250W is a bit small anyway) the
existing OS installation would probably be useless AND the setup on the
installation/recovery media will probably refuse to work. This is one
consequence of name brand manufacturers trying to lock you into
depending on them for repairs and upgrades. It also protects them from
the expense of customers wanting support when they have trouble getting
systems with third party upgrades to work.

In other words: Unless you plan to make SURE your new Dell MB is
compatible with your existing installation media you may as well order a
new case, PSU and Windows license with that motherboard. With voltage
spike damage you may want to be prepared in case things like memory, the
CPU and drives need replacing too.
 
FYI, the Dimension 4500 and other Dell Socket 478 P4 systems use exactly the
same ATX-12v power connector as found in generic computers. However, many of
the other connectors are proprietary... Ben Myers
 
The only motherboard model guaranteed to install trouble free is another
Dimension 4500 motherboard. I ***THINK*** but I'm not perfectly certain that
the Dimension 4550 motherboard is close enough in its chipsets that it will not
cause Micro$oft WGA to belch, fart and throw up all over your system. The
Dimension 4600 motherboard has an Intel 865 chipset, which is different than the
Intel 845 family chipset in the 4500. To use a 4600 board would require some
chipset driver software installation and may have WGA issues, too. All use the
same chassis with the same connectors for front panel, audio, and cooling fan.

In addition to WGA issues, a non-Dell motherboard would be extremely difficult
to integrate into a Dell chassis because it has several proprietary connectors
to which proprietary Dell cables attach... Ben Myers
 
See my earlier post about motherboard models. A Dell branded motherboard is
the only practical option for a replacement. Period.

The Dell 250w power supply has proven to be perfectly adequate for a Dell
4000-series system, even if it is tricked out with more memory and more devices.
Still, if a power supply replacement is in order (generally a good idea when
lightning strikes), careful selection of a good brand (Antec for example) of
generic power supply will work. The Dell P4 series 4000, 8000, 2000, tower
Optiplex, and tower Precision all use power supplies with a standard form factor
easily obtainable.

You are 100% correct that a thorough check of all the other hardware is in order
after a catastrophic failure. The value of the OP's data accumulated over four
years is yet another consideration... Ben Myers
 
Thanks for your informative post, Ben.

The 4500 was offered with either 400Mhz or 533Mhz (front-side?) bus. Is
that just a property of the CPU? Is there just one 4500 motherboard
that works with both of those CPU frequencies?

Also, if my CPU is bad, can I just drop in a new Celeron such as

Intel Celeron D 315 Prescott 533MHz FSB Socket 478 Processor Model
BX80546RE2267C - Retail $39.49, free shipping
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion...=N82E16819112196&MainItemList=N82E16819112196

Dell wants over $160 for a new 4500 mobo taxed and shipped, but I am
seeing refurbs recently on ebay for $65.
 
The 4500 board is supposed to be the same, but Dell may have used an early build
that supported only 400MHz FSB. If so, the Dell web site does not indicate
this. Any Dimension 4500 board should be capable of handling either 400 or
533MHz FSB, depending on the choice of CPU.

Unfortunately, I do not think that the 4500 BIOS will recognize the newer
Celeron D or Pentium D CPUs. For this one, you need the older Pentium 4 or
Celery processor identified by its processor clock speed, designed and
manufactured before Intel's marketing and PR folks decided to obfuscate true
processor speeds with their new naming conventions.

A refurb from a reputable eBay source is as good as anything. The computer is
worth barely more than $160 in pristine operating condition. Dell's price is
one paid by desperate corporate procurement departments and other ignorant
types... Ben Myers
 
Hi,

I find that, due to a lightning strike, my Dell Dimension 4500
motherboard and/or my CPU is bad. I bought the system nearly four years
ago, and the warranty is expired. I have the original XP install disk
that came with the system, and all the original drives, memory stick,
video card, case, PSU, etc., all of which seem to work.

If I buy a replacement motherboard and/or CPU from Dell or elsewhere,
can I legally use the original copy of Windows XP? Is it going to be a
nightmare getting past the WGA check so I can get updates?

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

If you manage to locate the same board (good luck for a 4 year old
box!) it should work fine.

Replacing it with anything else violates Microsoft's interpretation of
the OEM license and you probably won't be able to make it work.
 
Thanks again, Ben.

Trying to figure what parts I need. The suspects seem to be the power
supply, the motherboard, and the CPU.

Right after the lightning strike, I turned the system on, and it
reported some failure in the POST and gave a choice to go into the BIOS
or continue or so. I seem to recall that I was able to enter the BIOS,
but I didn't know what to do there anyway. Subsequent attempts to boot
gave beep codes only---nothing on the screen.

I have lightly tested the video card and drives in another computer and
I think they are going to be okay. The RAM passes memtest-86 in another
computer.

Now I test it with all PCI cards removed, just one RAM stick and the
video card.

I press the power button and I hear two quick little beeps, a pause,
then six longer beeps, all the beeps together taking about three seconds.

The following page documents the POST beep codes and the diagnostic
lights on the back of the motherboard:

http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/dim4500/advanced.htm

The diagnostic lights are lit as follows:
A,B,D: green
C: yellow

The beep code for six beeps (or should I also count the two quick little
beeps?) indicates "8042 Gate A20 cannot be toggled" and "The keyboard
controller failed its test".

The lights indicate "Microprocessor has failed a BIOS test."

Any ideas about what parts are bad?
 
Matt said:
I press the power button and I hear two quick little beeps, a pause,
then six longer beeps, all the beeps together taking about three seconds.

The following page documents the POST beep codes and the diagnostic
lights on the back of the motherboard:

http://support2.jp.dell.com/docs/systems/dim4500/advanced.htm

The diagnostic lights are lit as follows:
A,B,D: green
C: yellow
Click to expand...

I just noticed that before the lights go into the pattern above, they
briefly (1/2 second) show the following pattern:
A,B: green
C,D: yellow
which has the meaning "Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure
has occurred." As I mentioned previously, the RAM sticks passed
memtest-86 in another computer.
 
My first try would be to replace the motherboard. Next, the power supply. Some
people might try a new power supply first... Ben Myers
 
A reasonable chance, anyway. But you won't know for sure until you swap in
known good components one by one. Without more sophisticated electronic gear,
one at a time switching of parts is the best way to troubleshoot... Ben Myers
 
I have a multimeter. I thought I'd find the PSU pinout (Dim 4500 is the
same as ATX, you say) and check the voltages with the stripped-down
system turned on. If they all seem fine, I'll just start with a new
mobo, else a new PSU. Does that seem workable? A used CPU is around
$75, PSU $40, mobo $65.

Follow-up to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell.
 
I just noticed that before the lights go into the pattern above, they
briefly (1/2 second) show the following pattern:
A,B: green
C,D: yellow
which has the meaning "Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure
has occurred." As I mentioned previously, the RAM sticks passed
memtest-86 in another computer.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you lost the motherboard.
 
Matt said:
Hi,

I find that, due to a lightning strike, my Dell Dimension 4500
motherboard and/or my CPU is bad. I bought the system nearly four years
ago, and the warranty is expired. I have the original XP install disk
that came with the system, and all the original drives, memory stick,
video card, case, PSU, etc., all of which seem to work.

If I buy a replacement motherboard and/or CPU from Dell or elsewhere,
can I legally use the original copy of Windows XP? Is it going to be a
nightmare getting past the WGA check so I can get updates?

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Unless you bought windows Xp seperately from your computer, In your case, No
you cannot use your copy of XP UNLESS it is the exact same motherboard. Dell,
and all the other really big Manufactuers use a modified version of an OEM
copy called OEM/SLP or a system Locked version of windows XP. They modifiy
the OEM copy of windows to look for a specific BIOS, giving a thumbs up or
down for the Installation to continue.
 
I find that the 4500's sold on ebay were actually misrepresented
4500S's. The 4500S had on-board graphics, but lacked an AGP slot and
had only two PCI slots. Actual 4500's seem to be going for much more
than $65.
 
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