Windows XP Home (oem) re-activation

  • Thread starter Thread starter SirVuttel
  • Start date Start date
S

SirVuttel

Hi,

Can someone tell me how often Windows XP Home, oem version, can be
reactivated before Microsoft pulls the plug on it?
 
As long as you reinstall Windows XP on the same computer,
there is no limit to the number of times your can reactivate.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Hi,
|
| Can someone tell me how often Windows XP Home, oem version, can be
| reactivated before Microsoft pulls the plug on it?
| --
|
| Chao,
| SirVuttel
 
Carey said:
As long as you reinstall Windows XP on the same computer,
there is no limit to the number of times your can reactivate.
Click to expand...
Thanx Carey.
I asked this because I heard that a limited number of reactivations was
the price we pay (pun intended) for having a cheaper (I.e. oem)
version, with the retail version having unlimited reactivations.
But I'll happily take your word for it :)
 
Carey said:
As long as you reinstall Windows XP on the same computer,
there is no limit to the number of times your can reactivate.
Click to expand...
Thanx Carey.
I asked this because I heard that the price we pay (pun intended :))
for having a cheaper (I.e. OEM) version was a limited number of re-
activations as opposed to no limits with a full retail version.
But I happily take your word for it :).
 
Greetings --

There's no limit to the number of times you can reinstall and
activate the same WinXP license on the same PC. 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.

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:



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. The only legitimate way to transfer
the ownership of an OEM license is to transfer ownership of the entire
PC. 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.

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
 
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