XP activation question

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I have a hard drive with XP home already installed and activated. I want to
put this hard drive into a new "box" that has a hard drive with no OS (or I
will reformat it with a new drive letter). What kind of grief am I looking
forward to since XP not only registers the OS but also the machine ID? Will I
be able to get a new activation/certificate number from customer support?
 
If it was a retail version of XP, if the OS is removed from its previous
system, it can be installed on a different system. During activation, you
may be prompted to call a specified phone number in which case, simply tell
the operator what you have done and the operator will give you a new
activation number.

If it's been more than 60 days since you last activated, quite likely, you
will be able to install the drive on the new system and activate over the
internet as the activation database is purged every 60 days.
 
Michael said:
If it was a retail version of XP, if the OS is removed from its previous
system, it can be installed on a different system. During activation, you
may be prompted to call a specified phone number in which case, simply tell
the operator what you have done and the operator will give you a new
activation number.

If it's been more than 60 days since you last activated, quite likely, you
will be able to install the drive on the new system and activate over the
internet as the activation database is purged every 60 days.
Click to expand...

60 days? I thought it was 120.

/dan
 
Daniel, thank you for the heads up, it is indeed 120 days.

I apologize.
 
But I want 60! Darn it all.

--
Just my 2¢ worth,
Jeff
__________In response to__________
| Daniel, thank you for the heads up, it is indeed 120 days.
|
| I apologize.
|
| --
| Michael Solomon MS-MVP
| Windows Shell/User
| Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
| DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
 
ROFLOL

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

But I want 60! Darn it all.

--
Just my 2¢ worth,
Jeff
__________In response to__________
| Daniel, thank you for the heads up, it is indeed 120 days.
|
| I apologize.
|
| --
| Michael Solomon MS-MVP
| Windows Shell/User
| Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
| DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
 
hapagirl said:
I have a hard drive with XP home already installed and activated. I want to
put this hard drive into a new "box" that has a hard drive with no OS (or I
will reformat it with a new drive letter). What kind of grief am I looking
forward to since XP not only registers the OS but also the machine ID? Will I
be able to get a new activation/certificate number from customer support?
Click to expand...


Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations
and licenses are 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

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:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
Bruce said:
Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations
and licenses are 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:
Click to expand...

Not necessarily true. Last year I swapped MBs - went from an older
Tyan dual process P3 MB to a new SOYO P4. The only significant thing
in common was the VIA chipset. I did load VIAs latest drivers before
swapping the boards. System booted right up - I did have to load a
couple of new drivers of course (on-board LAN, sound, etc) but other
than that and a re-activation everything just worked.

Yes, I was surprised.

/dan
 
Thanx so much for the info. It is, indeed a retail version and it has, indeed
been more than 60, even more than 120 days since activation. I had so many
problems with an OEM version that I actually went out and bought XP when I
built my last computer. Now I'm rebuilding it. Dell boxes are much easier to
work with than Gateways. I just hope it goes smoothly.
 
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