"peter" wrote in message
...
I have an old pc that I bought with xp preinstalled. The pc is old and
dying so I bought a new pc without xp as I thought I could use the
license on the new pc. I did a clean install on the new pc and when it
came to entering the key it was rejected. The key was on the panel on
the side of the old pc and I double checked it on the old pc by using
jellybean finder software.

Eventually I used a key code from my work pc just to get the pc
working (so that I could transfer data) but of course I can't update
and I have the 30 day warning.

Why didn't my old pc key work? Now that I've used another key to start
the xp working is there a way of correcting this?

Would welcome any help..

Peter

Your old key didn't work because it was an OEM key, and you didn't use an
OEM disk to install. The key and the disk type have to match.

OEM licenses are not transferable from system to system; they live and die
on the first system they are installed to.

You correct this by doing a repair install with the matching keys and disk.

HTH
-pk