Will XP still work if I replace or reformat my pc?

Actually, by convention it is call XP Pro full, but in fact it is just XP
Pro. There are XP Pro and XP Pro Upgrade, but not saying anything after XP
Pro sounds incomplete so folks supply something to make the distinction. If
you look at the retail box for XP Pro (full) it doesn't say anything else.
What it does say is that it is "For PCs with Windows 95 or earlier, or PCs
without Windows." No comment appears that it can also be used to upgrade
Win 98/98SE, Win ME, Win NT4.0, Win2000Pro, or WinXP Home. That doesn't
really matter because the customer will succeed no matter which way he uses
the product.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
"Hugh" wrote in message
...
Actually, I don't know what the XP home disk cost, as it came with the
original computer.
The XP Pro disk is not OEM: my error, it's the $300.00 version. (What's
the
term for that?)

"Hugh" wrote:

Addendum: (I'd forgotten this part)
When I initially decided to upgrade the XP Home computer to XP Pro, I
called
MS and asked how to do this legitimately. A nice lady told me to buy an
OEM
version of XP Pro ($300.00) and then transfer the XP Home to the other
computer. This went exactly as advertised.
I don't understand the EULA, and I have a feeling no one else does
either.

"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:

Ron is correct. While OEM cd's may vary, the OEM license does not.
Just
because you can install some OEM cd's on a second or third computer
does not
mean that their licenses are any different. It just means the licenses
are
not as strongly enforced in software.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
"Hugh" wrote in message
...
My XP Home CD came with a Clone system from Computer Renaissance.
Both "OEM" and "Activate Windows" are present.
I upgraded the original PC to XP Pro, then installed the original XP
Home
OS
on an older PC I had lying around. Re-activation was required, and
it was
a
breeze.
I subsequently replaced the older PC with a completely new system I
built
about three weeks ago and installed XP Home from the original CD.
Activation
was required and went through with no problem.
I then installed the x64 Beta of XP Pro on the new system. Gave that
up
after a few days because of driver issues , formatted and
re-installed the
original XP Home OS, no activation was required.
This sems to be at odds with what you are saying, " All OEM versions
of
Windows XP (in fact all OEM versions of all
Microsoft software) are permanently tied to the first computer that
they are installed on. So you cannot legitimately transfer your OEM
license to another computer under any circumstances, even if the
original computer is lost, stolen, destroyed, or scrapped."
Was I just lucky or is there something I'm missing here?

"Ron Martell" wrote:

JerryW wrote:

I am buying a new PC which will come with XP Pro (and its CD)

- if I upgrade, reformat or replace the PC, will XP Pro still work?
- is it any different for XP Home?

Please could someone either explain or provide a link to one

Many thanks

Jerry


If your Windows XP came bundled with the computer then it is almost
certainly an OEM version. You can check this by opening Control
Panel
- System - General and looking at the Product I.D. value reported in
the last line of the "Registered to:" section. If the Product I.D.
contains the letters OEM rather than a 3 digit number in the second
segment then you have an OEM version of Windows XP.

If you have an OEM version of Windows XP then the next thing to
check
is to see if yours is one of the "BIOS locked" OEM versions provided
by one of the major brand computer manufacturers. Use Start - All
Programs - Accessories - System Tools and see if there is a menu
item
listed there for "Activate Windows". If there is no "Activate
Windows" item then yours is almost certainly a BIOS locked OEM
version. If the "Activate Windows" item is present on the System
Tools menu and if the Product I.D. contains the letters OEM then you
have what is termed a "Generic OEM" version which has some
differences
from the BIOS locked versions.

All OEM versions of Windows XP (in fact all OEM versions of all
Microsoft software) are permanently tied to the first computer that
they are installed on. So you cannot legitimately transfer your
OEM
license to another computer under any circumstances, even if the
original computer is lost, stolen, destroyed, or scrapped.

You can, however, upgrade the components in the computer (with some
exceptions) or replace failed components (again with exceptions) and
still use the OEM license on that machine. The exceptions to this
are
with regard to BIOS locked versions. With the recent changes to
the
activation process by Microsoft it is not permissible to upgrade the
motherboard on a computer with a BIOS locked OEM version of Windows
XP. The activation process will fail and Microsoft reportedly will
not do a manual activation in this circumstance. If such a system
were to suffer a motherboard failure and the replacement motherboard
was provided by the original manufacturer under warranty then a
manual
activation will be done. But if the computer is out of warranty
and/or if this replacement motherboard is not from the original
manufacturer/assembler of the computer then it apparently will not.

Please note that this activation change is very recent and there is
very little in the way of "hands on" experience with it as yet. And
it may be subject to further changes if there are unintended adverse
consequences resulting from it.

Hope this is of some assistance.

Good luck


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

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat
much."

If _Microsoft_ approved every transaction, why worry or even
bother with what an _MVP_ spouts. A basic fact is that one
cannot give legal advice without being licensed.

Hugh wrote:
| I admit to being thoroughly confused, especially as MS has approved
| every transaction in this odyssey. The other computers are completely
| under my control, and no duplicate of this OS exists.
| What does this mean: " If the
| SOFTWARE is not accompanied by new HARDWARE, you may
| not use the SOFTWARE." This OS is currently installed in a
| computer with completely new hardware, which seems to comply with the
| EULA (And MS seems to agree, as they keep giving me new permissions
| to do this).
| I find it hard to believe that I have to trash a $90.00 piece of
| software when the computer reaches the end of its useful life.
|
| * Software as a Component of the Computer - Transfer. THIS
| LICENSE MAY NOT BE SHARED,
| TRANSFERRED TO OR USED CONCURRENTLY
| ON DIFFERENT COMPUTERS. The SOFTWARE
| is licensed with the HARDWARE as a single integrated
| product and may only be used with the HARDWARE. If the
| SOFTWARE is not accompanied by new HARDWARE, you may
| not use the SOFTWARE. You may permanently transfer all
| of your rights under this EULA only as part of a
| permanent sale or transfer of the HARDWARE, provided
| you retain no copies, if you transfer all of the SOFTWARE
| (including all component parts, the media and printed
| materials, any upgrades, this EULA and the Certificate
| of Authenticity), and the recipient agrees to the terms
| of this EULA. If the SOFTWARE is an upgrade, any
| transfer must also include all prior versions of the
| SOFTWARE.
|
| "Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
|
|| Ron is correct. While OEM cd's may vary, the OEM license does not.
|| Just because you can install some OEM cd's on a second or third
|| computer does not mean that their licenses are any different. It
|| just means the licenses are not as strongly enforced in software.
||
|| --
|| Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
|| (Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
|| "Hugh" wrote in message
|| ...
||| My XP Home CD came with a Clone system from Computer Renaissance.
||| Both "OEM" and "Activate Windows" are present.
||| I upgraded the original PC to XP Pro, then installed the original
||| XP Home OS
||| on an older PC I had lying around. Re-activation was required, and
||| it was a
||| breeze.
||| I subsequently replaced the older PC with a completely new system I
||| built about three weeks ago and installed XP Home from the
||| original CD. Activation
||| was required and went through with no problem.
||| I then installed the x64 Beta of XP Pro on the new system. Gave
||| that up after a few days because of driver issues , formatted and
||| re-installed the original XP Home OS, no activation was required.
||| This sems to be at odds with what you are saying, " All OEM
||| versions of Windows XP (in fact all OEM versions of all
||| Microsoft software) are permanently tied to the first computer that
||| they are installed on. So you cannot legitimately transfer your OEM
||| license to another computer under any circumstances, even if the
||| original computer is lost, stolen, destroyed, or scrapped."
||| Was I just lucky or is there something I'm missing here?
|||
||| "Ron Martell" wrote:
|||
|||| JerryW wrote:
||||
||||| I am buying a new PC which will come with XP Pro (and its CD)
|||||
||||| - if I upgrade, reformat or replace the PC, will XP Pro still
||||| work?
||||| - is it any different for XP Home?
|||||
||||| Please could someone either explain or provide a link to one
|||||
||||| Many thanks
|||||
||||| Jerry
|||||
||||
|||| If your Windows XP came bundled with the computer then it is almost
|||| certainly an OEM version. You can check this by opening Control
|||| Panel - System - General and looking at the Product I.D. value
|||| reported in the last line of the "Registered to:" section. If the
|||| Product I.D. contains the letters OEM rather than a 3 digit number
|||| in the second segment then you have an OEM version of Windows XP.
||||
|||| If you have an OEM version of Windows XP then the next thing to
|||| check is to see if yours is one of the "BIOS locked" OEM versions
|||| provided by one of the major brand computer manufacturers. Use
|||| Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools and see if there
|||| is a menu item listed there for "Activate Windows". If there is
|||| no "Activate Windows" item then yours is almost certainly a BIOS
|||| locked OEM version. If the "Activate Windows" item is present on
|||| the System Tools menu and if the Product I.D. contains the letters
|||| OEM then you have what is termed a "Generic OEM" version which has
|||| some differences from the BIOS locked versions.
||||
|||| All OEM versions of Windows XP (in fact all OEM versions of all
|||| Microsoft software) are permanently tied to the first computer that
|||| they are installed on. So you cannot legitimately transfer your
|||| OEM license to another computer under any circumstances, even if
|||| the original computer is lost, stolen, destroyed, or scrapped.
||||
|||| You can, however, upgrade the components in the computer (with some
|||| exceptions) or replace failed components (again with exceptions)
|||| and still use the OEM license on that machine. The exceptions to
|||| this are with regard to BIOS locked versions. With the recent
|||| changes to the activation process by Microsoft it is not
|||| permissible to upgrade the motherboard on a computer with a BIOS
|||| locked OEM version of Windows XP. The activation process will
|||| fail and Microsoft reportedly will not do a manual activation in
|||| this circumstance. If such a system were to suffer a motherboard
|||| failure and the replacement motherboard was provided by the
|||| original manufacturer under warranty then a manual activation will
|||| be done. But if the computer is out of warranty and/or if this
|||| replacement motherboard is not from the original
|||| manufacturer/assembler of the computer then it apparently will
|||| not.
||||
|||| Please note that this activation change is very recent and there is
|||| very little in the way of "hands on" experience with it as yet.
|||| And it may be subject to further changes if there are unintended
|||| adverse consequences resulting from it.
||||
|||| Hope this is of some assistance.
||||
|||| Good luck
||||
||||
|||| Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
|||| --
|||| Microsoft MVP
|||| On-Line Help Computer Service
|||| http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
||||
|||| "The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat
|||| much."