Can I continue to use Windows XP OEM if I change only the motherboard in my computer?

Anonymous
2011-07-03T05:14:22+00:00

I am running Windows XP Home OEM on my computer.

I still have the original disk and key, and the COA is attached to the case of the computer, as required.

If I only change the motherboard, and retain the existing harddrive (with the original Windows XP home installed on it), will Windows XP Home OEM continue to work?

Is there any special procedure required, or will it just work?

If not, can it be reactivated? If not, do I have to buy a new copy of Windows XP and activate with the new key?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Install and upgrade

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Anonymous
2011-07-03T14:26:09+00:00

It's actually in the OEM License rather the EULA.

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_faq.aspx

<quote>

Q. Can a PC with an OEM Windows operating system have its motherboard upgraded and keep the same license? What if it was replaced because it was defective?

A. Generally, an end user can upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on a computer—except the motherboard—and still retain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created. Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to the new computer, and the license of new operating system software is required. If the motherboard is replaced because it is defective, you do not need to acquire a new operating system license for the PC as long as the replacement motherboard is the same make/model or the same manufacturer's replacement/equivalent, as defined by the manufacturer's warranty.

The reason for this licensing rule primarily relates to the End User Software License Terms and the support of the software covered by that End User Software License Terms. The End User Software License Terms is a set of usage rights granted to the end user by the PC manufacturer and relates only to rights for that software as installed on that particular PC. The system builder is required to support the software on the original PC. Understanding that end users, over time, upgrade their PCs with different components, Microsoft needed to have one base component "left standing" that would still define the original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the "heart and soul" of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created. The original system builder did not manufacture this new PC, and therefore cannot be expected to support it.

</quote>

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-07-09T09:40:41+00:00

    Sorry if that came across as offensive - it wasn't intended to be.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-07-08T22:48:17+00:00

    Good, one object achieved then - that of making you think!  :)

     

    Noel .....

    I am surprised and offended that you thought it necessary to "make me think" (and apparently thought that you were being funny in making that statement).

    As a qualified professional electrical engineer, I do a lot more thinking than most people.

    I also have an open mind.

    However, it is difficult (if not impossible) to come up with the right answers to problems unless one is in possession of all the relevant facts - and that is why I sought to fill in some gaps in my knowledge by posting on this forum.

    In my professional life, I have tackled many tricky problems. I have learned that the obvious answer is not always the best one.

    Perhaps you haven't yet learned that important life lesson!  :)

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-07-08T13:15:10+00:00

    "and how often has the reverse been true"

    And what hardware inc printers and scanners, and software would I need to replace and how much would these cost?

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-07-08T12:20:27+00:00

    Good, one object achieved then - that of making you think!  :)

    What's your objection to Windows 7 (apart from cost, of course)? I can appreciate a reluctance to move without good reason (That's why this machine is still Vista, rather than WIn7, after all), but if you have to change anyway, like it seems you're going to have to, then it would make sense to get the best possible replacement, rather than stick with technology (and a security model) that's nearly ten years out of date (quite apart from the difficulty of finding genuine copies of XP nowadays!).

    I have to admit to never having seriously used Linux  - so I have no real idea of the comparison, but you need to think about things like driver availability for your existing and future hardware. Almost no hardware is produced without Windows drivers - but Linux drivers can be some time coming if they are not producd by the manufacturer, as you have to wait for someone who wants the hardware badly enough to write the drivers (or attempt to write them yourself), and by that time the hardware may have been superceded!. Depending on your system, this could be a severe limitation, or no limitation at all.

    How often have you opted lately to do something in Windows because you didn't have the right software or drivers to be able to do it in Linux? (and how often has the reverse been true?, and would that still be the case for Windows 7)

    Just something else for you to think about :)

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