Buying OS - Windows XP OEM version

[Deleted User]

gjchester wrote: »

Depends on the vendor, the disks sold to Dell, HP etc may or may not need activations, Dell usually don't, HP sometimes do, sometimes not. Sometimes they use generic codes and when you go to use Windows update they ask you to enter the code on the sticker.
Smaller OEM's (your local PC store) may get disks that require activation everytime. Lets fact it Dell, HP are big enough to dictate some terms to MS, your local store who sells maybe 25PC's a year has to live with what MS tell them.

Dell's installations are preactivated, with online activation disabled for any future reinstallations.

timbim_2

anewhope wrote: »

Dell's installations are preactivated, with online activation disabled for any future reinstallations.

That makes sense. I recently reinstalled XP on a dell given to me having suffered a HDD failure. Online activation failed, but worked by phone. Also, with the whole OEM debate, what happens if, say, the motherboard goes? If you can do a straight swap, is the liscence still valid if the mobo was the hardware the liscence was tied to?

[Deleted User]

timbim wrote: »

That makes sense. I recently reinstalled XP on a dell given to me having suffered a HDD failure. Online activation failed, but worked by phone. Also, with the whole OEM debate, what happens if, say, the motherboard goes? If you can do a straight swap, is the liscence still valid if the mobo was the hardware the liscence was tied to?

Yeah, it's a way to try and curtail people sharing copies of Windows.

If the motherboard is replaced then you just go through phone activation, tell them the motherboard was faulty and it's been replaced and then it will be activated.

The Installation ID is generated according to the hardware installed in the machine, so obviously if you change the motherboard then the Installation ID that MS have noted against the product key will be updated and activation allowed from then on.

timbim_2

So by that logic, you could essentially replace the entire computer, but keep the same OEM OS, and just reactivate over the phone. MS wouldn't be any the wiser.

gjchester

timbim wrote: »

So by that logic, you could essentially replace the entire computer, but keep the same OEM OS, and just reactivate over the phone. MS wouldn't be any the wiser.

Yep. Although Windows lets you change a certian number of compnents in a set time (IIRC 6 in a Laptop, 3 in a desktop in a rolling 3 month windows) before wanting re-activation.

The difference between laptop and desktop is to allow the laptop to be docked without wanting re-activation all the time.

[Deleted User]

timbim wrote: »

So by that logic, you could essentially replace the entire computer, but keep the same OEM OS, and just reactivate over the phone. MS wouldn't be any the wiser.

No, you couldn't.

Whoever you spoke to would have access to the components that had been changed/replaced and at a certain threshold, they would be unable to activate the copy any more.

The motherboard is considered to be the basis for the computer, and if that had changed, along with other components then it would be deemed that the computer the license was tied too no longer existed, therefore the license would be invalidated.

gjchester

anewhope wrote: »

No, you couldn't.

Whoever you spoke to would have access to the components that had been changed/replaced and at a certain threshold, they would be unable to activate the copy any more.

The motherboard is considered to be the basis for the computer, and if that had changed, along with other components then it would be deemed that the computer the license was tied too no longer existed, therefore the license would be invalidated.

You correct from the legal point of view, but just like using a OEM without a valid licence I'm not aware of it ever happening.

In theory the OEM licence is "tied" to the motherboard, and thats the key change, in practice I know from experiecent that if you change the MOBO due to failure MS will re-activate the OEM code. In my case it was an Emachines system (don't ever buy them, they are cheap and lousy) I had to fix, dead MOBO and Hard drive, so no recovery disk as it's on a system partition and emachines don't service the UK directly any more so I ended up with MS giving me a new product key as the Emachines one would not work with a full or Dell or HP OEM CD.

The Case and CDRW drive were the same but pretty much everything else changed, as it was all integrated to the board.

[Deleted User]

gjchester wrote: »

The difference between laptop and desktop is to allow the laptop to be docked without wanting re-activation all the time.

The Hardware ID has a 0 or 1 value specifically allocated for whether the machine is dockable or not, as obviously the host controllers may change.