Re: [Hampshire] Windows XP licence

Roger Munford <rogermunford@???> wrote:
> I can get Win XP professional OEM for about
> £50.00. I build my own PC's and replace parts as
> necessary. It is likely that the whole machine
> could be replaced in one go. I would obviously
> like to use this licence forever but have heard
> that Microsoft don't allow you to transfer a
> licence to new hardware.

I'm no expert on MS licencing, but...

Upgrades don't automatically invalidate your
licence. After a certian number of component
changes, or immediately after a motherboard
change, you would need to reactivate the XP
install. That can sometimes be done over the
Internet or, failing that, by phone.

An alternative, if you're using the installation
for testing, is to use sysprep from the Pre-
installation kit CD. The sysprep utility allows
you to put an installation into "Factory Mode",
which - if I remember correctly - turns off the
activation counter. It's intended for system
builders to load drivers, etc.

You might have to download sysprep, as I'm not
sure if single OEM copies of XP come with the
Pre-installation kit CD.

Nick.

--
Nick Chalk ................. once a Radio Designer
Confidence is failing to understand the problem.