Moving XP to new hardware?

[MaxBurn]

I have here a copy of XP that I have been using on the same machine for years. It is activated and has been reinstalled and reactivated several times through the years. I want to do an upgrade to the machine which pretty much entails replacing everything but the optical and floppy drive. I think this OS is OEM but I am not sure. I got it a long time ago as one of the things you get with the intel reseller/insider program with a motherboard and CPU.

Is there some way I can tell if it is OEM? If it is OEM are they going to say I can't upgrade the computer?

 

[Will Rickards]

Just tell them your motherboard needed to be replaced.
But yes you'll have to call to get reactivated.

 

[CougTek]

You can fake to do an OS repair with an OEM disk. If your install isn't OEM, it won't offer you to repair the OS automatically and will skip that step. Then you can try with a retail or a corporate disk and see if it works. I highly doubt they would have given you a corporate license, so it's either OEM or retail, with the former the most likely case.

 

[MaxBurn]

For legit XP install CD's I have the above one that came in a white sleeve and has a yellow sticker on the back for a product key and thats what I am trying to work with. I also have a XP X64 pro CD that I got through newegg last year that is definitely OEM, says so on the product key sticker they give you.

Other than those I have a bunch of warez versions and who knows if they are actually what they claim to be so basically I don't have a couple extra XP discs to play around with to see what matches up.

I want to try and stay with my 32bit XP Pro for software compatibility reasons so I guess my only hope is that they buy my motherboard died story?

 

[ddrueding]

I want to try and stay with my 32bit XP Pro for software compatibility reasons so I guess my only hope is that they buy my motherboard died story?

For retail disks, I have never encountered any resistance on "replaced/upgraded hardware" stories. But IIRC, their policy on OEM is "1 key, 1 motherboard" regardless of failures. I haven't tried it, so I don't really know.

 

[P5-133XL]

For retail disks, I have never encountered any resistance on "replaced/upgraded hardware" stories. But IIRC, their policy on OEM is "1 key, 1 motherboard" regardless of failures. I haven't tried it, so I don't really know.

If you replace the MB via warrantee (extened or otherwise), the tech has the capability of tattooing the new MB making OS reinstalls valid. If you do your own MB replacement you are just out of luck.

 

[sechs]

Most OEM copies of Windows are locked to the BIOS. I learned this after fiddling with the oembios.bin file....

 

[Clocker]

I'm using a NFR version of WinXP (similar to OEM I presume) that I have called M$ to get new activation codes for twice because of 'hardware failures'. They never hesitated or gave me a hard time.

 

[P5-133XL]

I'm using a NFR version of WinXP (similar to OEM I presume) that I have called M$ to get new activation codes for twice because of 'hardware failures'. They never hesitated or gave me a hard time.

NFR are typically retail copies.

 

[MaxBurn]

NFR? I didn't know there was such thing for MS. That might be what I have, I got it through the reseller program or whatever the intel thing is where you can get a bundle motherboard CPU windows etc about three or four years ago. I got TONS of symantec NFR crap in the same white sleeve with product key on back just like this.

Sounds like I have more than half a chance to get this to work which is nice. Its not like they will get a XP or Vista sale out of me if it doesn't work. :diablo: Arrr matee.

 

[CougTek]

One asshole support guy from Microsoft (named "Jim") refused to let me reactivate the computer of a customer. I told him I'm a technician reinstalling the operating system. He asked me if it was the first time it was activated and I told him I didn't know (how could I? It's not MY computer) but that the license was glued on the outside of the case so it probably wasn't. He told me that the customer must contact Microsoft then and he hook up. Damn S.O.B! How I am supposed to do my job if every time I need to reinstalled a f*cked up OS, I have to tell the customer to call Microsoft! It never happened before. What the Hell are they trying to accomplish? Someone should put some lead in that Jim's head.

And their support center for XP has gone ever further down the drain. They don't even use someone who properly speaks French to register the French voice message. Go Linux, GO!

 

[MaxBurn]

HA! After all my worrying about talking to MS over the phone I was able to activate online no problem. I thought this significant as EVERY single component down to the floppy drive was different from my last activation for this install.