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A computer I have came with Windows XP Home preinstalled. I now have
another os on that machine and no longer have Win XP Home installed on it.
I'm building a computer for a family member (Christmas present) and want
to put Win XP home onto that machine, but don't see any sense in buying
another copy when I have a spare licence lying around.

Is it illegal or against MS's licencing conditions to install it on the
new machine using my now unused and unwanted product code?

I don't see why it should be, since it's still being installed/used on one
machine at any one time.

The other thing is that I don't have any install disks with it, only the
system recovery/install disks that came with it. It didn't include the OS
disks themselves. Obviously these system disks won't work with another
computer/hardware configuration, so I'd need to borrow an installation
disk. Surely this is fine if I'm using a legitimate product licence code??

It all seems fine to me, but MS have some weird licensing restrictions,
so I just thought I'd check.

Cheers

- Scott

SomebodyElse allegedly said:

> It all seems fine to me, but MS have some weird licensing restrictions,
> so I just thought I'd check.
>
> Cheers
>
> - Scott

As far as I know, the vendor of your PC got an extra good price for selling
you a copy of Windows tied to the machine you bought.

You usually can't legally install it anywhere else. Best to read the T's &
C's that came with your system.

When you get sick of such restrictions, try Linux. No such hassles. Download
the CDs and legally install it on every machine you can get your hands
on....

No worries. Kiss Bill G and his "silly rules" goodbye.

"It's a hard road, boy..."

...and you thought they were selling beer, right?

--
defenestrate: The act of throwing Windows out the window and replacing it on
your PC with some other operating system.

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 18:51:14 -0600, SomebodyElse wrote:

> Is it illegal or against MS's licencing conditions to install it on the
> new machine using my now unused and unwanted product code?

It depends on the license. OEM licenses are tied to the first machine
you install it on. After that you can't move it to another system no
matter what. There's been a lot of screaming on the Windows XP group
about this. One guy wanted to learn all he could about XP on an
expendable test system before moving it to his mission-critical business
computer. Another bought another machine expecting to move his XP to
that and sell the old one with Win98 installed. Someone else had a
machine stolen, and yet another lost the machine in a fire. In all of
all these cases the owners were screwed and Product Acivation ensured
that they stayed that way.

If you have a non-OEM license then you can move the OS from machine to
machine. If it's been at least 120 days since your last install then you
should have no problem. Otherwise you'll likely have to call Microsoft
and beg permission to use YOUR software that YOU paid for on YOUR
computer.

Such is life as a pawn of the Evil Empire.


--
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In article < id>,
lid says...

> YOUR software

it isnt

> that YOU paid for

you didnt pay for the SOFTWARE you paid for the right to USE the
software in accordance with the T&C that YOU AGREED to when you
installed it

> on YOUR computer.

you got that part right.

--
================================================== =
Steven H

techie wrote:
> should have no problem. Otherwise you'll likely have to call Microsoft
> and beg permission to use YOUR software that YOU paid for on YOUR
> computer.
>
> Such is life as a pawn of the Evil Empire.
>
>

Otherwise you'll likely have to call Microsoft and beg permission to use
THEIR software that YOU licenced for use on THAT computer.

"I Agree" has a lot to answer for.

Fran

"techie" <> wrote in message
news nvalid...
> On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 18:51:14 -0600, SomebodyElse wrote:

<snip>
> about this. One guy wanted to learn all he could about XP on an
> expendable test system before moving it to his mission-critical business
> computer.

This is like fighting for peace

techie allegedly said:

> If you have a non-OEM license then you can move the OS from machine to
> machine. If it's been at least 120 days since your last install then you
> should have no problem. Otherwise you'll likely have to call Microsoft
> and beg permission to use YOUR software that YOU paid for on YOUR
> computer.
>
> Such is life as a pawn of the Evil Empire.

I saw this coming in 1998/99 and moved to linux at home exclusively but for
two "legacy" Win98SE systems (one is dual boot).

Linux = Freedom


--
defenestrate: The act of throwing Windows out the window and replacing it on
your PC with some other operating system.

On Fri, 07 Nov 2003 14:59:03 +1300, Steven H wrote:

> In article < id>,
> lid says...
>
>> YOUR software
>
> it isnt
>
>> that YOU paid for
>
> you didnt pay for the SOFTWARE you paid for the right to USE the
> software in accordance with the T&C that YOU AGREED to when you
> installed it
>
>> on YOUR computer.
>
> you got that part right.

Ok. So in that case, can I upgrade my computer? Shouldn't be any problem
with that should there?

Say I upgrade the motherboard & cpu. And the RAM. Oh, and the network and
sound cards. But I leave the Hard drive from the original computer, and
the video card. Probably the cdrw and floppy drive too.

Then I reinstall Windows, with my original product license.

Is that ok?

And then, because I don't need it and have the bits leftover to build
another machine, I give it to a family member. Nothing wrong with that is
there?

- Scott

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 23:15:18 -0600, steve wrote:

> techie allegedly said:
>
>> If you have a non-OEM license then you can move the OS from machine to
>> machine. If it's been at least 120 days since your last install then
>> you should have no problem. Otherwise you'll likely have to call
>> Microsoft and beg permission to use YOUR software that YOU paid for on
>> YOUR computer.
>>
>> Such is life as a pawn of the Evil Empire.
>
> I saw this coming in 1998/99 and moved to linux at home exclusively but
> for two "legacy" Win98SE systems (one is dual boot).
>
> Linux = Freedom

Same here. I heard about WPA being planned for Windows XP and decided
the time had come to bite the Linux bullet.

Contrary to expectations, it was an extremely tasty bullet.

I used to dual-boot Windows but swore an end to all Microsoft software
in my household when MS started spreading FUD about Linux. The only time
since then that I've used Windows for my own computing was a few months
ago when my laptop was down and I had to borrow someone else's. It was
an interesting experience - Windows felt as alien to me then, as Linux
had three years earlier. And all the things that I used to think made
Windows so much better than Linux just didn't seem important anymore.
But I really missed a lot of things about Linux (and FreeBSD, of course)
that Windows didn't do (or didn't do as well, or didn't do without
investing $1500 in software that would be obsolete in a few years).

In article <>,
says...
> On Fri, 07 Nov 2003 14:59:03 +1300, Steven H wrote:
>
> > In article < id>,
> > lid says...
> >
> >> YOUR software
> >
> > it isnt
> >
> >> that YOU paid for
> >
> > you didnt pay for the SOFTWARE you paid for the right to USE the
> > software in accordance with the T&C that YOU AGREED to when you
> > installed it
> >
> >> on YOUR computer.
> >
> > you got that part right.
>
> Ok. So in that case, can I upgrade my computer? Shouldn't be any problem
> with that should there?
>
> Say I upgrade the motherboard & cpu. And the RAM. Oh, and the network and
> sound cards. But I leave the Hard drive from the original computer, and
> the video card. Probably the cdrw and floppy drive too.
>
> Then I reinstall Windows, with my original product license.
>
> Is that ok?
>
> And then, because I don't need it and have the bits leftover to build
> another machine, I give it to a family member. Nothing wrong with that is
> there?

lol - i like it!

shouldnt be a problem
--
================================================== =
Steven H