OEM Reinstall question? thanks in advance!

[Tyrael1986]

hey, i have had this problem for a little while but just recently ive needed to deal with it. i purchased a sony vaio PC about 3 years ago everythign worked fine and dandy till recently. finnaly the harddrive is giving out so im due to replace it i ordered a new harddrive and a new motherboard from newegg got them recently but heres where things get confusing. i have heard that OEM copies of windows like the one i have can only be installed once? so will i be able to put my new main board in and my new harddrive and reinstall windows? or will it not work? ive read on other forums that i wont be able to activate it because it will see the new main board and no longer work? can someone explain... i dont have the extra money to buy a retail copy of windows. i do have my OEM CD and a OEM windows key that came with my origial system. the key from the sticker on the back of the tower. anyway before i rant on ill let someone reply thanks guys!

 

[TheCh0s3n1]

After installing the new motherboard and HDD, then installing your own copy of Windows XP, you will be prompted to activate within 30 days. The least you can do is to attempt to activate using the XP key that is stickered onto your tower. However, I don't think M$ will accept it.

_____________
<i>There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary
and those who don't</i>

 

[Tyrael1986]

its been almost 3 years since it was activated for the first time. and i DONT have money to afford another copy. im dreading to install.. right now, im currently 18 years old and unemployed. so if i reinstall and it doesnt work im SOL... and i depend on my computer for school and hobbies... can anyone clarify if the reinstall will go well? i dont want to try unless someone else could let me know what happens... im upgrading from the stock sony mobo to a asus board, and my new hdd is a sata150... i have new ram comming too from my birthday money. but that was all i had. i wasnt under the impression my OS was gonna give me these problems. now im kinda worried..

 

[gometro33]

When you go to activate you'll be given a prompt from the MS Piracy people. It says that if you have a situation just like yours then you can call and work it out with them. I would be more worried about whether sony gave you a full version of the cd or just something you can use to REinstall.

 

[_WW_]

My experience with Windows supplied by Dell is that it won't install on anything but Dell equipment. I believe the same holds true for Gateway. It seems there is some kind of virtual handshake occurring during the install.

I gotta believe that Sony would have a similiar setup.

....WW (5.1)

 

[peartree]

Sorry, but there's no way it's going to activate and be legal. If you stuck with a Sony motherboard, you'd have a much better shot.

<font color=green>****</font color=green> Never Assume <font color=red>ANYTHING</font color=red> <font color=green>****</font color=green>

 

[Tyrael1986]

i dont see why it wouldnt be legal... i paid for the copy of windows that came with my other computer in a sense. i have a valid key, and a CD. and to test soemthing i just installed it on another computer at my friends house since his crashed recently. my key works with the CD just fine. the only thing i made sure we didnt do is activate. we never took the comp online and before we did anything we reinstalled his windows ME onto his comp. but atleast now i know that my CD does install without errors. his comp is a AMDathlon 1800. so theres no virtual locks or anything. i guess i just have to hope that MS acceps the fact that people need to upgrade now and then. and belive me... if you were me YOU WOULD NOT use this sony mobo... im a gamer so sadly ive been dealing with this...

533Mhz FSB
4x AGP
1GB DDR Ram Capacity
No Raid
No SATA

not to mention when i changed my power supply about 6 months ago every time i boot i get a error in the bios telling me my power supply fan sensor isnt working. and this bios doesnt have the setting to turn off f1 errors. so its REALLY annoying. the whole reason i bought the new board.

 

[_WW_]

Perhaps you are in luck!

Was your friend's computer a Sony?

....WW (5.1)

 

[Bruxbox]

If you install using the OEM CD, some where along the line you will need to activate. An internet activation will surely fail.
The only resort is to call the MS activation telephone number that is provided in a screen that shows a long stream of number and letters (28 I believe). Also, there will be a series of blanks to be filled in.
Call the number on the screen, tell them you are reinstalling because of a hard ware failure, ie motherboard or hard drive because of lightning or such. Sometimes,it's a voice mail process.
They usually will permit an activation if you haven't done a whole bunch of times before. They will ask you to read off the numbers showing on your screen. If those numbers check out, they will in turn read off to you a long series of numbers for you to fill in the blanks on your screen.
After you complete the fill in the blank, you do the OK thing, and it should activate your OS.
If they deny activation, you gotta pay up for new OS CD.

 

[Tyrael1986]

i hope your right, because i do NOT Have the money for a new OS right now... *crosses fingers*

 

[peartree]

Well, it wouldn't be legal because Microsoft says it isn't. It's called 'The End User License Agreement' or EULA. If you substantially change the =computer you bought the software with, the license becomes void and you need to buy a new one. It would be the same as if you bought an entire new system and wanted to install Windows on it using the old license key.

Note that this ONLY applies to the OEM version of Windows. If it was a retail copy, you'd be in the clear.

Being a Microsoft Registered Partner, it's one of the things they train you to know.

<font color=green>****</font color=green> Never Assume <font color=red>ANYTHING</font color=red> <font color=green>****</font color=green>

 

[riser]

When you purchase a computer from a Vendor, Dell/Sony/HP/etc, and they include a copy of Windows on it, it's called OEM.

What this means is that the copy of Windows included on your computer is strictly for that PC tower and hardware inside. It can not be remove and installed on another computer, etc. You paid for the computer but you didn't buy a license for Windows. The Windows included on vendor PCs is more or less a rented or leased Windows. It's good for that computer, for that hardware, and it's all coded for that.

Vendors buy licenses at a reduced price and stick it on their computers. If it fails, you're under warranty. When that runs out, you have to buy the replacement parts. If you can't afford it, then you are SOL.

Basically, that OEM license will only install on that motherboard in that computer. Nothing else really matters, hard drives, etc. Microsoft will validate for all that except the motherboard change.

So, in short, you're SOL.