Windows XP registration?

[wulf109]

Does windows XP still require internet activation and can only be run on one computer. I know it was originally released that.

[Piccoro]

Yes, Consumer versions of Windows XP need to be activated and only one machine per license.
But the product registration is optional.

[bottle-necked]

Only the home edition

[Piccoro]

Both Windows XP Pro and Home require activation...
Unless you are a business with Windows XP Pro corporate edition (volume license version). Usually business' have 1 CD of that version and have already bought licenses for each PC.

[maestro5050]

Piccoro is correct, both Home and Professional can only be run on one machine and require activation. You cannot legally install a single copy of Windows XP on multiple machines, except for the corportate liscensed version previously mentioned, so if you are trying to do that, you are out of luck.

However, if you are trying to install the copy of Windows XP on a new machine, that is allowed provided that you have removed it from the machine it was originally installed on. You will need to contact Microsoft to do this as the XP copy you have is bound to the original computer (via a hardware snapshot taken during the registration) and will need to be changed and authorized by Microsoft.

[Craig Tucker]

I think you will fing that microsoft operating systems are non transferable, not necessarily technically but legally. Whether it be XP, 2000 or 98.

So if you buy a new PC you cannot transfer the operating system you have on your old PC, even if you remove it from the old one and throw the machine away.

I am always having to buy new licenses at work when the OS from old redundant PC's would do perfectly well. Its just Bills way of screwing even more money out of you.

[gmatov]

Craig,

I don't think so, at least as far as 98 was concerned, and maybe W2k.
The EULA plainly stated that 98 could be installed to at least 2 machines, provided you could not use them simultaneously, such as your desktop and your laptop.

Whether this can be done with XP, I don't know.

Also, you could install to a new machine if you removed it from the old machine. You could not legally sell the old machine with the OS on it, unless the original disk went with it.

By the same token, MS specifically stated they had no problem with people who bought a disk at a Computer Show, not a forgery. If you had the original printed license, it was, to them, a legal copy.

The thing here is that the OEMs bought, say 1000 copies of the OS, cloned their HDDS, and someone wound up with the other 999 actual copies or they remaindered them, and they were sold at reduced price at shows and flea markets, etc.

This is the reason you get a restore disk and not an actual copy of the OS disk, nor even a serial number, but the disk will tell you it is only for use with the machine with Compaq, or Dell, or HP BIOS.

Actually, it's the way I have bought most of my OS disks.

Cheers,

George

Also, if you change 3 things on your machine, XP thinks it is a new machine and will require you to reactivate it. In the prerelease stage, they wanted to require it to cease working after either 1 or 2 upgrades, more RAM, or a CD burner, whatever. Who argued successfully that that was stupid,and convinced them that it actually was, I don't know, but we should thank them.

[ChrisX]

I own a WinXP Pro notebook PC and I noticed that the OS doesn't needed to be re-activated after a clean re-install using a restore disk to factory.

I was having problems last month and now fixed and back to normal. The OS is an OEM version with the newly purchased notebook. I don't need to register it either.

I believe the product key is embedded in the machine and can't transfer to any other computer. The OS is licensed in one machine only and that is it.

[ChrisX]

Also, you could install to a new machine if you removed it from the old machine. You could not legally sell the old machine with the OS on it, unless the original disk went with it.

Not much point transferring Win98 to a new computer and the disk will remain with the machine. My old machine will retire mid-year and be thrown out.

This is the reason you get a restore disk and not an actual copy of the OS disk, nor even a serial number, but the disk will tell you it is only for use with the machine with Compaq, or Dell, or HP BIOS.

My notebook has a restore disk and I don't need to re-activate the OS.

[Craig Tucker]

George

Perhaps this does not pertain to personal licenses, but for the licences we use at work this is the case.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/os_reqs.doc

Transferring Operating Systems: Windows 95/98, Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Professional upgrade licenses acquired via the Open License, Select License, EA, and EA Subscription license programs are tied to the machine on which they are first installed. That is, customers may not transfer the operating system licenses from the original machine to a different machine.

Edit :
Done a bit more digging and came up with this.

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/licensing/basics/faq.aspx

Pre-installed software
If the software is pre-installed, the software lives and dies with the PC and can never be transferred to another PC.

Full Packaged Product
With Full Packaged Product software bought from resellers, you can transfer the software to another PC, as long as it is uninstalled from the first PC and everything is transferred with it (the EULA, the COA, the CD and, everything contained in the box). You can transfer the Full Packaged Product licence outside the organisation, as long as it is transferred complete with discs and documentation and the software is uninstalled from the original PC.

Volume licences
With Microsoft volume licence programmes you can transfer the software from one PC to another, as long as you have uninstalled it from the first PC and you only use the permitted number of copies of each licensed product you have bought. If you've acquired an operating system (OS) upgrade through your volume licence agreement, you can transfer this upgrade from one PC to another, provided you remove it from the first PC. As you cannot buy a full OS through a volume licence agreement, the rules governing the underlying OS apply.

The quote about volume licenses seems to completely contradict the first article I posted. So now I am confused

[maestro5050]

However, if you are trying to install the copy of Windows XP on a new machine, that is allowed provided that you have removed it from the machine it was originally installed on. You will need to contact Microsoft to do this as the XP copy you have is bound to the original computer (via a hardware snapshot taken during the registration) and will need to be changed and authorized by Microsoft.

I looked in the EULA for both Windows 98 and Windows XP and neither of them specifically mention the transfering of the entire operating system, so I guess my above quote is not guarenteed in writing in the MS EULA. However what I wrote was the response I was verbally given by a Microsoft Corporation representitive while at a road show for the release of Windows XP a few years back.

Looking at what Craig Tucker said under the terms and conditions of Full Packaged Products seems to lean towards what I said and what I was told. It seems that there is a lot of contradicting information coming straight from the horse's mouth.

The best bet would be to call Microsoft before attempting to transfer the operating system. That way you know it is allowed and have their permission before making a transfer attempt.

[Cobra]

I think Microsoft are getting a little too greedy here - if I buy some software from them then I own it. They shouldn't be able to tell me what I do with it - that copy is not their property any more. We shouldn't need to phone them to ask "authorisation"!

Grrr!

CobraDMX

[shoozleboy]

if you use that arguement with Microsoft, they will tell you that you don't buy the software, you buy the LICENSE to run the software.... they are the masters at the EULA..... that's where they make their money, selling licenses, not software.

Sounds like crap, but I got that from the horse's mouth (MS).....

it's all about legality crap anymore, and that's what the EULA is, a legal form that says if you want to use this software, you play by our rules....

(Orsen Wells must have worked for Microsoft... )

[Cobra]

I couldn't agree more with the Orson Wells comment! I'll be shifting my copy of XP to a new PC that I'm going to build myself in the summer. I'll wait and see what happens with Microsoft.

I wish I could afford a Mac and have done with it!

CobraDMX

[BJ_M]

I couldn't agree more with the Orson Wells comment! I'll be shifting my copy of XP to a new PC that I'm going to build myself in the summer. I'll wait and see what happens with Microsoft.

I wish I could afford a Mac and have done with it! :lol:

CobraDMX

as mentioned above you can shift it over -- no problem and ms never hassled us about it ...


something weird about XP pro that comes on PRO IBM workstations (not thier bussness machines) ... no mater what we add or take from the machine - - even swapping out the whole motherboard , cpu's (xeons) , clonging the hard drive to another drive , adding drives and taking them out , swapping video cards - AnYtHING ........ they never have required us to reactivate them ...


with the MACs we have -- apple makes you pay for each update and service pack... if microsoft charged for service packs people would flip out ...

[gmatov]

BJ_M,

By gum, I think you have something there. Those IBM workstations come pre-installed, don't they?

And with a restore disk?

The reactivation may just be for machines on which you install from an actual OS installation disk, complete with install code. After all, the OEMs build machines with many different parts, buying a 1000 of these and a 1000 of those, as you can see from the restore disk. It's packed with drivers for all the devices that may be in your 'puter. So is the HDD, clo0ned with all the devices that could have been installed.

Boot into safe mode and check out your Device Manager. It's probably loaded with half a dozen CD devices, Vid cards, modems, etc. Wonder the machine even boots. My 98 machine will lock up on occassion, after a bad shutdown, loading some of my devices again, and will have to go to safe mode to remove the extra, muliple devices.

Does anyone with an OEM, pre-installed XP OS have the reactivation problem, or is it just the pipple who build their own, and install from a real OS disk. These are the people MS wants to stop from installing to more than 1 machine. Your OEM restore disk is tied to that brand of computer by the OEMs version of the BIOS.

Cheers,

George

[BJ_M]

the restore is located on a hidden non windows partition on the scsi boot drive ... which is pretty dumb if the drive died ... so i cloned the whole drive (incl. hidden partition) and save the orig. drive as back up drive ... still never required activation and that drive will work in any of the 4 ibm intelistation machines i use ... kinda strange really ..

you get to the restore when you boot as an option - though ive never required using it ..

[Solarjetman]

From what I hear in the Rumor mill, Microsoft and other companies, want to take their EULA a step furthur but have not found a way to present it that the public likes.

The plan is to have where you do not own the software you purchase, instead it is a lease of the software. Essentially if they are successful making the public accept this, then they call ALL the shots instead of just most. Possible effects could be that they have the ability to forbid you from using the software and force you to uninstall it. Also, any modifications you make or add-ons would not be legal unless you get permission first.

The activation requirement is only the first step. And BTW, I believe Symantec has started adding activation requirements to their software as well.

[shoozleboy]

Solarman -

you are correct in your assumption of the "lease" of their license. They want to go that direction for the reasons you mentioned. There would then be no doubt what they are allowed to do with the license - revoke it or whatever.

As it is now, you don't own the software, you own the license. MS could give a rats a** what you do with your copy of Windows2000 or XP or whatever.... all you need to do is purchase another license for any other installs that you are using the software on (if you plan on using it on multiple machines at once).

The company I work for handles MS's stock that goes to it's resellers and internet sales. It has been mentioned numerous times from our IT guys that this is where MS is going. They have the inside scoop from the 'horse's mouth' on this.

It's almost like leasing a car, you don't own the car, you only make payments for the privelege of driving the car... at the end of the lease, you have to either purchase the car (license) or make the surrender payment and turn the car back in (MS revokes the license).

You can of course upgrade your OS to the latest and ahem....cough...cough.... 'greatest' OS from MS at the end of your lease agreement. They will love having you purchase another lease from them.

This whole situation is one of the driving forces behind IBM turning towards Linux for it's OS's on their machines.... others will follow.

If MS isn't careful with this, they could lose A LOT of $$$$$$ - THAT is the reason why they haven't done it yet......

[gmatov]

BJ_M,

No, as I said above, the IBM machines come up with an IBM logo, so they have an IBM designed BIOS, just as Dell, Compaq, Gateway, HP have. The restore disks will install on any machine that has that BIOS. Not Dell to Gateway, but Dell to Dell, etc. The BIOS is right, it will install.

MS really doesn't care, as they sold Dell 1000 licenses, they made 1000 machines, they'll buy another 1000 tomorrow, and why bother sending the disks with the machine? They're supposed to be people friendly, and "people friendly" is not getting all your software in a pile, putting in a REAL OS disk, running setup, then feeding the machine each disk as it's needed. Who even has them all, or can gather them together when needed?

I hunt setup disks down when I need them. 'Course I have installed so damn many devices, I have dozens of disks with cryptic names on them, and it's a matter of sticking them in the CD, only to find "Motherboard not Support", or somesuch.

It's the same as getting Nero with a drive, and deciding you will install it on the other machine. It says this software is only designed to be used with the drive it was bundled with.

BTW, OT, but Staples has Pacific Digital 8X Dual Burner, 130 bucks after 25 buck rebate, beginning Sunday, 1/11/04, and Maxell DVD+ and - R at 9.99 per 10 w/jewel case, same timeframe.

I need another burner, think I'll get one tomorrow, for this machine. Takes forever to transfer data over the network to fill up a DVD blank.

Cheers,

George