Using windows oem more than once

1 year ago i built my computer with a oem version of windows ( i know stupid move) but now my old comp died and i built a new one. new mobo, new cpu etc etc.

I even have a new hardrive........when i go to install a fresh version of windows on it what will happen when i enter the cd key that came with windows?

will it say not valid?

will there be a option to add it later?

will it tell me to call someone and until i do i cant install windows?

You might not even have to call if it has been a full year since the last activation. Anyway, if you DO have to call, just put one of your old components from the DEAD PC into the new PC, and call it an "Upgrade". Be it a Floppy Drive, a CD-R, or a NIC card. As long as you are "upgrading", you should be fine...

I have 4 XP OEM licences - why do you think it is "Stupid"? Saved me quite a bit of cash

Randyman... said:

You might not even have to call if it has been a full year since the last activation. Anyway, if you DO have to call, just put one of your old components from the DEAD PC into the new PC, and call it an "Upgrade". Be it a Floppy Drive, a CD-R, or a NIC card. As long as you are "upgrading", you should be fine...

I have 4 XP OEM licences - why do you think it is "Supid"? Saved me quite a bit of cash

Click to expand...

From my old system im using quite a few components because they are working fine. Just had to replace the 3 major ones.

mobo, cpu, video card.


The oem does save cash but you need to reactiviate it. The regular version lets you activate it like 5 times before you need to activate right?

I have activated my OEM copy over 10 times on the same PC with the same hardware. I only had to call after MAJOR hardware changes, and even then, I only had to call once to get another 10 or so activations on that same PC. When you call-in, they "Reset" your activation. The thing is, the OEM versions are NOT transferrable to a different PC. If the PC "Dies", then the licence essentially dies with it. If you "upgrade" your system, you can retain the OEM licence IIRC.

Also $199 for XP-Pro RETAIL versus ~$130 for XP-Pro OEM is not chump change . Multiply those savings by 4 licences, and it adds up quick.

If it has been a year, you will be fine. I manage about 150 workstations and they all have OEM licenses. From time to time, a reinstall of the OS will be needed on a machine. I use the same key that the machine had and reactivation is never an issue, i just do it online and it is done. If you had to reinstall multiple times in a short time frame, you would end up having to call MS to reactivate.

nikhsub1 said:

If you had to reinstall multiple times in a short time frame, you would end up having to call MS to reactivate.

Click to expand...

My main PC has 3 installs of XP. Once I called in to "Reset" my activation for the first install (after a new MoBo, CPU, RAM, Video, and HD's), I was able to activate the other 2 installs online the same day.

Same with my Shuttle xPC - 2 installs and both activated online on the same day. As long as the hardware is not changing, you should be fine.

When my comp died i went to try the hardrive in my other pc and when it started it said the hardware has changed and i had 3 days to activate it.

I then shut it down.

I didn't reinstall anything i just wanted to test the hardrive in the other pc to see if it worked.

Think i screwed myself over?

You will certainly want to do a fresh install if you are changing systems. It is important that XP install the correct drivers for the chipset, LAN, etc etc.

Just make sure that you are "Upgrading" (not "Building a new PC" ), and that you make that clear to MS if you have to call (I doubt you will have to call).

k thnx man very help ful stuff

one last question and i promise im done.

why did it say i have 3 days to activate my copy when i power my comp on with my other hardrive but when you do a fresh install of the os you have 30 days.

doesn't really make sense?

and just for fun what if you dont have internet access. how can microsoft ever check for your parts to change?

IIRC, the activation compares its validated "fingerprint" to what the "fingerprint" of the system is. XP essentially takes inventory of all of the components on boot-up and assigns a fingerprint. I believe this is done internally on the PC. This "Fingerprint" is then activated for your system, and the Activation is "Validated". So, if the hardware changes, the systems "fingerprint" is now different from the fingerprint that was activated/validated online. If these 2 fingerprints are different enough (3 major hardware changes IIRC), then Activation forces you to re-activate/re-validate. These Fingerprints are generated and stored on the HD - so an Internet Connection is not needed (hence the "Call to Activate" option if you are not online).

I think the 3-day deal only happens when XP thinks it has been put on a TOTALLY different system (as in your case). Re-installing offers the 30 day grace period to allow you to get the all the bugs worked out. If you buy a new PC, it might be a week or so before you get online - things like that.

Technically, if it's an oem version, and you build a new pc, you are not legally allowed to install that os on a new pc. M$ may refuse to activate it, it's up to them. They will see that all your hardware has changed. I'm not sure exactly how they decide when an upgrade is no longer an upgrade, but they may not let you reactivate it. Leaving one silly piece of hardware in it and replacing everything that matters is not an upgrade as far as microsoft is concerned, it's a new build.

IMO, it's better to buy a retail version and never have to buy a new one. The OEM model, where you buy a new os with each pc, sucks.

MRD said:

Technically, if it's an oem version, and you build a new pc, you are not legally allowed to install that os on a new pc. M$ may refuse to activate it, it's up to them. They will see that all your hardware has changed. I'm not sure exactly how they decide when an upgrade is no longer an upgrade, but they may not let you reactivate it. Leaving one silly piece of hardware in it and replacing everything that matters is not an upgrade as far as microsoft is concerned, it's a new build.

Click to expand...

True. The way I look at it, if the "Old" PC is left in an inoperable state after the "Upgrade" (due to removing most of its components for the "NEW PC"), then I see no issues (although MS might). Only 1 instance of that OS is running, and it is running on *some* of the same hardware .

MRD said:

IMO, it's better to buy a retail version and never have to buy a new one. The OEM model, where you buy a new os with each pc, sucks.

Click to expand...

LOL! What sucks for you saved me like $240 ($60 difference from OEM to Retail x4 Licences)! I have 4 PC's (built 3, upgraded one from Win Me) and a lappy with XP (came on it when I bought it). It is not like I would ever "Dismantle" these PC's, so what would be the point of "Transferring" these XP installs elsewhere? If I was to transfer an XP OS to a new machine, the old but fully functonal PC would not have an OS! Now That would suck IMO . My PC's run til they die. None of this "Frankenstein" stuff with parts of PC's laying everywhere but only 1 functional PC. I use all 5 of my machines simultaneously for different duties/locations.

I always have lots of working pc's, but the parts are constantly moved around and found in combination with different other parts. That's one reason I don't use Windows XP, the activation is too big a pain for people like me that swap hardware a great deal. Windows 2K doesn't have this problem, it never asks me to reactivate. A bunch of my pc's just run linux too, which is free. My file/print server, mythfrontend, mythbackend, and my laptop only have linux installed (gentoo x3 and debian x1). My desktops generally are multiboot with 2k and gentoo. I use gentoo for most tasks, but win 2k sometimes for gaming.

You say that it saved you a lot of money, but I'm not sure it did. If you buy a retail, you have a working copy of windows forever. When that pc falls apart, you can transfer the license to a new pc. While retail is more cash up front, long term, I think it's cheaper. Whenever you buy a new pc now, you have to pay for another oem license, I just move the windows from the retired pc to the new one. Also, I like having the ability to transfer a license from one pc to another whenever I want for any reason. I like 2K because I don't even have to worry about activation. Convenience is very important to me.

Point taken, but I simply don't "Retire" PC's. Even my oldest PC, our Dell 700MHz P.O.S, is over 5 years old now, and will keep on running for another 5 years easily. If you see me buying the "Dinosaur" XP OS 5 years from now - PLEASE shoot me! XP will be so old by then, it won't even be sold... See MY point?

So, yes, I absolutely, positively, without a doubt saved cash ($240 or more) by buying OEM licences for my PC's. I also swap parts around, but not the "Major" parts that call for reactivation (minus my major overhaul a few months ago). For that upgrade (Replacement MoBo w/ Different NIC MAC adress, new AGP Video, new RAM, new CPU, new HD RAID-0 array, etc), all I had to do was call MS, and I was on the phone for maybe 7-8 minutes MAX. Once they "Reset" my activation for this "New Configuration", I immediately activated the other 2 installs on that PC online. Not a single issue, and I have even re-installed a few more times since then, and activated online just fine.

I guess 7-8 minutes is worth $60 extra bucks for the Retail version to you? I only make a measely $23/hr, so $60 (or $240 total in my case) is a good chunk of change to me, and 7-8 minutes is nothing to me (actually about 15 minutes total on the phone, as I also had to call once for my other PC after a few hardware changes). I made my choice, and saved cash. That is all I'm getting at. XP will be obsolete by the time I need to buy another OS, so an upgrade would be warranted anyway. 15 minutes on the phone with MS versus spending an extra $240 for (4) full retail versions? Logic prevails in my case. Sorry...

Yes, but if you have a retail version, you can transfer the license and upgrade it if the version is too old to be useful. The upgrade costs less than a full oem. Each time you do this (even if it's every 5 years), you save more money using retail over oem.

I use pc's for a long time too. I'm typing this on the thinkpad in my sig (P133, 72MB RAM, 2GB HD). I have 2 k6-2's in my house currently in use. I'm resurrecting a pentium mmx 233 as a web server/email server. I use linux on these as it runs better as a server and faster on older hardware, and best of all, it's free. So no need to maintain a windows license for those.

FWIW - I'd NEVER buy an "Upgrade". That is more of a PITA than having to call and activate IMO . "Please insert your Windows 98SE CD now" Oh crap - where did I put that darn CD?

I am confident in my decision and money-saving motives... All I'm getting at. I made the right choice for ME. You made the right choice for YOU. We are BOTH right!

I don't mind having to have the old CD, I just keep it with the newer one. Plus, any old cd works for that. You don't actually need the one for the license you are upgrading.

OEM is cheaper initially, but over time becomes more expensive. Retail is more expensive initially, but over time reaches parity and then becomes cheaper. I guess it's a matter of when you want to pay up. =p

Then again, Linux is the cheapest, no cost ever. =p

I'd run Linux if Steinberg's Nuendo would support it and all of its VST/VSTi plug-ins, but it doesn't.

Can't you still "Upgrade" OS's from the OEM CD? I'm thinking yes, but only on the same PC. No prob, as the PC's I have now will STILL be functional 5 years from now, and will STILL need an OS. Any new rigs I build next year will likely get Longhorn/Vista, and Vista will stay on that PC for 5 or 10 years, too. My OS's are pretty much tied to the machines they run in, so OEM makes perfect sense for my scenario, and I truly DID save cash. The $240 I saved paid for my 2x Maxtor 300Gig SATAII HD's...

I'm a miser like that. You should see my eBay habit! Always looking for the insane deals.

I think you're logic is wrong, but let's just agree to disagree. =p

How is my logic flawed for my applications (or anyone who uses XP)? I double-checked my pricing, and XP Pro SP2 Retail (Full Version) is $279 at Tiger. XP Pro SP2 Retail (Upgrade Version) is still $199 at the Egg, and XP Pro SP2 (OEM) is $137 at the Egg. So, I have 4 PC's that all run XP (and one Lappy that came with XP). I bought 4 copies of OEM licenses. If I build a new PC, I leave my old systems entact, and buy a seperate license for the new PC (I still retain full use of the old PC's). I end up with too many PC's? Sell the old PC's with the attached OEM license.

OR

Buy 4 Retail Full XP Pro licences for $279 each, and be stuck with 4 licences. I build a new PC, and then what? Pull a license off the old PC, and re-install it on the new PC - leaving the old PC w/o an OS? Even with a "Full Retail" version, you can not legally have it installed on 2 different PC's simultaneously - correct? So how is being able to "Transport" a Retail version of XP going to be a "Money Saver" for me in the long run? The OEM version is $62 cheaper than the "Retail Upgrade" version, and the OEM is $142 cheaper (less than 1/2 as much) than the "Retail Full" version. So, you would have to re-install the XP "Retail Full" version on 3 different systems (and NOT have an OS for the "older" 2 systems) before it was more cost-effective than the OEM licence.

Just sayin', I'll agree that my logic was perfect for my situation