Current XP Package - on new PC?

[ncsailors]

I'm building a newer PC - new motherboard, maybe previous WD hard drive, and want to use the WINDOWS XP HOME or WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL OS packages I bought over the past year. What problems will I have, trying to load either XP Home or XP Prof on this new hardware.

I have this fear - good old MICROSOFT will somehow get me to buy yet another copy of this stuff.

I actually - in past year, have purchased:

XP HOME
XP PROFESSIONAL (via a group purchase for members)
XP HOME OEM (came with a PC I returned, they would not
take it back)

Fred
Spring Hill, FL

New PC: Soya Dragon Lite, Pentium, 2.7G, ....................

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by ncsailors I actually - in past year, have purchased: XP HOME XP PROFESSIONAL (via a group purchase for members) XP HOME OEM (came with a PC I returned, they would not take it back)

XP Home
XP Professional
As long as niether of these two are installed on any other machine using the keycode on the CD case then you can use them.
XP Home OEM(came with computer)
If this came with a branded computer ie: Dell,HP or Compaq and the company name is written on the CD, then by rights using it would be in breach of the EULA, but a lot of people are buying OEM versions of XP and again as long as it is not installed an another machine you should be OK, if it is a DEll product then it won't be OK because they are specific to Dell machines and it probably wouldn't load anyway because it is tied in with BIOS of Dell machines.

[ncsailors]

I bought XP as:

a. XP HOME - just bought the "home" package - installed it on my current PC which I'm trying to replace with a new home-built.

b. XP PROFESSIONAL - bought, from Microsoft, as part of a group
purchase, it now is installed on my current PC.

c. XP OEM - PC seller (Ebay) forced me to buy a copy of OEM XP -
to make the PC I was buying legal. Then PC turned out to be
trash, I returned it - but they would not take back the OEM XP,
which they claimed "is yours, you bought it"?

Microsoft can't be communicated with, but sure seems like I've
paid my "DUES". I'll have the new 2.7G Pentium new PC hardware
up and running in 2 days - so am faced with chore of installing
some version of XP on it. I was also thinking of keeping/using my
previous Western Digital HARD Drive (which has XP Professional
on it too).

>>>>>> What's a fella to do?
Fred
Spring Hill, FL

[EzyStvy]

You need a seperate key code for each machine.

Is A & B the same pc?

[Panama Red]

rjf and stvy are both on top of it. Additionally, if the Pro version's "part of a group purchase" means it was loaded using a Corporate Key intended for a business and you are using it at home, that too is an illegal installation. Moving a hard drive normally requires a Repair/Install of XP with a legal version in order for the new hardware to be recognized and the correct drivers to be installed.

Your best options are to either purchase another copy of XP Home or remove it from machine A when you replace the machine and install that copy on the new computer. You may be able to activate it without difficulty or you may have to contact MS via phone for a new installation code. The call is relatively simple and painless.

[ncsailors]

a. XP Home was initially on home PC.

b. XP Professional is now on that same PC. Was purchased as a
Microsoft group purchase for a nationwide boating organization,
of which I am an officer (webmaster). It too is legal.

Once I loaded "XP Professional", with key and all, onto my PC - there
appears to be no way to "de-install" it - back to XP Home.

c. OEM XP HOME, which I bought CD, key and all - for a PC that
I returned - has never been used by me for any installs. It was
just a $89 purchase from San Diago PC shop that sold me (Ebay)
a bummer PC - that I sent back. (they build them in a warehouse)

Are we saying, even though I have ONE (1) HOME PC, and have
now purchased THREE (3) copies of some version of XP - I'm
still faced with uncertainty!? Which has been my fear all along.

Fred
Spring Hill, FL
....retired, and can't afford all these funnies

[jgis19]

I don't see why you would have any problem with "c",you purchased a legal cd & key and have not installed it on any other computer yet. I suppose the cd & key are legal if you purchased it from a computer shop.

[sdkfz]

You can use the XP home on the new PC leaving the Pro on the old.
You can wipe the old and put home there - this is the only way I know of to downgrade from Pro to Home and then put the Pro on the new machine.

The OEM sound like a legal copy - ie meaning it is not a burned copy or a 'Dell' or other company copy so that could be used too.

Bottom line, one CD key on one machine, you have three keys so you can have three PC's 2 with home 1 with Pro

[Panama Red]

I agree. If the OEM version is a legal, holographic XP CD and you have the Product Key, you can use it without a problem. Sorry I missed that one first time around.

If you have XP Pro on your one-and-only home pc now, you can reuse that XP Home version you have too, provided of course it passes the "legal" test and you have the product key.

[glc]

If you have a legal bulk license arrangement for the XP Pro, just install that. Otherwise, just install your legal XP Home that you bought originally - it's transferable. The only one that's questionable is the OEM.

[ncsailors]

My "new" PC is 75% built ... waiting on more mem and a new Modem.

a. "XP OEM" - I had to buy CD version, from a CA builder-vendor, who
sells on Ebay. When I returned their trash-PC, they would not take back the OEM XP I had purchased, as they said "... it is in your name"?

b. "XP Professional" - was bought on a bulk U.S. group buy, for operating staff of a national boating- association (I was webmaster). It also has CODE.

I will be ready to load OS XP in a week - trying to identify XP Load problems I expect to encounter. Also its been 3 years since I built the last PC.

Fred
Spring Hill, FL