Software Licensing question

[AgentJean]

Ok here's the deal. I have a slightly old computer with a license of WinXP for it. I'm planing on doing some minor upgrades(Ram, CPU and video card) and I'm going to replace the case too(the current on is a fugly genertic case that's banged up bad)

Would I need a new License or is the current one good enough? I keep hearing things that OEM OSes can not be used with any other machine that the one it was installed to even if you destory the old computer. What constitues a computer? Is it the case, the mobo, the CPU or the combination of everything? The license key sticker thing is stuck to the ugly case I want to get rid of. I could take a scraper to it.

 

[n0cmonkey]

I think Microsoft classifies it by the motherboard (that's what the license is tied to).

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
I think Microsoft classifies it by the motherboard (that's what the license is tied to).

Yep. OEM=tied permanently to that motherboard unless the motherboard is replaced due to failure (not upgrade).

 

[corkyg]

The case change won't be noted at all.

Otherwise, it is a good idea to do these other upgrades one at a time and let the system accept one, then reboot, and add another, and so forth.

Sometimes all at once gets things confused.