Upgrading hardware, will reactivation of xp home be a problem?

[davehaze]

Hi, fixing to upgrade everything and will reformat and reinstall xp home. Will I get grief from Msoft trying to reactivate the OS?

 

[sdsdv10]

It depends, is it an OEM or a Retail version of XP?

 

[davehaze]

It's a retail version.

 

[RichUK]

With an OEM version you are allowed 3 hardware changes IIRC (as certain hardware gets logged into an MS activation database).

So, if you change quite a few components you are going to trigger the reactivation console. It?s happened to me quite a few times and I have to ring up to activate it.

I think you should be ok with a retail version, as the license permits you to install the copy on any machine so long as only one machine uses the license.

With an OEM copy, the license only allows you one installation with the original hardware. This prevents you from installing the same copy onto a new PC, and tries to promote you purchasing a new license. It?s a bit pointless as I?ve installed my OEM copy of windows XP onto several new configs over the years now, and MS don?t seem to care.

 

[herbiehancock]

Of course, some of it depends upon how long it's been since your last activation. You are allowed painless internet activation over and over of retail versions of XP as long as 180 days or more have passed. Have done this for years on the same XP CD and key. Only when I have upgraded before the 180 days have passed have I had to call into MS, and even then I had no problem beyond telling them that I just upgraded my computer and the OS wasn't installed on more than one machine.

 

[nZone]

Originally posted by: RichUK

I think you should be ok with a retail version, as the license permits you to install the copy on any machine so long as only one machine uses the license.

Does the retail version permit to install on several PCs BUT only one PC is on at given time?
I'm guessing if you install on a pc and that pc doesn't turn on for use; isn't that mean the license is not in use?