Originally posted by: adsmith82
Are Windows XP and Vista OEM's tied permanently to the motherboard they are first installed on? I was considering changing out a motherboard on a PC, but I probably won't if I have to buy a new OS for it.
I have changed my motherboard many times with an OEM XP Home CD. I have always been able to activate online as well.
Yep, the long & short of the situation is that they generally don't care. But (and this is a big but) they're under no obligation to allow a new activation if they believe you are moving it to a new system.Originally posted by: Ryland
I had no problems getting an XP installatino that was originally on a Gateway to activate on both a Dell and an MSI motherboard (always moving the same harddisk). MS didn't care, they just allowed the activation with a simple phone call.