I'm considering purchasing Windows XP Pro _OEM_:
http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=3TSL

1) Is activation required?
2) Will adding adding/removing a USB device or another hard-drive or
PCI card require re-activation?

<ee5oo1@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:1144969300.021427.15670@i39g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...

<ee5oo1@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:1144969300.021427.15670@i39g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
packs,
updates, hotfixes etc etc will only be available once you have activated.
(But Critical updates will be available during the period until you
activate)

It is detailed in several microsoft KB articles:
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/6527/
To simplify, the automated update scan may at some point
*deem* an extensively hardware-upgraded PC to be diff to
the PC that was registered/activated, it usually only involves
a phonecall to MS support. I doubt the odd HD or USB device
will be of concern though.

In news:e1mn4e$3nd$1@emma.aioe.org,
Peaches spewed forth:
In my experience, I've only had problems when I replaced motherboards with
one of a different type.

--
My wife and I divorced over religious differences. She thought she was
God and I didn't.

Meat Plow wrote:
Thanks for the answers, are they the same for Microsoft Office 2003 OEM?

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 16:38:58 -0700, "Toolman Tim" <frack.this@no.spam.invalid>
wrote:

Read the other day that OEM licenses die with the PC. What's your experience
been in mobo swaps as far as reactivation is concerned?
--
Half of the people in the world are below average.

In news:972u32pbs6ck3io9reremfhabp2chbnf24@4ax.com,
Spuds spewed forth:
I called the number Microsoft provided during the activation wizard and told
them my motherboard died, and that the replacement was a different model. I
had the same case, drives, CPU, RAM, etc., and they activated it over the
phone with me.

--
My wife and I divorced over religious differences. She thought she was
God and I didn't.

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 19:52:17 -0700, "Toolman Tim" <frack.this@no.spam.invalid>
wrote:

I wonder if MS keeps track of every reactivation on a given license? I'd be
curious if down the road, on a box you'd swapped out the mobo on, you replaced
a hard drive, then later still, you upgraded a DVD burner?
--
Half of the people in the world are below average.

"Spuds" <Spuds@yourmomshouse.org> wrote in message
news:972u32pbs6ck3io9reremfhabp2chbnf24@4ax.com...
My Dad's computer wiped out a few months ago; he is a very heavy smoker, so
his computers have a lifespan of a bit more than a year. Same 25 digit
product key, and no activation. I have had to reactivate mine when I got a
DVD RW added, then again with a 200Gig HD added as slave, then again when I
put in a Radeon graphics card. Same thing when we added a graphics card to
my daughter's baby.
The only thing that Dad salvaged from his unit were the CDRW, the DVDRW, and
the Floppy drive. New mobo, new hard drives, new CPU, new power supply, but
no new activation. All three computers were built by the same computer
store, all custom-built. Go figure!

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 04:04:33 -0500, "PuppyKatt" <PuppyKatt@Hogwartz.not>
wrote:

The rationale behind the MS activation policy is strange indeed.
--
Half of the people in the world are below average.

PuppyKatt wrote:
That really surprises me that reactivation would be required for your's
and your daughters machine's. The computer at which I am sitting now
was built in January, XP installed, and activated. Since then I have
added extra RAM, an extra DVD RW, extra 160 gig SATA hard drive, and a
firewire card along with swapping the video card with a different make.
No reactivation has been required. (XP home OEM.)

Similarly the computer in the next room was activated two years ago, and
has had multiple upgrades and changes including CPU, RAM, two new hard
drives, DVD RWs, firewire, tuner card, video card, wireless networking
card, just to mention a few I can think of.

Looks like reactivation is a bit of hit and miss.

--
Cheers
Oldus Fartus

In news:vu5u325bmra8ahmhccldfsvh3lssgnl976@4ax.com,
Spuds spewed forth:
I've found that there seems to be a time factor. As long as all the
upgrades/changes don't occur "rapid-fire", the system seems to be more
tolerant of change.

--
My wife and I divorced over religious differences. She thought she was
God and I didn't.

In news:1j9s0ut1hhmyy$.dlg@colin-jones.co.uk,
Ponder spewed forth:
Well, there's really some good info here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...e/xpactiv.mspx


One brief quote:
"Finally, the Microsoft activation clearinghouse system will automatically
allow activation to occur over the Internet four times in one year on
substantially different hardware. This last feature was implemented to allow
even the most savvy power users to make changes to their systems and, if
they must reactivate, do so over the Internet rather than necessitating a
telephone call."

--
My wife and I divorced over religious differences. She thought she was
God and I didn't.

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:30:35 -0700, "Toolman Tim" <frack.this@no.spam.invalid>
wrote:

Very interesting, in light of Microsoft's stand on licenses:
"OEM operating system licenses live and die with each PC—they are not
transferable."

Seems that as long as your new PC is introduced in stages, you're home-free.
That's a Good Thing.

As an aside, I think it's ludicrous that if your PC packs it in, and isn't
economically feasible to repair, that you have to purchase a new Windows
license for your new box. Imagine if you had to re-purchase every software
package you own, every time you bought a new machine...
--
Half of the people in the world are below average.

In newsll04299mq1814ncpkorjrjq6alvp28er8@4ax.com,
Spuds spewed forth:
Agreed! Especially since I have an OEM version of MS Office too...

One thing that all of this brings to mind is that the homemade or "local
brand" PC is usually better than most OEM units. Parts interchange better
and upgrades can be done in stages. With some OEM systems, the parts are
not interchangable with standard components, although the Dell and HP units
I've been working on lately do seem to be more standard.

--
My wife and I divorced over religious differences. She thought she was
God and I didn't.

On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 11:43:13 GMT, Ponder <cjspambuffer@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Ahh... Never bothered to read the fine print. =8-)
--
Half of the people in the world are below average.

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 20:11:03 -0700, "Toolman Tim" <frack.this@no.spam.invalid>
wrote:

There was a thread recently in another NG. One of the problem areas seem to
be proprietary power supplies/mobo connectors.
--
Half of the people in the world are below average.

In news:94t242hatorth7ojf75vj4nsrnipc0n5un@4ax.com,
Spuds spewed forth:
Again, the recent machines I've worked on are all using standard
components - PS included. I bought a nice new PS for my HP because I added
SATA drives and didn't have power connectors for them. Totally standard.
Same with the Dell's at work.

--
My wife and I divorced over religious differences. She thought she was
God and I didn't.

On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 16:01:44 -0700, "Toolman Tim" <frack.this@no.spam.invalid>
wrote:

Good to hear. What sort of parts are you finding not interchangable?
--
Half of the people in the world are below average.

In news:asa342pav38i2sen4n5ocmfc0t2pm4prii@4ax.com,
Spuds spewed forth:
In the last 4 years? None. Except for one little problem with the HP case
where they have doors over the standard CD/DVD trays. If you put a drive in
with the "tray open" button on the left instead of the right, the HP button
is in the wrong place and it doesn't hit the drive's button.

Other than that, all standard - motherboard sizes, hole spacing, connectors,
all appear to be standard. In fact, the last motherboard I had to replace in
a Dell was actually built by Intel.

The biggest problems that I remember were with IBM brand computers, but I've
not worked on any of them in several years. We don't have anyone marketing
them in this area.

--
My wife and I divorced over religious differences. She thought she was
God and I didn't.