re-install XP on a replacement machine?

  My son's old machine going to computer heaven. I just put together a
new one. I want re-use the XP Home installation CD I originally used.
What do I have to go thru to activate it? Presumably, when I go to
activate it, it will say this product key is alreay registered.

 On Wed, 30 May 2007 20:51:17 -0500, sdeyoreo@hotmail.com
wrote:


If it's the full retail version tell them the old system no
longer is running (this license for) XP.  If it's OEM you
aren't allowed to reuse it, that is why OEM is cheaper as
it's tied to the hardware it was purchased with, that
hardware must be reused.  Some like to try to more narrowly
interpret this as tied to one major part like
motherboard/etc, but if motherboard was not the hardware
with which the license was purchased, it is impossible for
it to be the tied component since a stipulation of OEM is it
is not sold separately.  

HOWEVER, this situation changed when the OEM EULA was
revised.  At some point it became a license to be on a whole
system, tied to whole system until subtractively enough was
changed that it was no longer considered the same system.
The common key detail in this was the motherboard change.

 If the EULA _with_ your product as purchased (doesn't
matter what MS website says now, since you did not
necessarily purchase the license under a new EULA but rather
what was in place at the time) did not make these
stipulations, you are not bound to them.  If it did, you
are.

Generally what this boils down to is you proceed as normally
and if online activation doesn't work you just call them up
and get the CSR to give you the code (if entitled to one as
mentioned above)... same as if it was the first time
installed on same system, as they will know from the key if
it's OEM or not.

 



    If it is a retail version there is no problem.

    If you have not had to activate in 120 days or more (OEM) it should
activate normally online. If you had changed something and had to reactivate
by telephone in the last 120 days, it will take another phone call to MS to
activate it. I had an OEM copy of XP Pro that I had installed on my old
laptop and when it finally turned belly-up I decided I wanted to put it on
one of my desktops. It had been a year or so since it had been activated. It
installed and activated online just like a retail version. This is a
purchased version of the OEM XP Pro and not one that came preinstalled on a
system. If it came preinstalled, it is for use on that system only and will
not transfer.


Ed

 On Wed, 30 May 2007 20:51:17 -0500, sdeyoreo@hotmail.com wrote:


Depends.  Sometimes you can move hardware from the old machine to the
new machine.  For example, the activation looks at the MAC on a
network card.  If you move the NIC to the new machine you get "points"
and so many points permits activation.  No wonder my company still
insists on using Windows 2000, no activation hassles.  OEM O/S
versions can be a bit trickier to move.

 
Or if you move the NIC to another slot, good chance you need to activate;
I "only' changed the case & power supply, rearranged the soundcard &
NIC & got the "dectected drastic hardware change" msg & must re-activate.