I hate you Bill Gates....stop rippin us off.

Anyone ever reinstall windows XP (home)??

I have just taken my pc in to get a new motherboard installed and the place said they cant install XP out of my old case (OME) to the new one cause crap Microsoft doesnt allow it! What the heck!
I had a pc built this time last year, brought a new Cd of windows XP home (OME'ed stcker placed on side of old case) and now I got a new Thermaltake case and MSI mobo and because the Windows sticker licence was on my old case I have to either buy a new CD of XP or install myself...
Anyone know of any probs while you have done this or is it ok to install yourself??
This really bites! it so stupid and unfair. . as if Microsoft isn't making enough money as to get little us to have to buy another CD just to run a new motherboard!!
Please let me (us) know if you ran into any trouble while reinstalling....cheers.

BTW: Bill Gates you SUCK!

 

Just install it yourself and get hold of the sticker off of your old case because that is your proof of purchase sticker which has all the authenticity codes on it.

 

well i agree with Stev0,
people that own pc's should learn how to do that kind of stuff for themselves,it's rather easy just remember to do all the updates when your done and defrag the hell out of it.

and yes get your license back off your old case,you should put the sticker in the case with the xp cd so it's always where you can find it!

P.S besides without Bill Gates people who know nothing about pc's would never of had this fairly user friendly O.S to use!

 

Arrr ... awesome.
I rang Microsoft and they say its against the law to do this...lol
I explained that it should be against the law for a major company forcing people to buy another copy just because they are upgrading one component!!! No answer back..
Its not like Im coping it and selling it, heck Im still using it and only myself, paid for up front.
Cheers.

 

If you still have the authentic cd with the sticker to prove its real then I can't see how that is eligal,I think they got there wires crossed somewhere.

 

That sounds ridiculous to me. Just coz you change your mobo you have to buy a new copy of windows WTF!!

I cant believe that thats true - surely not. I know what id do personally.....

BTW: This thread is probably gonna be closed soon coz of the endorsements to go ahead and install it anyway

 

thats kinda like taking your computer into staples and them charging you 75 bucks to install a stick of ram man.. you should know how to reinstall windows by yourself.. especially windows xp.. its so simple.. unlike win98 which was simple only if you made sure you had a copy of all your drivers.. i reinstall windows on a regular basis.. basically because windows has a half life.. once its filled with so much junk it basically goes downhill.. everything runs slow blah blah.. anyways dont be afraid installing windows xp is easy even for noobs..

 

Hopefully not as I'm sure this is not the first time this has happened.
What I would do is just go ahead and install your windows home OEM and see if it will activate over the internet,if that is a no go because it says that you have activated it too many times then just ring them using the free number it provides on the activation screen,all they will ask you for is a number that windows prints up for you to quote to them to get activated.
Good luck

 

Let's see, I too have XP Home OEM that has gone through,

3 motherboards
3 cpus
4 video cards
2 cd-roms
1 dvd-rom
1 cd-rw
2 cases

in the last three years, and the only time I had a problems was when I changed out a 4x cd-rom for a 48x cd-rom (got the famous must re-activate in 3 days and had to call them). Also, about the longest I have run with one istall of Windows was about 6 months (I'm one of those that when things start to feel not right, whip out the Windows cd and re-install). And with all those reformat/re-installs, have never had a problem, it has always activated online.

 

yip...cheers for all this ah.
just im not into installing and reinstalling software, but like someone said here every good pc owner should learn....so Ill try the dive.
Cheers.

 

Unfortunately, a new motherboard constitutes a "new computer"...not by "law as MS would put it", but by the standards of the EULA.

I know, I feel what you're going thru, and it's why they have pirates in the software world. Just too damn many ridiculous nit picking rules and regulations regarding the use of an OS for the typical home user. Not all of us are thieves, but MS sure treats alot of us like we are. Specifically when we call to activate the prod we just spent $150 on!

 

You don't have to buy a new copy of Windows XP and will never have to as long as it's only on one computer at a time! All you have to do is reinstall it, which is incredibly easy, if you can figure out how to post on a forum then figuring out how to install Windows shouldn't be a problem. There really is nothing to it.

Once installed you just need to reactivate it, if a call to microsoft is needed so they can help you do it over the phone then just call them. The employees on the phone have never given me any problems and seem to just want to get it done. If you do have any, just act like you don't know much about computers.

I have only had to do it one time with my PC, but I've done it dozens of times for computers I work on and build for other people.

That's why I'm a Linux user .

 

The export versions of windows is not as good as the US versions
Amerians always get the best stuff made , cause of the lawyers

 

yeah the copy of xp pro i have has been in 3 of my pc's,not at the same time of course!
i have never had an issue reactivating it,i'm sure xp home is the same way!

 

As above, just reinstall and and go to Activate, ring them up and say you bought a new Motherboard, they usually just give you a new Activation key anyway.

But yes, this is one of the many lovely features that Windows XP graces us with.

From what I've heard with Longhorn, it's been designed to be more for gamers that constantly change their hardware, and will be more intelligent to adapt to the changes without the need to reinstall etc.

But I'll believe that when I see it

 

^^^^^ i hope it wil be gamer friendly, coz im forever mucking with my rig and having probs

 

I hate it too. Use your resources and some imagination. You can always find a solution to your problems. In spite of what Gates thinks.

 

You will never OWN a bit of software, it's simple on load or lease.

Doesn't matter what the software is, but yes, Microsoft still sucks.

Thought I'd tell the story cause I still like it, my boss has had the same install of OSX for 5 years. And he's had the same version on about 6 computers.

The thing with OS X is, because it was designed to be used on the Apple Hardware, it just works, so you image it from one computer to another computer, and it just picks up the new hardware and runs.

He's gone from the original 10.0 to the latest 10.4 and over like 6 or 7 machines, and the install is still going strong, no slowdowns and no problems, shows the quality

 

That's true Finchwizard. We buy it and use it, thinking that we own it. In the EULA, it says " You miserable little dweebs can never OWN my $oftware, you can only lease it for so many conditional installations" It says that, yeah.

 

i have a friend who owns a comp shop and is into all the speciality programs MS and amd have anyways they explained to them that anytime you get OEM that its suppose to be sold with a system but they get around that buy selling it with a peice of hardware.. microsoft claims upgrading you have to buy a new oem of xp with your new hardware.. why probably just cuz they can and they probably do make money off it im sure.. but i wouldnt i would just install it myself.. hopefully like they said up a few post the new 64 will be more on a upgradability and not have to buy OEM OS everytime you get a new peice of hardware..