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Windows XP OEM - how much hardware upgrading?

  • 31-03-2007 11:21pm
    #1
    SeanW
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,160 ✭✭✭


    Hi everyone.

    OK here's my problem/question. Last year I bought parts for a new rig, the computer I'm now using, and the OS I got for it was Windows XP Professional SP2 OEM.

    Since then, I've had to change 2 components, firstly the RAM which was faulty (replaced with similar but slightly different modules) and the mainboard, which wasn't strictly necessary but I wanted a better board and there was a question mark over the old boards support of X2 processors which I wanted to be able to upgrade to in the future.

    Windows never kicked up a fuss about reactivation and when I had to reinstall it, I had no problem reactivating.

    Now, I will soon be making more upgrades and changes, and I want to know how far I can go.

    Firstly I will be changing my Athlon 64 3700+ to a Dual Core Opteron.
    Secondly, I will have to ditch my secondary hard drive, a Maxtor 300GB SATA2, because it fails frequently and is a major cause of system instability. Especially on startup.
    I will probably ditch it, and sideline my 80GB Maxtor IDE drive (it hosts my OS and still works fine but I'd like to put the OS on a faster SATA drive now that I have a better mobo), opting instead for a pair of Western Digital Caviars, 250GB each, SATA.
    Also I'll be changing my PC case to a flashier one.

    How much does Windows XP OEM allow for changing hardware?
    Since I built this PC I've already changed the board and RAM, would changing the host HDD and processor push the OEM limits over the edge? Could I make difficluties less likely by making the changes slowly or does M$ keep permanent record of the initial system configuration from first activation?


Comments

  • #2
    mathias
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,174 ✭✭✭mathias


    Ive had to call microsoft a few times , regarding win MCE 2005 and Vista oem reactivation , and they are pretty nice about it , so do what you will , phone them , and say a part went faulty and you need to activate , and they will give you a number no problem and wish you a nice day.

    Seriously , its no problem , takes less than 10 mins.


  • #3
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,563 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    The motherboard is the key component you CAN'T change.

    If you make changes gradually it's less likely to trigger activation.
    If you have a pcmcia adaptor in a desktop it's less likely to trigger activation.
    If you have OEM only the maufacturer is allowed to change the MB under waranty.
    If you had the corporate version of XP instead of an OEM guess what ?

    http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/evaluate/xpactiv.mspx
    The hardware hash is an eight byte value that is created by running 10 different pieces of information from the PC's hardware components
    ...
    Product activation rechecks the hardware it is running only to help reduce illegal hard disk cloning — another prevalent piracy method. Hard disk cloning is where a pirate copies the entire image of a hard disk from one PC to another PC. At each login, Windows XP checks to see that it is running on the same or similar hardware that it was activated on. If it detects that the hardware is "substantially different", reactivation is required. This check is performed after the SLP BIOS check discussed above, if the SLP BIOS check fails. This means that if your PC is pre-activated in the factory using the SLP pre-activation method, all the components in the PC could be swapped, including the motherboard, so long as the replacement motherboard was genuine and from the OEM with the proper BIOS. As noted above, installations of Windows XP made using volume licensing media and volume license product keys (VLKs) will not have any hardware component checking.
    ...
    Dockable PCs are treated slightly more leniently. In a dockable PC, if a network adapter exists and is not changed, 9 or more of the other above values would have to change before reactivation was required. If no network adapter exists or the existing one is changed, 7 or more changes (including the network adapter) will result in a requirement to reactivate.


    When you activate windows , you are talking to an out-source company, and not necessiarly to a Microsoft employee. Just because it activates don't make it legit.


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