On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 21:31:03 -0400, MachineMessiah
<Geoffthegodofbiscuits@cakeordeath.ne> wrote:
>
> Husband has a lemon of a motherboard on a machine we built less than 6
> months ago. I've found a couple new motherboards that will work with all
> the existing hardware. Will we be able to re activate Windows if we
> replace the motherboard?
Is yours a retail copy of Windows or an OEM copy? If it's a retail
copy, no problem. You can replace all the hardware you want, and even
move Windows to an entirely different computer.
With an OEM copy, it's a can of worms, as far as I'm concerned. The
OEM EULA states that the license is valid only for the original
computer it's installed on, and it may never be moved to another.
The problem is that the Microsoft OEM EULA does not precisely define
exactly what constitutes the "computer." Some people claim that the
motherboard constitutes the computer. However logical that might seem,
the EULA does not state that, and the EULA is the document that
defines the rights of both parties to the agreement.
Some of those people point to a web site for System Builders, where
Microsoft defines the computer as the motherboard. However it's not
what it says on some web site that defines the customer's rights, it's
the EULA; besides, that web site is not even available to the general
public. I'm not a lawyer, but my guess is that if it ever came to a
court case and someone cited that web site, he'd be laughed out of
court.
So, can you replace a motherboard, consider the result the same
computer, and reuse your OEM copy of Windows? Regardless of what I
think, you think, or anyone else thinks, or even what a court might
rule if it came to that, the real issue is whether Microsoft will
permit you to reactivate if you do. Unfortunately the answer is again
not clear-cut, and we have heard here from people who have had both
experiences--some were reactivated and others were not. If they refuse
to reactivate you and you take them to court, you might win, but who
of us would be willing to undergo that trouble and expense to find
out?
So the answer, with an OEM version, is that there is no real answer.
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
Please Reply to the Newsgroup