xp help

[hgjybrandon]

hi, its kinda weird to be on the ubuntu forums asking for XP help, but please bare with me!

hi, recently, my hdd failed because of a pc desk failure ( the desk fell, and so did the pcs), thus making me go to linux ubuntu.
now im shopping for a windows xp cd, and all i see is " windows xp 1pc user"

when it says " 1-pc user" does that mean i CANT install it on my other 3 pcs?

-your help, ideas, & suggestions are valued-

[sanguinoso]

That's correct; you could install it on the other machines but it wouldn't be valid. I.e. it would install but updates may not work etc.

[Mr. Shannon]

Not entirely sure about legality but yes and no.

If you have Windows licence keys for each PC that are for the same version of windows as the disk (retail and OEM are not the same) then you should be able to use the disk with all of your license keys and install on all of your computers. Note: I have never tried this so I cannot guarantee that this is true, it is only what I have heard.

But if you do not have compatible license keys then yes, you can only install it to one computer. So to install XP to all four PC's you would need to purchase 4 copies of Windows XP.

If your computer came with Windows installed you might be able to get recovery disks from the computer manufacturer for a lot less than a copy of Windows.

[hgjybrandon]

thank you for everyone help!

[kherring7383]

Technically, if your computer came with XP, chances are it's OEM. In short, any OEM operating system cannot legally be used on any other computer other than the computer it came with. Usually when you get a new computer you get a recovery CD that re-installs the operating system the way you originally got it including any programs and the recovery CD is not an actual installation CD.

When you buy the retail version however, most are single license, which restricts you using it on one system only and can be used or transferred to a new system only if you remove it from the original machine. When you install any version of Windows you can only activate it 3 times without calling Microsoft. During the activation process, a 25 digit code of you computer's installed hardware is generated and saved by Microsoft. The next time you attempt to activate Windows, Microsoft uses this info to verify its the same hardware in the machine. If the codes don't match, a message appears telling you you have to contact Microsoft. Also, if you attempt to activate is you machine more than 3 times, you have to call Microsoft who will ask why you are requiring it to be activated again. If you really want flexibility, buy a 3 user license which allows you to install it on three different systems using the same key but as with a single licence each system will be registered when each is activated. Sorry for this long post, but I deal with this issue on a daily basis and I just wanted to explain this in detail to hopefully educate those who use Windows and software from other vendors and the restrictions they impose.