mike wrote:

> I plan to upgrade my computer from an amd athlon 2800+ to the amd X2.
> I'm gonna be changing the motherboard, the ram and the video card
> too. I know that this is probably gonna require reactivation


It will require more than reactivation. You will have to do at least a
repair installation (see "How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install" at
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm), but in some
instances that's not enough; a clean reinstallation will be necessary.


> but do I
> have to buy windows xp again or can I ask Microsoft for another
> activation key? what are my options?


First, is yours a retail version of Windows or an OEM one? If it's a retail
version, there will be no problem. You'll have to reactivate, but assuming
that it's been over 120 days since the last activation, that should work
over the internet just as it did before, perfectly legitimately. You could
even have moved your retail version to a complete new machine.

But if it's an OEM version, thee situation gets stickier. First, if it's an
OEM version that came with the computer, it may be BIOS-locked to the
computer and not work at all with the new motherboard.

Second, even if it's a generic OEM version (not sold branded by a particular
OEM), its license ties it to the first computer it's installed on. However
there's a gray area in that the EULA doesn't define what's meant by
"computer." How much can you change in the box without its becoming a
different computer? There's no clear answer to that question that everyone
agrees on, but be aware that if you have to call Microsoft for activation,
some people have reported that Microsoft has denied them such activation on
the basis that changing the motherboard makes it a different computer.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

mike wrote:
> I plan to upgrade my computer from an amd athlon 2800+ to the amd X2. I'm
> gonna be changing the motherboard, the ram and the video card too.



Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore not
transferable to a new motherboard - check yours before starting), unless
the new motherboard is virtually identical (same chipset, same IDE
controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the one on which the WinXP
installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair
(a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directo...;EN-US;Q315341

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point.
You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If
you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a
Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style
foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it,
is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any
old hardware configuration you throw at it. On installation it
"tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This is one of the
reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable
than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than
120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most
likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's
been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.


>I know
> that this is probably gonna require reactivation but do I have to buy windows
> xp again


Only if you have a BIOS-locked OEM license that's bound to the original
motherboard.


>or can I ask Microsoft for another activation key? what are my
> options?


There's no limit to the number of times you can reinstall and
activate the same WinXP license on the same PC. Nor is there ever a
charge. Nor does a Product Key (so long as it's not an evaluation
license) ever expire. If it's been more than 120 days since you last
activated that specific Product Key, you'll most likely be able to
activate via the Internet without problem. If it's been less, you might
have to make a 5 minute phone call.

Here are the facts pertaining to activation:

Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

I have the Windows xp home upgrade version. is the upgrade version still
considered a retail version?

Mike;
Almost always yes.
The exception is some OEMs gave OEM upgrades to their customers who bought a
computer shortly before the release of Windows XP.
If you bought the upgrade at a store, it is retail.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar
http://www.dts-l.org


"mike" <mike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:76A04B3A-80C8-46DF-BEF8-2771154A4B45@microsoft.com...
>I have the Windows xp home upgrade version. is the upgrade version still
> considered a retail version?