billrv Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I am dual booting Win XP with Win 7 with each operating system on its own HDD. (C & D). I have used EasyBCD to set up the dual boot - all works well until I opt to boot into Win XP. I have been using this copy of XP for 5+ years and I have the legal disc I purchased when my computer was originally built. It was working in dual boot mode satisfactorily but I had to have a new mother board installed due to a fault and had not used XP since the rebuild. When I re-setup the dual boot I received the message that the validation process identified that the copy of XP was invalid and asked me did I want to register it now. When I try to follow the instructions it tries to connect to the internet but can't because I need to get into XP to re-set the ISP. It then prevents me from going any further and shuts down the computer. I can boot into Win 7 with no problems but want to access some apps which are only in XP. Any suggestions in not too technical language would be most appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 You say that you have changed your motherboard. Is your XP an OEM rather than a Retail CD ? Main differences between the two license types :- OEM is tied to the motherboard it is first installed on.Unlike the retail versions of Windows which can be transferred to a new computer, OEM licenses are not transferable.Both OEM and Retail versions are licensed on a per copy per device basis.You can install only one copy of the software on the licensed device.How do Microsoft know if I've changed motherboard ? "During mandatory activation, the software will send information about the software and the device to Microsoft. This information includes the version, language and product key of the software, the Internet protocol address of the device, and information derived from the hardware configuration of the device." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billrv Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Iconoclast Thanks for your help. My disc is endorsed "For distribution with a new PC only......" so I would assume that it is an OEM version. I will talk with the firm who built the original computer who I have dealt with for 8 years to see what if anything can be done. Many thanks again and best regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 You can also call Microsoft and re-register over the telephone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.