Buy a new motherboard, now you have to rebuy XP

The EULA for WinXP expressly states the following:
"1.1 Installation and use. You may install, use, access, display and run one copy of the software on a single computer, such as a workstation, terminal or other device ("Workstation Computer"). The software may not be used by more than one processor at any one time on any single Workstation computer."

Taken directly from Microsoft.com

 

Windows 3.1 was the last version that you were legally allowed to share between two computers, asuming that you only used one at a time. Ever since windows 3.11 (Windows for workgroups) the liscense has been tied to a single pc. Ever since windows 98, the liscense is tied to a single processor. Now that there are hyper threading and dual core processors, microsoft is looking to tie a liscense to each virtual processor. Kind of makes it a pain in the ass to run a quad processor hyperthreaded workstation. It takes a liscense for 8 processors...

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

They have had this motherboard clause for OEM licenses since at least Windows 2000. Technically, when you purchased an OEM license with a piece of hardware (usually a minimum of a mouse at some of the "grayer" websites), you were required to keep that piece of hardware for the life of the license. Microsoft, not being able to lock into any particular piece of hardware, decided to lock OEM copies into the only peice of hardware which they can truly keep track of (at least until they put that Paladium crap in systems).

Of course, it is absolutely illegal for them to do this with over-the-counter software as it forceably creates an invalid third party contract with the motherboard manufacturer/distributor.

Then again, just call up the customer service number that pops up when you try to revalidate and tell them that your CPU overheated, causing damage to the motherboard, due to Windows poor implementation of the ACPI specs :lol:

 

Long Live Amiga

 

I really don't see what the issue is, this was always built into Windows XP, if you change enough components in your PC you have to re-purchase it. I stuck a new graphics card and 2GB or RAM in my PC, and it decided enough bits had changed, and I had to re-"buy" (I use corporate licences from work)

It's shit, yeah, but it was always a known issue with XP.

 

Well its quite improbably that you'll buy a OEM license too then or?