New MB and OEM Question

[Nabobalis]

Well since my motherboard is dead, I need a new one but I don't want to spend the same amount of money as last time, so a Cheap/cheapest one is preferred, however I have a OEM Windows Vista and the Licence counts as one per computer where a new computeris a new motherbaord.

So , do I go with a cheap motherbaord and potentially have to get a new OS or replace my motherboard with the same model and hopefully don't need to get a new OS?

[ikonia]

if you install the Windows Vista license as on different motherboard then you are breaking the license.

[master811]

Apparently, as long as you get the same mobo you should be ok, but it will have to be the same, anything different and it probably won't re-activate.

[scrandman]

Under XP if you called them to re-activate explaining that you had a failure of the motherboard, they would normally re-activate it. Can't see why Vista should be any different.

[BUFF]

Unless they changed it for Vista afaik the 1 get out under the oem licence is for mobo failure & replacement under warranty.

[Indi75]

No, this has been covered off somewhere on the Vista developer blogs - I'll see if I can find the link.

There was quite the fuss from the 'building' community over the single get-out and it would seem from what I read that things had been adequately altered as PC hardware upgrades are clearly more commonplace than MS initially suspected.

I'll go see if I can find the link.

[Indi75]

...and here it is:

Revision to Windows Vista retail licensing terms

[BUFF]

notice that says "retail" & not oem ...

[Indi75]

Think it says somewhere in there that OEM will be reactivated too - just havn't had time to read it yet.

Further there's widespread reports of people not even having to call MS for around 5 reinstalls.

Largely, the Retail rules seem to be applying since the very furore that led to license change in the first place was led by PC enthusiasts the majority of which buy OEM.

[master811]

http://weblog.infoworld.com/gripelin...board_rep.html

In the 4th from bottom paragraph, a MS guy says replacements are ok, but only replacements

[Indi75]

OEM licenses are tied to the motherboard. You are unlikely to need to reactivate unless the MoBo changes, but even if you do, it's just a phone call, and only then if the online activation doesn't work.

Some people have upgraded SATA drivers and had to reactivate!!

Ultimately, as a user of Nuhi's nLite and vLite tools I've spent the last 2 years on the phone every few months and to be fair - the CSR on the other end of the phone only has 2 questions:

Are within the OEM agreement, all of which is greek to him, and are you installed on only one machine.

[DougMcDonald]

under XP, the license seemed applicable for 3 home installs (that was retail) (well my mates was who recently had a similar trouble)

As people have mentioned, if you can prove (via not having it active) that the old install is dead, then it shouldn't be a problem putting it on another mobo.

Even an OEM license should be transferrable between physical machines. I think the number of installs is more down to concurrant use than hardware (or at least it always has been)

I have seen some OEM installs restricted to certain hardware, but thats more manufacturer enforced. At work I recently tried to install XP onto an HP laptop with a Dell disk that wasn't being used. It wasn't having any of it.