Dell OS disk

This is probably (and hopefully) a simple question for many of you out there. I have an old Dell pc running XP. I am going to be building a new computer in the next few months - will I be able to re-install XP onto my new build even though it's not a Dell? I know it says somewhere that they are meant to be used on Dell computers only but is that just a disclaimer or do they actually put some sort of safeguard on there to make sure the OS is only run on a Dell computer?

 

Greetings, toenniel...

IMO, it would be best to bite the bullet and buy a Windows disk, if Windows is the OS you wish to use...sure, there are ways to get around the Dell stops, but I can guarantee you'll be spending way too much time here, and tearing your hair out in the process, trying to figure out the nuances...

IMO...

 

Hm I figured as much. I was hoping to be able to reinstall XP onto my new build then buy an upgrade version of Windows 7, but looks like I will just have to buy the full version of a new OS.

Appreciate the responses everyone.

...is this the case whenever you buy a computer with the OS preinstalled? IE, if I buy a Lenovo I can only ever use that OS with a Lenovo system? Or is this just a Dell thing?

 

Any oem OS is pretty much tied to that brand of computer. And some are even tied to THAT SPECIFIC computer or even model. I had a HP laptop that had the OS disk but couldn't use it on anyonther HP computer. BUT I had one HP that I could install on any HP computer. Dell is the same way. Only way around it is if you buy a number or just happen to get lucky like me and but some old computers and find out that they all were VLK's!! (I have 15 XP VLK keys now)