on how many rigs can i install winxp ?

i'm late to this party. very noob. i'm going to build a second system.
i would like to spend no more than 700. finances are tight. i would
loathe to have to spend another penny for an os i already own. i'm
dying to find out if i can do this ? and on how many systems can
i install the os i legally purchased and currently own ?!?!?

 

yes, but can i still install my os on a second or third comp ? is there a certainty or a probability this will work ?

 

The liscence for a 1 machine version of XP says that you can have it installed on one machine at any one time. So if you were getting a new machine, that would be fine as long as you got rid of it on the old one.

Yes, it probably is possible to break the EULA, but I really dont recommend it

 

Why not try Linux on your second box.....the price is right

 

Hmm, that sounds like a "mobile worker" arragement to me. Plus if you get it through business I've seen a catalog with all the options in it and its pretty vast, ranging from CDKeys only to 100 user liscences to site liscences to multi-site liscences, customer distribution liscences (OEM basically)...
But chances are if you bought it in a shop you will have got a Retail 1 User version of XP Pro. Unless you paid $2,000 for it, and then it would be for 10 computers

 

A lot of people think that, but retail XP is one computer.




Now Office on the other hand, unless the EULA changed for version 2003, does allow one copy on a desktop and another on say a laptop.

 

Thats correct

 

"I thought the fact that you have to activate XP (thru Microsoft) would make it not possible to keep reactivating the same license key. And if you do not activate doesn't it stop working?"

Well, you just have to reformat your HDD and reinstall all the programs every 30 days. Doesn't sound like too much fun to me.

So, your options are... Run some version of Linux on the second computer. Or you can usually get an OEM version of Windows XP Home/Pro online somewhere like www.newegg.com for less than it costs Retail.

For example,
Windows XP Home w/ SP1a OEM for $90:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=37-102-141&depa=0

It says you must purchase hardware with it, but from newegg's website:

"The product I am interested in states that it "Must be Purchased With Hardware." What items will qualify as hardware?

These items may not be purchased without another non-software item from our store. Any non-software item in our on-line store will be sufficient. There are no minimum dollar requirements or specific hardware requirements."

It looks like you could just buy a keyboard, or a mouse, or probably even some type of cable with it and it would qualify as a hardware purchase.

 

Or some screws $2.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=00-881-301&depa=0
http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/00-881-301-01.JPG
Pretty darn cool screws i might add

 

But you can only use those screws on one box, unless you get the 'site license' bag of screws, in which case you have to follow the screw manufacturer's guidelines as to how many boxes you can use said screws on.

 

Oh and dont forget that if you decide to move the screw, you have to "re activate" it in its new location, or it'll fall out after 30 days. To get around this, you take the nut with you

 

Yep. This is why you often see eBay auctions for OEM software including a single CD-R or a ribbon cable.

Not that I recommend eBay for purchasing a Windows OS. Much too likely for them to be pirated copies.

 

thank you so much for the replies. i apologize being a little late in response.

yes, i did purchase winxp oem from newegg as part of my first build. the cd
came with a slim activation manual and product key # but no license.

therefore i should be able to install this same oem os onto my second build without worry the ms mothership will say 'nyet'. correct ?

 

The liscence for WinXP should be found in the root directory of your CD. It should be liscence.txt or EULA.txt.

When you buy software, you don't actually buy the software. It's not *your* software. MS still owns it. You buy a liscence to use that software. The fact that you were given a product key shows that you own one licenced copy of Windows XP (the product key sheet is your proof of liscence ownership). The only way you could buy software without a liscence is if you also bought the rights to copy, distribute, sell, modify, support, etc. That would cost you around a billion dollars, I'm guessing, but I imagine it's not for sale at all.

 

Me thinks if you do this, the nut is already with it................hahaha