Motherboard upgrade: forced to buy new OS???

S

SuperCell

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
314
I have windows 7 on an OEM system.

If I upgrade the motherboard, will I be forced to buy a new OS?

Will windows not even activate, or can I call Microsoft?
 
Technically, you are supposed to buy a new OS license. However, if you call Microsoft and tell them how your motherboard died and you were forced to get a new one (I'm assuming that is what happened, right?) they will most likely allow the activation.
 
If you have to call MS for the activation sequence, then the correct (and seemingly accurate in this case) answer to the question "how many computers is this copy of windows installed on?" is "one".
 
I wonder if it will just go through.

Thought I heard somewhere that OEM copies can be reactivated once a year without red flags. Not sure if that's BS or not.
 
If you buy the replacement board through the OEM you will not have to reactivate Windows.

If you buy a 3rd party motherboard you will need to reactivate Windows. You can do this by typing in the key on the label. If it does not activate and prompts you to call Microsoft, you just tell them you replaced a failing motherboard and that no other computers are using the code.

I highly suggest scrounging eBay for an used OEM one if you cannot afford to buy the board new.

Mind if we ask what kind of computer you have?
 
Guys I kind of lied because the truth is this will be a new system. However, the old PC will be taken out of service, so I don't see how I'm pirating anything. The OS will only be installed on a single PC.
 
SuperCell said:
Guys I kind of lied because the truth is this will be a new system. However, the old PC will be taken out of service, so I don't see how I'm pirating anything. The OS will only be installed on a single PC.
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Are you trying to say you want to move the hard drive from the OEM computer to a new computer or use the same key on another computer?

Microsoft considers the motherboard the computer. Moving the hard drive to another motherboard (that isn't replacing the original) is creating a new computer, thus a new license will need to be bought.
 
From Microsoft's licensing FAQ:

Q. Can a PC with an OEM Windows operating system have its motherboard upgraded and keep the same license? What if it was replaced because it was defective?
A. Generally, an end user can upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on a computer—except the motherboard—and still retain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created. Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to the new computer, and the license of new operating system software is required. If the motherboard is replaced because it is defective, you do not need to acquire a new operating system license for the PC as long as the replacement motherboard is the same make/model or the same manufacturer's replacement/equivalent, as defined by the manufacturer's warranty.

The reason for this licensing rule primarily relates to the End User Software License Terms and the support of the software covered by those terms. The End User Software License Terms are a set of usage rights granted to the end user by the PC manufacturer, and relate only to rights for that software as installed on that particular PC. The system builder is required to support the software on the original PC. Understanding that end users, over time, upgrade their PCs with different components, Microsoft needed to have one base component "left standing" that would still define the original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the "heart and soul" of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created. The original system builder did not manufacture this new PC, and therefore cannot be expected to support it.
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The only quick and dirty solution I can think of is downloading an ISO image from mydigitallife and using Windows 7 without a product key. Someone said on another site that you can use Win7 without a product key but you'll get occasional messages to activate and you'll have a black desktop. You also won't have any updates.
 
All you have to do is add an SLIC, and then the board will keep your current activation.
 
coolpurplefan said:
You also won't have any updates.
Click to expand...

Incorrect.
Even with Windows in 'non genuine' mode, you'll still get Windows updates.

Some of our test machines/VMs we don't install the key for because it generally causes issues later on (trying to use the key when we finally roll out to a physical machine - because we already activated in the VM/test environment or hit the MAK activation limit and have to phone in).

Other than the annoying "You might be a victim of software counterfeiting" popup and the black desktop (don't care), they'll still update. You also usually get a warning on boot to activate or skip for now which it yells at you again about not being genuine.
 
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