Switching OS's between two computers...

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El Kabong

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Jan 29, 2007
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Uhh.. okay lol. My current comp that i built last December runs on XP. I just ordered a cheap laptop from Newegg for college that, incidentally enough, carries vista. It should be coming in by Friday. Oddly enough, from the reviews i read it seemed that Vista really chugs on that lappy and that XP runs much better on it...


Not sure if it would be a problem or not, but it makes me wonder if i can just install XP on the lappy and use the laptop's backup disc (You DO get a backup disc for Vista right...) and install Vista onto my desktop? Im not sure about registration issues or anything like that so im just makin sure... Never actually pulled something like this before, ya know? o_O


Thanks for the help!
 
You won't be able to do this. Whatever backup CD/DVD that comes with the laptop is most likely tied to the laptop, not to mention that even if you could use it on the PC it wouldn't be legal.
 
:( Nuts.... i was hoping that since you technically bought the rights to use both vista and XP you could use it only on one computer for each OS, not one SPECIFIC computer...
 
I would download A Vista Oem image and install it on the desktop using the laptops cd-key, But sadly this isn't "Legal"...
 
TopGun said:
I would download A Vista Oem image and install it on the desktop using the laptops cd-key, But sadly this isn't "Legal"...
Click to expand...

Even SAYING what you just said is a no-no, or the merest suggestion of it. :eek:
 
Downloading an Image should be perfectly legal. What if your hard drive gets corrupted
and you lose your recovery partition?
 
Dude, it doesn't matter if it should be legal or not... the fact is... it's not legal. Therefore, talking about it, or in some round about way recommending it is against the rules here and is not something that I think is open for debate.. it's just the way it is.

Now, if your really upset about it, why not give Microsoft a call and see if they'll reconsider the closed source nature of their software and then, you can go right ahead and download all the images you want... Otherwise, your going to have to call the manufacturer of your machine and request replacement media in the event you loose, destroy or don't have a disc.....
 
Yea, I can understand that it's Illegal and shouldn't be discussed here. Would be nice if Microsoft would setup a service where you submit your current key and you get a discount off a fresh copy because buying a new copy of windows every time you change out a motherboard isn't exactly cheap.
 
It actually depends om whiat versions the OP has. All the posters have assumed (and is probably correct) that both copies of Windows are OEM versions. If so, what has been posted is correct.

If both copies are retail versions (unlikely, but possible), than it is OK to swap them. If the XP version is retail, and the Vista is OEM, a person could install XP on the lappy and then purchase a new copy of Vista.

It just all depends on type of OS (OEM vs retail).
 
You 'own' both licenses, but the OEM is licensened to the comp it came on. You can zip the harddrive and install XP on the laptop and change it back to the OEM Vista later if you wish, but you cannot legally install it on another computer, even if you could.

To keep everyone's membership intact, I'll do you all a favor and lock this before someone gets themselves into some trouble with the rules. ;)
 
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