Re: Can I use old Dell XP Disk on my new homebuilt?

Ben Myers wrote:
According to Microsoft, who owns the software, you need a unique Certificate of
Authentication (COA or Product Key) for every system running any version of
Windows, 95 or later. If you have a Dell (or eGateMachines, or HPaq or Lenovo
or other "name brand") COA, you cannot legally use it to install Windows on
another computer.

There are ways to install from a Dell-branded XP CD onto another non-Dell
computer, but they may be questioned by the Microsoft thought police and they
absolutely require a unique COA on the non-Dell box... Ben Myers

That last bit is, IMHO, the deal maker/breaker with respect to Windows. If you have a valid COA for the machine on which you're installing Windows, no one really cares where the CD/DVD with the binary files came from. I have used a Dell CD to install XP Pro on my ThinkPad which came with XP Pro (just try getting a Windows install CD from IBM/Lenovo!) and everything installed cleanly. The only difference being that since it wasn't a Dell machine, I had to enter a COA during the install. Since I had one and it was legal, poof, it was off to the races.

(NB: I am not a lawyer nor have I run this past MS's Legal Dept.).
.

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