I have recently been upgrading my computer bit by bit, first i got 1GB of RAM, then a GEforce 6600 256MB card, running on a 2GHZ intel chip. I was getting pretty good FPS, despite the 2GHz chip, but I decided to upgrade to a 3.2GHz prescott chip, and motherboard to go with itI installed the Mobo today, with the new chip but windows won't boot, it says i need to activate it. Windows seems to see the new mobo and chip as a new computer. My copy of windows came with my HP computer about two years ago so it is not a retail version, i think it will locked to the old computer/motherboard. Im not sure i can even find the disc anyayIs there a way round this? I dont want to have to buy another copy of windows, when it is already installed on my HD.

I have not tried this, but have been told that if you contact HP and request a copy of XP they will send it to you.

It's no big deal, just go through the reactivation process, if you run into trouble call Microsoft and they will do it for you, just because you did a hardware change doesnt mean XP is no good anymore.

I'm surprized that XP is even working at all with a new mobo. I've never tried this, and have always assumed that a new XP install is required when something as global (to the PC) as a mobo is changed. Does XP just handle it like any piece of hardware that is being replaced? Sure would motivate me to go to a new mobo if I knew that I didn't have to re-install XP and everything that's running on it :)Thanks- Bruce.

From what I've read, it's pretty much a throw of the dice. Some people have changed motherboards and report success. Windows just throws out "new hardware found" messages for a long time when booted for the first time. However, the hardware forums also have posts from people that tried this and caused all kinds of problems. I suppose it would depend somewhat on how different the new mobo is. If it's the same brand of motherboard, same brand of chipset, same platform (AMD or Intel) -- it might work. But I've always elected to reformat and reinstall Windows whenever I've upgraded motherboards. Some things, like power management, are configured during the initial install and cannot always be easily changed afterwards.

Thanks- that's pretty much what I thought.Bruce.

>I have recently been upgrading my computer bit by bit, first>i got 1GB of RAM, then a GEforce 6600 256MB card, running on a>2GHZ intel chip. I was getting pretty good FPS, despite the>2GHz chip, but I decided to upgrade to a 3.2GHz prescott chip,>and motherboard to go with it>>I installed the Mobo today, with the new chip but windows>won't boot, it says i need to activate it. >>Windows seems to see the new mobo and chip as a new computer.>My copy of windows came with my HP computer about two years>ago so it is not a retail version, i think it will locked to>the old computer/motherboard. Im not sure i can even find the>disc anyay>>Is there a way round this? I dont want to have to buy another>copy of windows, when it is already installed on my HD. So who built the machine? People nowdays need to take care that they actually have the COA in their possesion if they buy from someone or kept in a records folder. There should also be a sticker thats on the back of the computer with the COA--that is if its a legal Win XP OS. Don't buy any Win OS off of Ebay or anywhere else unless you have it in writing that a legal MS COA comes with the software.David

I got myself a complete new system, motherboard, cpu, graphic cards....I use windows XP pro. I always have a backup of my 'C' partition.The main C partition, needed a simple reinstalling of Windows Xp using the CD....everything went well.The backup partition even went Better.... go figure. Did not need the CD or anything.......just required of course the drivers for the new graphic cards.God works in mysterious ways.Abe