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Motherboard swap and OS reload
we have a Vostro laptop with some important software installed. it will not switch off and all communication functions are dead. Fault traced to a component failure and we need to replace the motherboard, about $200.
Since the hard drive is fine will we be able to recover the OE Windows 7 OS or is it necessary to buya new MS licence, about $220?
DELL-Royan S
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March 25th, 2013 02:00
Hi,
Welcome to the Community. If you are only replacing the motherboard, then everything on the hard drive is safe. The Operating system is loaded on to your hard drive.
Thank you.
Drdel
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March 25th, 2013 03:00
That's potentially great - however I thought Microsoft tied its licence to the machine by reference to the motherboard somehow. Hence my concern that by replacing the motherboard I'd need to buy a new Windows 7 licence as the OD was loaded to the machine when I bought it so I don't have MS Windows 7 64bit disks?
ejn63
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87.5K Posts
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March 25th, 2013 05:00
OEM licenses are tied to the Dell BIOS - you won't need to reactivate it unless the copy of Windows is retail, not OEM.