Installing XP on another computer

Question

I had a DELL XPS Gen 3 computer that the motherboard turned to toast along with most of the computer. I bought a used IBM laptop recently that turned out to be full of viruses and spyware. So I decided to install the Windows XP that came with my DELL XPS that is no longer in operation on my laptop, but now even after installing everything just fine, it won’t allow me to activate or register Windows XP. I contacted Microsoft, and they tell me that I need to contact DELL instead. So here I am. How can I activate my copy of XP on that machine?

msgale · Answer

The short answer is 'You can't'  as is the long answer.  Dell XP reinstallation CDs that come with a Dell PC can only be used with that Dell PC, those are the rules, it is in the OEM license, and has been discused many times on Dell forums.

rickmktg · Answer

@jdsouza wrote:
I had a DELL XPS Gen 3 computer that the motherboard turned to toast along with most of the computer. I bought a used IBM laptop recently that turned out to be full of viruses and spyware. So I decided to install the Windows XP that came with my DELL XPS that is no longer in operation on my laptop, but now even after installing everything just fine, it won’t allow me to activate or register Windows XP. I contacted Microsoft, and they tell me that I need to contact DELL instead. So here I am. How can I activate my copy of XP on that machine?

You cannot. The copy that came with your XPS Gen 3 is licensed to that computer, not to you. It is locked to Dell bios, and cannot be activated on your IBM. Even if it could, that would violate the EULA.

Windows General

Installing XP on another computer

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