Upgraded Motherboard = New Windows Licence

Wednesday, Feb. 15 2006 | Author: Griffith

Microsoft made a change to their licence agreement stating that every time a user changes their motherboard they will need to purchase a new Windows Licence:

An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a “new personal computer” to which Microsoft® OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required.

And the reason for this is:

Microsoft needed to have one base component “left standing” that would still define that original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the “heart and soul” of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created.

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14 Responses for "Upgraded Motherboard = New Windows Licence"

NOGG3R5

February 16th, 2006 at 3:17 am
1

So ya mean i can replace the case, ram. hard drive, CPU, graphics card etc and not need a new license. But if i buy a new mother board and reaplce that i have to fork out for a new license. Yeah right, as if thats going to happen. “Its always been like that officer**kicks old components under the bed**” heh, there gonna have real fun enforcing that arent they!
Tom

February 16th, 2006 at 3:50 am
2

So as long as the motherboard has developed a defect I can replace it without needed a new license (obviously with a current, modern board and CPU). Inducing a defect to the board shouldn’t be too hard…
lastboyscout

February 16th, 2006 at 4:55 am
3

They are clarifyng this now because Vista will use TCPA functions to lock every copy to the mainboard it’s first installed on.
The TPM (with its unique ID in the form of cryptographic key) resides on the mainboard and is supposed to be tamper-proof so this is the most natural thing to do.
evilKat

February 16th, 2006 at 7:57 am
4

I’ll just wait for the crack. This is the most ridiculous claim from MS I’ve heard in a long time.
narqval

February 16th, 2006 at 10:29 am
5

‘accidentaly’ drop a hammer or something on your old motherboard, and voila, you have ‘a defect’ :)
Brian

February 16th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
6

So if I buy a Dell and my motherboard dies under warranty, then a Dell guy comes and installs an identical motherboard, he will also have to bring a new license of Windows with him? And reinstall everything? And Dell is going to purchase a new license from Microsoft and throw my old one in the trash?

I don’t see this happening. I don’t think PC manufacturers will let it happen.
tofuComputer

February 16th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
7

Glad I use a MACINTOSH!!!!!!
:)
scottfrye

February 16th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
8

I believe that M$ may have just increased the number of pirated Windows.
Griffith

February 16th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
9

Har har! Welcome aboard scottfrye ye scoundrel!
WM

February 16th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
10

Okay, now does this also include updating your firmware? Or a BIOS flash? What’s going to define ‘the original’ motherboard in microsoft’s eyes? Next they’ll be wanting us to buy a license component for every part we install. We’ll just wind up leasing our own computers from software providers…
Griffith

February 17th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
11

@WM – Every motherboard has a unique code (like Mac addresses on network devices) and the Operative System locks itself to that number. At least that is what I understood from the original article.
My2cents

February 21st, 2006 at 10:35 am
12

3 points here:
1- it may be reactivation as somone says but you’ll have to pay a NEW license fee to reactivate.
2- if you pay once for a product then you shouldn’t have to pay 3 times for it. Imean this is the same thing without any amelioration so how to justify buying 3 time a license for it??!
- For those saying buy retail, its 250$ and OEM is 100$, i think its M$ way to steal you money,
buy retail you can do whatever you want after, Ho you buyed OEM you little bastard, will make you pay hard, every times you change your mobo for the new Game, SLI or whatever reason …

imo 250$ is too much for an OS… OSX cost alot less than that . And think of linux, BSD and those in dev like SKYos…

Final word Microsoft the richest company in the world could have more comprehension to the real nonbillionnairs outhere…
john

May 7th, 2006 at 6:33 am
13

im not an expert by any means, so try an help me, i have just experienced this same thing ,i have just replaced my motherboard and other parts. and i have just received from msoft that i have a non genuine software now, and to pay $216 to fix problem. what do i do now ?
brett

February 5th, 2007 at 5:41 am
14

either pay for it or install xp / 2k / linux! down with TCPA!