Dean,

I can't help you too much with question number 1. I too would like to know
just how many points of change matters on an OEM WinXP. Would a CPU upgrade
alone do it, or what is the cutoff point. I got the same impressions you did
from the previous discussion.

However, on question number 2, I can definitely take a stab at that. If you
do get a new copy of XP, what you need to do is use the repair option on the
new CD, which pretty much installs over the top and changes your Product
Identification Key, which will then require activation as a new copy.
I had to go through this when I found out that what appeared to be a genuine
OEM version of XP, complete with all the CD holographic features, was in
actuality a corporate version, with a reverse engineered product key. When I
purchased a replacement (extremely genuine *G*), I was told by Microsoft
support that I'd have to reformat and reinstall. Uh uh, no way, no how. It
was a relatively new installation, and I just didn't want to deal with
putting everything back the way I like it. Using the repair option did the
trick, so if you go with purchasing another XP, you can use it as an
"upgrade" that way. It went so smooth, it almost shocked me. This was
Microsoft, after all. :-)
Hope this helps some.

Sue Clark
Bristol, ME



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dean Kukral [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 

> The problem is the operating system.  I am going on the 
> assumption that XP is smart enough to know that this is an 
> all-new computer, i.e. too many "points" of change, and will 
> not let my original oem version of XP Pro proceed.
> 
> Question #1: What will happen if this happens?  Will it boot 
> but not run or what?
> 
> Question #2: Suppose I buy a new copy of XP Pro, can I 
> install it over the old XP Pro?  If so, can I use an Upgrade 
> version to upgrade XP Pro to XP Pro?
> 

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