I think I know the answer to my question, but am going to ask it anyway.
I have an older Toshiba laptop that I purchased with XP Home on it. I now have a different computer that I purchased w/o Windows on it, and am considering putting Windows on it. Can I re-use the license I bought with my Toshiba computer or not? Let's be clear: I am NOT using XP Home on that laptop (the Toshiba it came on) anymore; the license I paid for is currently NOT being used on any machine.
I have been told elsewhere that I can not do this, that the OEM license belongs only on the computer it was purchased on.
My thought, though, is that if that is the case--if I can only use the license on the one computer it came on--then I'm not actually buying the license, I'm just renting it for the length of time I use that particular computer.
So, do I OWN the license and can re-use it, or did I RENT it and it's gone forever now?
(And if OEM=rent rather than own, I'm going to try to never buy an OEM license again.)
Thanks for your input.
Jeff
PS If that OEM license belongs with the Toshiba laptop and nothing else, I will NOT reuse it. I'm going to do this legally, but would rather not pay again for software I already paid for and am not using.
An OEM Windows license cannot be transferred to a different computer. The license is permanently locked to the very first computer it is installed and activated on. Only a retail Windows license can be transferred.
An OEM Windows license cannot be transferred to a different computer. The license is permanently locked to the very first computer it is installed and activated on. Only a retail Windows license can be transferred.
