The whole idea of the sticker is that it doesn't come off - you should never need to rehouse a motherboard after all :) - and you aren't allowed to move the license to a different machine.
Since you have no license, yes, you should purchase a new FULL RETAIL one at a reputable store, NOT in somewhere like eBay, where the majority of offerings are counterfeits.
So lets say, my main HDD crashes, should i buy a new licence again if that happends ??
//dalhoff
If you have a valid license you can trash your HD every week if you like :)
Windows 7 only really gets snotty about changing the motherboard - and that is only a problem if you have an OEM license (which is why I sid for you to buy a full retail one - that way you can play musical motherboards if you like)
Ahh now i get it. OEM is for the machine you buy and only for that. If you buy a Retail version you can use it on any machine you want!
//dalhoff
It's actually even more restrictive - an OEM license is restricted to the *motherboard it is first installed on* and no other, except under warranty replacement conditions.
As Rich says, a Retail license can be moved freely, so long as it is only ever installed in one machine at a time - and it should be activated every time it's moved.
In both cases, after a certain number of activations, Telephone activation will be required to confirm that the license is still being used properly.
Okay now i get it thx.
//dalhoff
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