Want Microsoft 2know of move & change of PC in order to retain licence

[pintree3]

Want Microsoft 2know of move & change of PC in order to retain licence

If memory serves me right I have a license for my Windows products for 2 computers. I will be doing 2 things: -1- Changing one of these computers and moving country (China).

Since my Win 7 OS is an OEM version on DVD bought separately from my PC (It's generic and not Dell, Acer or anything) I planned on taking the new flash drive that it now sits on and take it with me while I sell the rest of the PC or give it away (replacing it with my previous HD and putting Linux in it). I also have Office 2010 (and Adobe Suite)

Can I do that? without fear of violating some license agreement. The reason is that the PC that will be given to me will be in Chinese, with a Chinese OS so I would rather work with my own English OS and English Office. My reading of a license is that it is given for 2 computers without being specific as to which these 2 computers are. In other words, in theory at least, as long as I only have 2 computers in my home using the software then it's OK.

[Also since it is China I wonder if certain things are different in terms of licensing. BTW my English Windows 7 DVD was purchased while I was in Taiwan]
Thank you

 

[Indianatone]

If it is an OEM Disc of Windows 7 and it has been installed on 1 computer the licence is locked to that computer. To move an OS around like you would like to you need a retail copy of Windows 7. Office basically same rule. OEM locked to that PC, retail free to use on as many PC's as licenses dictates and can be removed from one or more PC to another. PC are generally worth nothing without an operating system. Clearly it would be better to sell your PC with Windows 7 and buy another copy to take with you to China.

 

[pintree3]

If it is an OEM Disc of Windows 7 and it has been installed on 1 computer the licence is locked to that computer. To move an OS around like you would like to you need a retail copy of Windows 7. Office basically same rule. OEM locked to that PC, retail free to use on as many PC's as licenses dictates and can be removed from one or more PC to another. PC are generally worth nothing without an operating system. Clearly it would be better to sell your PC with Windows 7 and buy another copy to take with you to China.

Thanks for the detailed info. Locked to 1 computer, you say. Really?? For all intents and purposes my PC has nothing except its motherboard and its case from when it was 1st installed. Since then I have added a new Flash Drive to replace the original drive where the OS sat as well as a video card 2X, a sound card, a PCI card, new RAM, etc. So does this mean that my PC is actually my MB? As to my laptop, that is 1 year old but can't recall if I had initially installed my Office on the previous laptop or not.
BTW it was/is an OEM version but was bought separately from the PC since the original they had offered was Chinese--as I said my PC is generic made of separately-purchased parts and not belonging to any company brand.

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, OEM version lives and dies with the motherboard. Offce retail key can be moved to another PC. See Clean Reinstall Windows 7.

You can move your Win7 install via an image or its drive to another PC but it will require reactivation with retail Win7 license or the same-version license which came with that PC, and likely also need to Adjust Win7 to boot on new hardware with Paragon Adaptive Restore CD.

Has your question been answered satisfactorily now? Any other questions, just ask back.

 

[pintree3]

gregrocker you never seize to amaze me with your knowledge and continuous help (If only you had read my other post regarding, about my monitor and video card: http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/368522-no-detail-blacks-shadows-video-games.html but you can't be everywhere all the time now, could you?

Your response made me think of something: Years back there was a film by Roman Polanski, and starring a very young Isabelle Adjani, The Tenant. In it a person says something along the lines of, "If I remove my arm I say me and my arm, if I remove my leg I say me and my leg, if I remove my body I say me and my body. Why does the head think it's superior to the body? Why not say, me and my head?"

And so I thought of your reply about the OS being attached to the MB. Since I have replaced just about everything but the MB. If I had done it the other way around, kept all but my MB then I would lose my license. Hence the parallel: head/body/me and MB/CPU/other hardware and definition of a computer. What you are telling me then is that according to Microsoft (and possibly others a computer is it's motherboard, it and only it--as far as a license is concerned.)