I receive tons of “computer questions” from my friends, family members and associates, and an interesting one that pops up from time to time concerns moving a legal copy of the Windows operating system from one computer to another. Typically, they want to move a newer version of Windows from a PC that has died onto one that still works fine but is running an older version of Windows. There are a couple of things that determine whether or not you can move an existing Windows license to a new machine:
1 – Is this version of Windows OEM or Retail?
Did the copy of Windows you’re wanting to move to another PC come pre-installed on the old computer or did you purchase it seperately in a retail box? Most off-the-shelf computers these days come with an OEM (ie. Original Equipment Manufacturer) version of Windows pre-installed on the hard drive. OEM copies of Windows cannot be legally transferred to a different computer. Period. End of story. [Read more…]