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    XP serial for bootcamp

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by budgiemaster, Jun 21, 2010.

  1. budgiemaster

    budgiemaster Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi, everyone! I have two old desktops with XP and I rarely use them. Is there a way I can use one of their XP serials to install xp on my mbp with bootcamp?
     
  2. sefk

    sefk Notebook Consultant

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    Short answer: probably not

    Long answer:
    Are they self-built desktop, bought from a small seller or from a big company like dell?

    Case 1: if you bought a retail license (full price), then yes
    Case 2: it is very possible that the seller used an OEM license, then the Windows is linked to the motherboard of your old machine, i.e. it cannot be transfered on another machine(you wont be able to activate). However, if there is a malfunctioning of the motherboard, you can call Microsoft and they will give you an activation key to install it on your machine with a replaced motherboard (now I hope you can see how this can be exploited...)
    Case 3: Well probably works the same way as in case 2, but I am not sure.
     
  3. budgiemaster

    budgiemaster Notebook Enthusiast

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    Actually, I just found out that my school offers vista, xp and a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for free. If I install Vista, will I able to upgrade it to Windows 7 on a mac still?

    EDIT: Nevermind, all the info one needs is on the Apple site http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/