I have a laptop and a desktop. The desktop is running XP, and the laptop is running Vista. I’d like to do the opposite. I have the XP disc, but Vista was pre-installed, and all I’ve got is a backup partition on the hard drive of the laptop if I want to reinstall. Is there a way to take that license of Vista and transfer it to my desktop (note, the idea is to take two OSes that I have paid for, and switch the machines they are on, not to run two copies of an OS for which I only own one license)?
As I understand it, if Vista came preloaded, what you have is an OEM license. Which means it’s only valid for the computer it was sold with, and can’t be transferred to another computer.
Yep, OEM licences are non-transferable, non-upgradable, and non-downgradable. Although, the “professional” OEM licences, that is Windows Vista Business OEM and Windows XP Pro OEM, are unusual in that they are downgradable to the previous version of Windows. So if your PC came with Vista Business, in theory you are entitled to run XP Pro on it.
I say “in theory”, because good luck with getting an activation code if you try to install the earlier version. Microsoft will tell you to contact the manufacturer, and the manufacturer will tell you to contact Microsoft. I’ve basically given up trying to obtain XP keys for our new PCs (preloaded with Vista Business) through official channels, and use illicit keys instead, safe in the knowledge that we are legally entitled to “downgrade” to XP Pro.
While OEM is a legal technicality, and the fact you don’t have a Vista disc is a crippler (How were you planning to achieve this?)
The biggest hurdle would be driver availablitity for your laptop and desktop internal componants following the re-install on both systems.