Topic: Format + new motherboard.

[darkdefier]

Ok, here's the thing. Remember a while back I posted that my comp was screwing up all the time with shutdowns and stuff? Well, it had to be taken for repairs as it was a more serious hardware problem.

Anyway, a month later they returned my computer, with a brand new motherboard, but still containing my other pieces of hardware. It also came with a fresh copy of windows XP on it. However, here's where the problem starts...

Right now, I only have the recovery CD for the devices and settings for when I first got my computer.

My question is, if I used that CD to perform a format, would the computer work, seeing as I now have a completly different motherboard to the one that came with the computer when I first got it?

[gryphon]

what type of recovery CD do you have.
 - just a Windows installation disk.
 - or a Vendor specific Windows image.

[Timenn]

It also came with a fresh copy of windows XP on it. However, here's where the problem starts...

Right now, I only have the recovery CD for the devices and settings for when I first got my computer.

This seems a bit it contradictional. Or do you mean a fresh copy of XP was installed on your computer, but not the disk that was used for that installation. And the only disk you have now is the one you got when you bought the thing?

My experience with vendor specefic windows images (thanks gryphon for a precise title) Is that they are just normal installation CD's, with a different license than you would get if you bought a plain Windows installation disk.
I've did this way back with my own computer where I used my parents' recovery CD, which they got when they bought their computer, to install Windows. Though the vendor of both computers was the same, it doesn't make a difference in your case as your "old" computer (which is now sort of non-existant as it is modified) and "new" computer (how it got back from repair) should have the same vendor.

But I think you should be fine anyway. You're allowed to change your hardware without having to even renew your Windows installation (and registration). Not Microsoft's initial plan for XP, but they lost a lawsuit over that.

[darkdefier]

This seems a bit it contradictional. Or do you mean a fresh copy of XP was installed on your computer, but not the disk that was used for that installation. And the only disk you have now is the one you got when you bought the thing?

No no. When my computer came back it had a copy of windows XP installed on it. I usually use the recovery CD to reinstall windows, which they didn't have. Thus why I said a fresh copy.

Also I didnt mean legal issues, I meant technical issues.

@ gryphon, I seriously don't know.

[Timenn]

Yea ok, that was what I was trying to deduce.

I wasn't talking about legal issues, Microsoft originally planned to make the Windows software actually register (via internet) what kind of hardware you were using, and you had to renew your license after 2 hardware changes (or 3?) meaning Windows would stop working (or annoying you with endless "renew now" messages)
I meant "allowed" as in; it is possible.

But after re-evaluating this, I can't believe there would be disks specifically checking a precise hardware configuration (you would need one disk per possible configuration, go figure). So I would say you're fine.
Btw, what is the problem that you want to reinstall a newly installed OS? Or are you just making sure you won't run into any trouble in the future?