"That machine"...
When does "that machine" no longer qualify as "that machine" is not a bad question. I'm sure the answer is written in stone, somewhere, and I'm also sure not everyone at MS knows where to read that stone.
Yeah, the Kontiki example. Or to wit, the movie Master & Commander: The Far Side of The World (GREAT film if you haven't seen it.) If your ship is critically damaged, you take floatwood and hull parts from damaged ships to repair it, at what point is it a new ship? According to the British Navy in that movie, the H.M.S. Surprise remained herself throughout, since the captain deemed it so.
But to a computer, supposedly since Windows Vista, Microsoft weighs that a system is a new activation when the Motherboard, Processor and Hard Drive are all changed from the original system activation. But not entirely. You can change one part over time and still activate with the same software key. It's when all three have changed from the original hardware hash that's initially captured that the key is invalidated and you got to obtain another license.
And you're right, it doesn't always work out that way. There's been weird issues with activation where only a support agent can reissue the key.
But Windows 10 offers a way out. If you register your system with your Microsoft Account, and then do a significant hardware change, when Windows is deactivated, you can log in with your Microsoft Account into the system, and then reactivate. Even if you change your motherboard.
Check it out if you like.As a home User/gamer I don't care if it's Pro or not - OEM or not seems a bigger issue. For an extra $15... I might just get a "Full" version.
See how good they are? They not only corralled me into getting 10, I'm getting a Full version.
Yeah, the OEM licenses offered to end users are chump change compared to contract discounts they offer HP. They discount Windows based on volume sold, so if it's a popular system, ZDNet reported that HP pays as little as $30 per machine for Windows 10 Home if sales exceed a certain amount of units. The best price an OEM copy goes for on Newegg is $99, and it comes with the same caveats as an HP system:
-- That copy of Windows 10 cannot be transferred to another system.
-- Installation and activation support from Microsoft is not offered (which is free of charge for Retail owners, even if you call Microsoft for tech support). For an OEM system it's up to the company who installed it to provide end user support. (If that's you, that means you're on your own.)
Whether or not registering your OEM installed computer with Microsoft will allow you to reactivate after a major hardware upgrade is not clear. It might not work, as most folks who buy a mass-produced system from HP, Dell, Lenovo, or Acer rarely upgrade the processor or motherboard. Especially in an all-in-one system or small form factor desktop where the motherboard isn't a standard size anyway.
Next upgrade I may question why I still even use Windows, at all. I think I don't care how fancy or bloated the Interface to my Games and Browser is as long as it works and I can re-install it without calling someone for permission. After 30+ years of Microsoft, though... I'll probably stick with them. Even though I never thought Windows would make it in the beginning and have been annoyed by Microsoft regularly, since.
Although the SteamBox has been a critical failure, Gabe Newell still hasn't given up on Steam OS. The hard part is getting MMO providers to get on board.