[tomdrayson]

Hi, I bought a PC about 6 months ago from PC World, with Windows Media Centre Edition pre-installed and a recovery DVD.
I have just upgraded my motherboard, and I am trying to reinstall Windows from my recovery DVD. But when my PC boots from the DVD I get:
"Error. System not supported.
Press any key to continue" (which just reboots)

The recovery software obviously has a problem with me changing my motherboard, which in my opinion, I am perfectly entitled to do. There must be a way round this - I have paid for my Windows installation once already, and I am not prepared to buy it again!

So at the moment my PC is totally redundant. Does anyone know how to use the recovery software with a different motherboard?

Many thanks

Edited by tomdrayson, 04 October 2006 - 04:14 PM.

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Many branded computers like this use recovery media that doesn't work if they find hardware on a machine that isn't what came with the machine originally. This is a pre-requisite to ensure that the disk and all its preinstalled software doesn't go on every machine going.

You'll have a sticker with a product key on the side of your case, you can borrow a friend's Media Centre installation CD to put Windows on the machine with the new board. Unfortunately this is all you can do.

Edited by Neil Jones, 05 October 2006 - 12:54 PM.

[Neil Jones]

Many branded computers like this use recovery media that doesn't work if they find hardware on a machine that isn't what came with the machine originally. This is a pre-requisite to ensure that the disk and all its preinstalled software doesn't go on every machine going.

You'll have a sticker with a product key on the side of your case, you can borrow a friend's Media Centre installation CD to put Windows on the machine with the new board. Unfortunately this is all you can do.

Edited by Neil Jones, 05 October 2006 - 12:54 PM.

[tomdrayson]

Hi, yes you are right, PC World said that the software checks for a matching BIOS on the motherboard, and if it is not found, it will not install. They claim that changing the motherboard effectively changes the computer, so the software is no longer valid, and they cannot provide me with any further assistance or even a discount for another copy of Windows. So that's a waste of a copy of Windows...

I borrowed an MCE disk from a friend, but it tells me that my key is invalid right at the start of the installation! Any ideas why?

Thanks