My guess would be....

The original OS that came with the system is 'System Locked' to the brand of
bios in the system.

In other words, if you bought a Dell and it came with a Dell OEM copy of
Windows, that CD would only work on a Dell.

On the other hand, since it's the OS Disc that is dependant on the bios and
not the other way around...

Yes you should be able to install any OS on that Dell you want. You will
just have to go through the normal activation process if needed by the OS.


"Jack Smythe" wrote in message
...
Hello if you have a computer that uses the System Locked Preinstallation
technique to activate Windows does it mean that the computer is locked to
that operating system or is it possible to install any operating system
that you have a license for? legally etc
Also out of interest which range of computers use this. I bought a
Dimension 4600 at the end of 2003 and that doesn't use it.
Thanks.