Windows Forum

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Change PC Owner's Name

0 helpful
6 replies

by wbecker

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.
A member of our team left our Company after I had purchased a relatively new PC for him, with a Celeron CPU @ 1.29 GHz, running Windows XP and Office XP. Since my computer was much older and slower, I have adopted the newer PC, but the former team member?s name is still registered on everything. How can I change the registration to my name?

6 replies

by house

Do those licences belong to the "company" or the former "member". If they belong to the organization, he shouldn't have used his name. If they belong to the other guy, you need to provide your own software, or get the OEM software Restore cd's off of him for that particular machine, if they exist.

This might sound strange to you, but you're dipping into a mild form of piracy, unless the organization provides you with the software.

by house

I know that it is not illegal... all I was saying is that if the former owner of the computer is the one who is licenced, he would definitely have his new machine rigged up. If the licence belongs to the company, then it is all good. I cannot "give" someone a computer with my OS on it, unless he is licenced. The licence has to be covered in some way. I was just giving him a heads-up.

by willcomp

Information in MS Knowledge Base Article above will change information for XP but not other software.

To change everything, run regedit and search for previous user's name. Then edit keys where their name appears and replace with your name.

If you are not experienced with editing the registry, do not attempt major edits without backing up the registry and creating a restore point first.

Dalton

by rewrite

It is not illegal to change the name of the registered company/owner. It has nothing to do with product activation and will not allow you to illegally activate a product.

The winxp company/owner can be changed easily either by editing the registry as noted above or downloading this tool:

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/owner.htm.

The info regarding Office XP can be changed by editing the registry as described here:

http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php/460/

Cheers.

RW

by tcrom2

Click Start/Run and type in "regedit" (without the quotes. Left click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows NT/Current Version. Right click Registered Organization/modify. Change the name to your name or the new company name. Next, right click on Registered Owner/modify and change this to the same as the previous name that you entered. Close the window and save the changes. Reboot the system. Both the system and software registration should now be in the new name that you entered.

This discussion is closed to new replies.