They dont actually give you a new CD key. Instead they give you a number that is 2.5 times as long as a CD key, you still have to have your original CD key as well.
Win XP Professional or Home will install once only with the CD key you get. I will quote you from the XP bible...........
"When you install Windows XP, you must activate it using Microsoft's anti-piracy technology: Product Activation. If you reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows, you must activate it again. If you reinstall on a drive you have not formatted (a second hard drive), you need to reactivate only if you have changed numerous other hardware components of your system.
Windows examines 10 different hardware components, ranging from the CPU to hard drives to network and video cards, and creates a unique identifier for your machine upon activation. The term "significantly" means a change of 6 of the 10 hardware items, although even this isn't strictly adhered to. Furthermore, you can change any single component as often as you want, and it still counts as only one change.
On reinstallation, if you require reactivation, try to do so over the Internet. If your request is confused, the Product Activation wizard provides a telephone number along with a lengthy numeric code. Call the number, and punch in the code when so instructed by the automated attendant. In the vast majority of cases, the activation will proceed without incident. If not, and if you do, in fact, have a pirated version of Windows XP, you will probably have to buy a legal copy."
There is a workaround for reinstalling on the same PC, to keep from having to go through this, but unless your second PC is exactly the same build you will most likely get caught. I'm also not going to post it on the BBS as it could be considered a hack, especially if someone tries it to get around this on a second install. My suggestion to you is, either use an older copy of Windows for your other machine, or buy another license.
Which is all you have to do, you dont have to buy a second installation. A ll you have to do is buy another license. Totally different thing. The license is simply gives you another CD key that has never been issued, and costs nowhere near as much as another copy of the install. Thats how most businesses do it, they buy a minimum number of CDs and buy several licenses per CD.
