Any need for System, motherboard, or CPU serial numbers?

[skygodtj]

After getting my Atheros wifi card running, I looked thru the TP Config program, more specifically, the BIOS info for the date of the last flash.. the latest is installed, but on the other pages I see the System, and mobo serial numbers.. I know that the mobo and CPU in this -23 were changed(I did 'em). Is there any reason why I should update the serial number for the CPU in the BIOS, if I can find the CPU #? Does anyone know what they are used for, besides Tech Support tracking repairs?

tj

[rkawakami]

Some would say that the CPU serial # is a way of identifying and/or tracing the computer that it is installed in:

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,38601,00.asp
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/issues/pentium3/
http://www2.sims.berkeley.edu/courses/i ... tation.pdf

while others say its purpose could/would be to lock software to a particular machine:

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,3902 ... 987,00.htm

All of my TPs have arrived with the PSN option turned off. I don't believe it's a problem either way for security/privacy/piracy but I've kept it off.

I thought that the BIOS does not have any way to display the CPU ID. I just enabled the PSN on my T21 and didn't notice any change in the BIOS, nor could I find anything in the registry that reeked of a CPU serial number. I did notice however that when I enabled the processor ID option, saved the changes, re-booted and then hit F1 to re-enter the BIOS, the Processor Serial Number option disappeared from the setup menu! I had to completely power off the T21 and do a cold-start before the option appeared again.

(edit: T21 running BIOS 1.16 (KZET34WW)