DOES MICROSOFT SPY???

[Guest]

I will be getting another computer shortly, (w/ NO O.S.)
and want to install XP PRO. I have many questions.

1)What to buy?...I see OEM, full oem, full retail. What
is the pro and cons for using or buying each? Which is
better?

2)Is a "full oem" version the same software as a full
retail?

3)Can I put XP on my new comp and then again on a third
one that I plan to buy a month later?

4)What is all the hype about registering. Can I install
and use the full software without registering w/Microsoft?

5)Can you still do live update without registering?

6)If I'm not allowed to use it on more than one computer,
that's fine, but how will they know? I ask this not so
much to use one copy for a million computers but in
curiosity on HOW Microsoft would KNOW...are they allowed
or have ways where they look into your computer (snoop)
and "verify" things??

7)If I buy a copy from EBAY or somewhere, what happens if
they lied about it not being registered. A friend told me
that it wouldn't matter as long as I just use it without
registering it. Is that true. How can I know if I have a
legal copy without necessarily letting Microsoft know
which copy I have?

8)If I want to also install Office pro 2003 do I need to
buy 3 copies for 3 home computers? That would be $1500
and seems a bit much (to put it nicely) for one poor soul
to put it on all his personal computers.

 

[Ron Martell]

I will be getting another computer shortly, (w/ NO O.S.)
and want to install XP PRO. I have many questions.

1)What to buy?...I see OEM, full oem, full retail. What
is the pro and cons for using or buying each? Which is
better?

OEM and "full OEM" are the same thing. Full retail is more
expensive. The end results, after installation would be identical.

The OEM version, once installed, would be permanently locked to that
computer and could not be legitimately transferred to another computer
under any circumstances.

Retail versions are licensed to the purchaser/owner and may be freely
transferred from computer to computer to computer provided each
license is only ever installed on a single computer at any given point
in time.

2)Is a "full oem" version the same software as a full
retail?

The end result, after installation, is the same. The licensing terms
are substantially different. And some optional components may not be
included on the OEM CD.

3)Can I put XP on my new comp and then again on a third
one that I plan to buy a month later?

No. Each computer requires a separate license to use a Microsoft
Operating System.

4)What is all the hype about registering. Can I install
and use the full software without registering w/Microsoft?

Yes. Registration is entirely optional. However Product Activation
is a required procedure and the computer will basically become
unusable except for limited functionality in Safe Mode after 30 days
if it is not activated.

5)Can you still do live update without registering?

Without registering, yes. Without activating, only for 30 days.

6)If I'm not allowed to use it on more than one computer,
that's fine, but how will they know? I ask this not so
much to use one copy for a million computers but in
curiosity on HOW Microsoft would KNOW...are they allowed
or have ways where they look into your computer (snoop)
and "verify" things??

Product Activation ties your license to specific hardware indentifiers
on your machine. If the same license is attempted to be activated on
another computer this will be detected.

7)If I buy a copy from EBAY or somewhere, what happens if
they lied about it not being registered. A friend told me
that it wouldn't matter as long as I just use it without
registering it. Is that true. How can I know if I have a
legal copy without necessarily letting Microsoft know
which copy I have?

Again there is a big difference between Registration and Activation.
With eBay the phrase "caveat emptor" has a lot of relevance. What you
purchase could turn out to be just an expensive education in the
perils of dealing with strangers.

8)If I want to also install Office pro 2003 do I need to
buy 3 copies for 3 home computers? That would be $1500
and seems a bit much (to put it nicely) for one poor soul
to put it on all his personal computers.

You need to have Office on 3 computers for your own use at home? That
is a bit of a unique situation.

Licensing of application programs, which includes Microsoft Office, is
a bit different from that for operating systems. Specifically with
previous retail versions of Microsoft Office the purchaser was allowed
to install it on two computers (one laptop and one desktop) provided
that the one person was the exclusive user of both computers. This
provision did not extend to OEM or to Educational versions of
Microsoft Office. I am not certain that the same licensing provisions
have been used with Office 2003 Professional, but I would expect that
they would be, or at least similar ones.

Some further reading:

OEM Software: http://onlinehelp.bc.ca/oem_software.htm
Product Activation: http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm


Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."