Vista Upgrade--release XP??

[T.O.]

So when you 'Upgrade' an XP machine with Vista, Vista insists that XP be
installed on the machine as Microsoft says the licensing is per machine and
not person.

So if that's true, once Vista installs, can I use--what is now old and no
longer used on that machine--XP's Key and install that XP on another
computer??

This is not OEM stuff, but retail packages.

Thanks

T.O.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

So when you 'Upgrade' an XP machine with Vista, Vista insists that XP be
installed on the machine as Microsoft says the licensing is per machine and
not person.

So if that's true, once Vista installs, can I use--what is now old and no
longer used on that machine--XP's Key and install that XP on another
computer??

No. You end up with *one* license, not two. The old license gets bound
to the Vista license.

This is the primary reason that the Upgrade version is cheaper than
the Full Version.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

So when you 'Upgrade' an XP machine with Vista, Vista insists that
XP be installed on the machine as Microsoft says the licensing is
per machine and not person.

So if that's true, once Vista installs, can I use--what is now old
and no longer used on that machine--XP's Key and install that XP on
another computer??

This is not OEM stuff, but retail packages.

Is the "Vista" license an UPGRADE license or FULL RETAIL license?
When you purchased it - was it labeled/advertised as an "UPGRADE" or did it
not say and because it is a full retail - you can perform said upgrade?

If Vista is a Full Retail version and your Windows XP was also a full retail
(not upgrade, not OEM) license - I would personally believe you would have
no trouble now using that Windows XP install where ever you desire.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

No. You end up with *one* license, not two. The old license gets
bound to the Vista license.

This is the primary reason that the Upgrade version is cheaper than
the Full Version.

However (please read my response elsewhere in this thread) - what if both
versions are FULl RETAIL (XP and Vista) and the 'upgrade' is strictly one of
convenience (so that everything does not have to be installed
anew/restored)? At that point, you have two full licensed copies.

Sure - there would be less question on the rights of the customer if a CLEAN
install of Windows Vista was done as opposed to the upgrade with the full
version. Then you would have removed Windows XP completely (which I believe
the upgrade of Windows Vista does now - pretty cleanly) before installing
Windows Vista.

My question is, "If you have two full retail licensed versions (XP and
Vista) and you use the full retail version of Vista to 'upgrade' the full
retail version of XP for convenience purposes - have you actually linked
those two licenses together?"

 

[David B.]

If the Vista license was a full version, not an upgrade, and the upgrade was
done for convenience, IMHO I think the XP license would be free and not tied
to the Vista license, but this is only my .02

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

However (please read my response elsewhere in this thread) - what if both
versions are FULl RETAIL (XP and Vista) and the 'upgrade' is strictly one of
convenience (so that everything does not have to be installed
anew/restored)? At that point, you have two full licensed copies.

Yes, my understanding is that you are correct. I had assumed (perhaps
incorrectly) that the OP was talking about an Upgrade version of
Vista.

Sure - there would be less question on the rights of the customer if a CLEAN
install of Windows Vista was done as opposed to the upgrade with the full
version. Then you would have removed Windows XP completely (which I believe
the upgrade of Windows Vista does now - pretty cleanly) before installing
Windows Vista.

My question is, "If you have two full retail licensed versions (XP and
Vista) and you use the full retail version of Vista to 'upgrade' the full
retail version of XP for convenience purposes - have you actually linked
those two licenses together?"

I am neither a lawyer nor can I speak for Microsoft, but again, I
think not. I believe you are correct.

 

[Enkidu]

However (please read my response elsewhere in this thread) - what if both
versions are FULl RETAIL (XP and Vista) and the 'upgrade' is strictly one of
convenience (so that everything does not have to be installed
anew/restored)? At that point, you have two full licensed copies.

Sure - there would be less question on the rights of the customer if a CLEAN
install of Windows Vista was done as opposed to the upgrade with the full
version. Then you would have removed Windows XP completely (which I believe
the upgrade of Windows Vista does now - pretty cleanly) before installing
Windows Vista.

My question is, "If you have two full retail licensed versions (XP and
Vista) and you use the full retail version of Vista to 'upgrade' the full
retail version of XP for convenience purposes - have you actually linked
those two licenses together?"

The opposing opinion would be that, even though the Vista is a full
retail version, an *upgrade* presupposes an existing OS, so the two
licences would be linked. But that would be a waste of the Vista license.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

[David B.]

But the license for the full version does not require a pre existing
license, only the upgrade stipulates that you have to have a valid previous
version of Windows.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

So when you 'Upgrade' an XP machine with Vista, Vista insists that XP be
installed on the machine as Microsoft says the licensing is per machine and
not person.

So if that's true, once Vista installs, can I use--what is now old and no
longer used on that machine--XP's Key and install that XP on another
computer??

No. When one uses an Upgrade license, the older license that's used as
a qualifying product for the Upgrade license cannot legitimately be used
anywhere else, as it becomes subsumed by, and an inseparable part of,
the upgrade.

This is not OEM stuff, but retail packages.

Irrelevant, in this case.


--

Bruce Chambers

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