Bruce said:
If you have a retail license for Office XP, then its EULA permits
you to install it on one desktop computer and one portable computer, so
long as you're the owner and primary user of both computers.
However, if you have an OEM (came pre-installed on the computer)
license, you cannot do this; the OEM license is valid only for use on
the computer with which the application was purchased; further the EULA
expressly precludes transferring the license to any other computer,
under any circumstances.
Oops! Forget to answer the second question.
Based on your description, you have an OEM license for WinXP. An
OEM version must be sold with a piece of hardware (normally a
motherboard or hard rive, if not an entire PC) and is _permanently_
bound to the first PC on which it's installed. An OEM license, once
installed, is not legally transferable to another computer under _any_
circumstances.
You need to purchase a separate WinXP license for each computer on
which you install it. (As long as you have multiple identical licenses,
it doesn't matter if you use the same CD for the installations, as long
as you use a different license each time.)
Just as it has *always* been with *all* Microsoft operating
systems, it's necessary (to be in compliance with both the EULA and U.S.
copyright law
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/117.html), if not
technically) to purchase one WinXP license for each computer on which it
is installed. (Consult an attorney versed in copyright law to determine
final applicability in your locale.) The only way in which WinXP
licensing differs from that of earlier versions of Windows is that
Microsoft has finally added a copy protection and anti-theft mechanism,
Product Activation, to prevent (or at least make more difficult)
multiple installations using a single license.
One can buy additional licenses, assuming one already has a retail
license. Naturally, Microsoft cannot sell additional OEM licenses. Be
aware, however, that you'll probably pay more this way than you would if
you were to buy a second copy of WinXP from a discount retailer;
Microsoft will only offer you a 15% discount off their MSRP.
Additional Licenses for Windows XP Home Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/addlic.asp
Additional Licenses for Windows XP Professional
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/addlic.asp
--
Bruce Chambers
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