Wayne said:
I've broken down and spent Good Money for a legal copy of windows XP Pro and
have the following questions?
I own 4 computers that I tear apart and upgrade constantly.
Sounds like an expensive hobby. But, as you can afford 4 PCs, you
should have no trouble affording a legitimate OS license for each. Of
course, the corollary of this truism is that if you cannot afford 4
legitimate OS licenses, than your truly cannot afford to have 4
simultaneously operational computers.
.... Not to mention
the computers I have for my kids. Is this going to be a problem with the
new anti piracy security in windows XP Pro?
Not as long as you purchase a separate WinXP license for each computer
on which you install it.
Am I aloud to move my one legal copy of XP Pro around on the 4 machines I
play with?
Assuming a retail license (OEM licenses are not transferable under
any circumstances), simply remove WinXP from the computer it is
currently on, and install it onto the new one. If it's been more than
120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll
most likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If
it's been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.
Here are the facts pertaining to activation:
Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/
Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm
I'm afraid your going to tell me one license for one machine.
Well, that *is* the way it's been since the days of Windows 3.1, so it
shouldn't come as any sort of surprise. WPA is simply an enforcement
mechanism made necessary by - judging by the contents and tenor of your
post - people such as yourself. You need to purchase a separate WinXP
license for each computer on which you install it.
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
Can't I just
tell MS about what I have in way of personal machines and that the license
should be for ME and my hobbie not for ONE machine?
Not unless you get hired by Microsoft and promoted to an executive
position from which you can then dictate the way Microsoft elects to run
its own business. Windows is their product, to sell as they like.
You're perfectly free to select any of several other competing operating
systems, each with their own different licensing requirements. Simply
choose the product whose licensing terms meet your "needs."
Does MS seriously think I should pay more $ than the several hundred dollars
I paid for my one copy to have the operating system on my 4 machines?
"Several hundred dollars?" If you paid more than $200 for any OS, you
really need to work on your comparative shopping skills. Beyond that,
you really haven't had much exposure to the real world, have you? Can
you buy a set of license plates for a single automobile, and use them on
every other car that your family members own/drive? Can you take your
family to a local restaurant, feed them all separate meals from the
menu, and pay for only one entree? If you purchase a single loaf of
bread, can you leave the store with four loaves?
Anyway, who's making you load the same OS on every computer in your
house? This is an entirely personal choice on your part. If you don't
want to buy the additional licenses, don't place the same OS on every
computer. It really doesn't get much simpler than that.
On a fresh install ..... do you now have to put in the CD key that came with
the XP Pro you bought ...
Well, yes. That's the whole point of having the Product Key - to prove
that you've a legitimate license.
are they tied together some how that the CD and
Key must match?
Product Keys are bound to the specific type and language of
CD/license (OEM, Volume, retail, full, or Upgrade) with which they are
purchased. For example, a WinXP Home OEM Product Key won't work for any
retail version of WinXP Home, or for any version of WinXP Pro, and vice
versa. An upgrade's Product Key cannot be used with a full version CD,
and vice versa. An OEM Product Key will not work to install a retail
product. An Italian Product Key will not work with an English CD.
Bottom line: Product Keys and CD/license types cannot be mixed & matched.
However, within its class/type, each CD is not unique. Therefore,
a retail full WinXP Pro product key will work with any retail full WinXP
Pro CD. A WinXP Home Upgrade product key will work with any WinXP Home
Upgrade CD. An OEM Product key should work with any generic OEM
installation CD, but not necessarily with a branded OEM Recovery CD.
--
Bruce Chambers
Help us help you:
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
