Tom,
Alex is merely expressing an opinion I am telling you what the position of
the licensing team in Microsoft told me when I raised this very question
with them.
The EULA is correct, you may only install once to one PC. This is true of
multi boot scenarios as well as Virtual PC installs. The two scenarios both
require additional licenses.
If you are a heavy test user the you should look to volume licensing or an
MSDN subscription as a way of correcting your licensing shortfall.
Beta testers are required to provide there own hardware for testing as well
as be properly licensed. You are after all invited to Beta test or you
explicitly apply. You would not expect to be provided with free licenses
for a server operating system if you applied to test a server product such
as SQL or Exchange (?) anymore then you are supplied with additional
licenses for the OS if you feel the need to test on multiple machines or
multi instances on the same machines as multi boot or Virtual PCs.
--
Regards,
Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights
Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups
Mike Brannigan said:
Do it, I do, and the EULA states that one copy per PC, or on a "Computer
System". Since it is on one physical running PC, you should have the right
to install as many instances of that same disk, on that same PC as you
wish.
The activation will go through with no problems, since the hardware is the
same. Hell, even that should be the allowance.
Another thing, I do beta testing (a good deal for MS also, i.e. SP2) on my
other partition, and if MS thinks that I should purchase another copy of
Windows to install on the same PC, where I actually use that secondary
install as a testing partition (for most part) to their benefit, they can
kiss my holiest of holies!!!!
Tom the EULA is more specific.
It states
1. GRANT OF LICENSE. Microsoft grants you the following rights
provided that you comply with all terms and conditions of
this EULA:
* Installation and use. You may install, use, access,
display and run one copy of the Product on a single
computer, such as a workstation, terminal or other device
("Workstation Computer").
Your second install to the computer breaches this in that you are allowed
to
"install" (hence the explicit use of this work in the EULA) the product
once
to a computer.
And yes if you are using retail or OEM media for your testing machine you
are required to purchase a second license for your additional install.
Mot happening Mike, and you can take this to court too! I will not pay for
another copy to use on the same machine, especially when I specifically use
the other instance for testing, nothing else! I also use this primarily for
the benefit OF MS, and they are not paying me for helping them, and I
certainly will *NOT* pay them to help them. I bet most of the MVPs here do
the very same thing, even Alex Nichol states this is not good; it would
prevent most who want to help from beta testing for MS if they had to take
on that expense which would be beneficial for MS both for technical
improvements (which saves them money from having to pay their own for these
tests!!!!!) and profits.
Look, it is one thing to state "One PC' "One Disk" and I agree to that. But
I will not, and truly feel that myself and other, should not, be forced to
have to purchase the same type of OS to use on the very same PC. What
purpose would that serve since *I can only use one bootup at one time
anyway*, and that right there is enough to say it is unreasonable on your
interpretation on the EULA.
Even Alex Nichol, one of the few MVPs here that I trust with his advice and
opinions made such a stance, where he even challenged trusting your post's
position on this particular point:
http://tinyurl.com/5epcw
Tom:
I have been told by Mike Brannigan (at one time) that installing two
instances the *same* copy of Windows on the *same* PC is a violation of
the
EULA. I once had a the SAME OS installed (I have 320gigs of HDD total on
two
drives) two times on the primary drive so my mate could do her
adminstrative
uses on her install. He stated that I need to purchase another license or
full version to use on the same PC, that two instances are not allowed.
Alex:
""I don't entirely trust his posts as being the final position. There is
a clear distinction between installation on two machines which could be
in simultaneous use and two installations on the same one where that is
physically impossible. The wording of the EULA is capable of more than
one interpretation, and, as I have said to MS at a very high level,
that particular one seems perverse. In particular it would mean that it
became impossible to do Beta testing for them""
