XP License on removable drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Schmidt
  • Start date Start date
Yes, I'm talking about removable IDE drives. The intent is only one copy
running on this single computer at any one time, and not on any other
computers. The drives are where our company data backups would reside, not
to have as their own backups of each other.

I'm not concerned so much about the EULA - my concern is activation and
validation. I believe I'm within the spirit of the EULA as long as only one
drive is in use on this single computer at any one time, and not used on any
other computers.

I guess my main question is *technically* will this work, both at
installation authorization and future upgrades/validation?

John
 
John Schmidt said:
Yes, I'm talking about removable IDE drives. The intent is only one copy
running on this single computer at any one time, and not on any other
computers. The drives are where our company data backups would reside, not
to have as their own backups of each other.

I'm not concerned so much about the EULA - my concern is activation and
validation. I believe I'm within the spirit of the EULA as long as only
one
drive is in use on this single computer at any one time, and not used on
any
other computers.

I guess my main question is *technically* will this work, both at
installation authorization and future upgrades/validation?

John
Click to expand...


John:
There is absolutely no problem involving activation when you will be using
your "cloned" removable HD in the manner you described. The system will
treat that cloned drive in *exactly* the same way as the source disk from
which you cloned the contents of that latter disk to your removable drive.
No activation will be requested nor is it necessary.

Contrary to some of the views expressed in this thread, you, or anyone else,
are *not* violating the spirit nor the letter of Microsoft's EULA when you
use a removable HD containing a cloned copy of the OS as a restoration
device in the identical machine from which the clone was created.
Anna
 
John Schmidt said:
Yes, I'm talking about removable IDE drives. The intent is only
one copy running on this single computer at any one time, and
not on any other computers...
[..........]

I guess my main question is *technically* will this work, both at
installation authorization and future upgrades/validation?
Click to expand...


Yes, it works - I do that on a weekly basis. I even put 4 or more
archived WinXP OSes on the same backup hard drive, each
selectable and bootable. Updatable software on each clone
can be updated as if intervening updates had never been
done. For instance, Windows updates and Norton Anti-Virus
updates proceed normally for the clone despite any updating
having been done for the "parent" or for its other clones. Any
subscriptions for these updates carry over to the clones since
the software vendor doesn't keep track of how many times a
user downloads an update for his purchased software.

But you must be sure NOT to start up the clone for the
FIRST time with the "parent" OS visible to it, or the
clone will thereafter depend on the continued presence
of the "parent".

*TimDaniels*
 
OK - am I correct that I will have no problems if I *clone* the drives, but
might have problems if XP was manually installed on both drives from the CD,
even though the computer is the same? This scenario obviously involves
authenticating twice. I'm just trying to avoid buying cloning software -
'might as well buy another copy of XP in that case...

John
 
John said:
authenticating twice. I'm just trying to avoid buying cloning software -
'might as well buy another copy of XP in that case...
Click to expand...

You dont have to buy cloning software. It's free:


XXCLONE Freeware Package (for personal use only)

* No sign up necessary.
* Supports the basic XXCLONE features.

http://www.xxclone.com/
 
Bob I said:
[.......]]There is the EULA and the intent is that one copy is INSTALLED AND RUNNING on one PC.
Many people misread the AND as OR, and that is a BIG
difference.
Click to expand...


The following is the pertinent line from the WinXP EULA:

"Installation and use. You may install, use, access, display
and run one copy of the Product on a single computer,... "

Although legal terminology may confuse the meanings of
AND and OR that exist in binary logic, and the placement
of a single comma may completely reverse the meaning
of a clause, I also read the above passage to mean that it
permits ("you may") install AND run ONE COPY of WinXP
on a single computer. One might argue that the "one copy"
is as important as the "and".

But regardless of the meaning or intent of the EULA, it
hasn't been tested in court for making multiple copies
that are used only on the same computer. I argue that it
falls under the concept of "fair usage" whereby a buyer
of a music CD can make copies for his personal and sole
usage and backup since he can only use one such copy
at a time.

As recently as May of this year, Carey Frisch (MVP),
was waving the EULA in regards to cloning:
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...lic.windowsxp.*&rnum=1&hl=en#de1d1c10e5e1383d

(Or go to Groups.Goole.com and search on the Subject:
"clone of winxp hard drive" if the above link doesn't work.)

It's interesting that such condemnation of cloning is not
being raised at this time by the MVPs.

*TimDaniels*
 
John Schmidt said:
OK - am I correct that I will have no problems if I *clone* the drives,
but might have problems if XP was manually installed on both drives
from the CD, even though the computer is the same? This scenario
obviously involves authenticating twice. I'm just trying to avoid buying
cloning software - 'might as well buy another copy of XP in that case...
Click to expand...


I tried the free trial download of Casper XP for 30 days,
and I liked it, so I popped for the full $50 retail copy.
Considering the convenience and safety afforded by that
utility, it was well worth the price. Check it out at
www.FSSdev.com/products/casperxp/ .

I've also bought Acronis's True Image (which can't clone
individual partitions - only entire HDs), and I bought
Ghost 9.0 when it was called Drive Image 7.0 , and for
*cloning*, Casper XP is easiest and best.

*TimDaniels*
 
Plato said:
You dont have to buy cloning software. It's free:


XXCLONE Freeware Package (for personal use only)

* No sign up necessary.
* Supports the basic XXCLONE features.

http://www.xxclone.com/
Click to expand...


It took more than 2 hours for xxClone to clone a
20GB partition on my HD. The author said that
the time was used to prepare for later incremental
backups which would go very fast. But since I
don't do incremental backups, the slow initial
cloning was a major negative.

*TimDaniels*
 
Timothy said:
It's interesting that such condemnation of cloning is not
being raised at this time by the MVPs.
Click to expand...


....because, borrowing from your earlier response in this
thread, they have been constanty reminded that they may
know computers and how to read the EULA but that they are
also not [copyright] lawyers...like some of the rest of
us.
 
John Schmidt said:
OK - am I correct that I will have no problems if I *clone* the drives,
but
might have problems if XP was manually installed on both drives from the
CD,
even though the computer is the same? This scenario obviously involves
authenticating twice. I'm just trying to avoid buying cloning software -
'might as well buy another copy of XP in that case...

John
Click to expand...


John:
With all due respect, in my opinion you're really going about this all
wrong. Frankly, it borders on the absurd to install two separate copies of
XP on your computer - one on one drive, another on another drive. What is
really the point of all this if what you really want (and need) is a
fail-safe (or at least *near* failsafe) backup system that you can establish
& maintain on a routine basis? Isn't that your real goal?

And with your removable HD (better still if you would use two) and I assume,
an internal HD, you can achieve precisely that through the use of a disk
imaging program such as the ones mentioned in various responses to you. The
cost of these programs is trifling compared to the cost of another retail
copy of XP. And there's no reason why you couldn't use these programs to
good advantage, i.e., to systematically & routinely clone the contents of
one drive to another drive. Having a removable HD, such as you have or will
have, makes the process even more effective. Using these disk imaging
programs to create direct disk-to-disk clones is relatively simple &
straightforward.

The ones that have been mentioned, i.e., Symantec's Norton Ghost & Acronis
True Image are fine programs in my experience. I would recommend the Ghost
2003 program rather than the Ghost 9 program (this is the latest version)
because I find it simpler to use for straight disk-to-disk cloning purposes
and just as effective as the Ghost 9 program. I've no recent experience with
the Casper XP program mentioned by one poster. I worked with an earlier
version some time ago and found it quite inferior to the Ghost program. But
perhaps this latest version is OK. As to the XXCLONE program someone
mentioned, my advice is to forget about that one. Based on my experience
with it, it's so painfully slow and awkward to use that I wouldn't recommend
it as a routine disk imaging program.
Anna
 
Anna said:
.....if what you really want (and need) is a
fail-safe (or at least *near* failsafe) backup system
that you can establish & maintain on a routine basis?
Isn't that your real goal?

And with your removable HD (better still if you would
use two) and I assume, an internal HD, you can achieve
precisely that through the use of a disk imaging program
such as the ones mentioned in various responses to you.
Click to expand...

I agree. And if I had the room in the PC tower, I'd
install *two* removable drive racks. That makes it *so*
much easier to substitute drives in case of a failure,
and it makes it *so* much easier to "hide" the "parent"
OS when starting up the clone for a test drive before
archiving it as a backup - instead of disconnecting or
removing the source HD, you just turn its power switch
to "off" before starting up the computer. I use the remov-
able drives by Kingwin, specifically the model with the
fan in the bottom of the tray which draws cooling air
directly past the circuit card on the underside of the HD:
http://www.kingwin.com/pdut_detail.asp?LineID=&CateID=25&ID=136
It has aluminum construction for added cooling by conduction,
and for long-term dimensional stability. It also comes
in other fan configurations and in 3 different finishes.

By doing a search at various sites such as Nextag.com
and PriceWatch.com, etc., on the model no. that interests
you, you can find these assemblies for $24 and less, with
extra trays for $15 and less. All you need are the empty
5 1/2" bays to put them in.

*TimDaniels*
 
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