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XP OEM - Interesting conversation with MS employee



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 11th 05, 12:03 AM
Michael C
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default XP OEM - Interesting conversation with MS employee

Last night I upgraded a customers machine with new motherboard, cpu, memory,
video card, netcard and soundcard. The only thing that was the same was the
HDD, dvd drive, tape backup and scsi card. I was having trouble with the
internet so I phoned MS to activate XP again. After it activated I asked him
what the limit is to hardware change before XP won't activate. He said that
XP oem has to always remain on the same PC to be activated. In return I
asked "what constitutes the same PC?". He kept going around in circles and
not answering my question and just stating that it has to always remain on
the same PC. He never gave me a definition of what "same PC" means. In the
end I asked if it was more of a policy than a technical limitation and he
said "thank you for calling microsoft to activate your software" and hung
up!

I suspect that means that it can be installed on a completely new machine
and will activate ok. Is that true?


  #2  
Old May 11th 05, 12:20 AM
Alias
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Michael C" wrote

Last night I upgraded a customers machine with new motherboard, cpu,
memory, video card, netcard and soundcard. The only thing that was the
same was the HDD, dvd drive, tape backup and scsi card. I was having
trouble with the internet so I phoned MS to activate XP again. After it
activated I asked him what the limit is to hardware change before XP won't
activate. He said that XP oem has to always remain on the same PC to be
activated. In return I asked "what constitutes the same PC?". He kept
going around in circles and not answering my question and just stating
that it has to always remain on the same PC. He never gave me a definition
of what "same PC" means. In the end I asked if it was more of a policy
than a technical limitation and he said "thank you for calling microsoft
to activate your software" and hung up!

I suspect that means that it can be installed on a completely new machine
and will activate ok. Is that true?


Good guess.

See http://www.microscum.com/mmpafaq/ for more details.

Alias


  #4  
Old May 11th 05, 12:38 AM
Michael C
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Posts: n/a
Default

"Leythos" wrote in message
...
You've asked/speculated two different things:

1) What are the rules
2) What can you get away with

One has little to do with the other, the other has a lot to do with the
one, you can read it as you want


That's exactly what I asked him. I asked "if it was more of a policy than a
technical limitation". I don't want to pirate XP but if a customer has
bought XP I'd like to know what I can do to their machine before a new copy
is required. If XP hadn't worked after their machine was upgraded it would
have been a problem and it would have been good for me to know before hand.
I probably should have found out earlier but there are so many things I
should have found out earlier and MS don't make it easy sometimes. Anyway,
it looks like I can do whatever I want to the machine and it will still
work, which is a good thing. :-)

Michael


  #5  
Old May 11th 05, 12:42 AM
Leythos
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
says...
"Leythos" wrote in message
...
You've asked/speculated two different things:

1) What are the rules
2) What can you get away with

One has little to do with the other, the other has a lot to do with the
one, you can read it as you want


That's exactly what I asked him. I asked "if it was more of a policy than a
technical limitation". I don't want to pirate XP but if a customer has
bought XP I'd like to know what I can do to their machine before a new copy
is required. If XP hadn't worked after their machine was upgraded it would
have been a problem and it would have been good for me to know before hand.
I probably should have found out earlier but there are so many things I
should have found out earlier and MS don't make it easy sometimes. Anyway,
it looks like I can do whatever I want to the machine and it will still
work, which is a good thing. :-)


Actually, you can call MS and ask for Licensing information, not the
activation drones, MS proper and ask for a email/document explaining
licensing. Now, after I've said this, you are also going to get people
telling you that you can do what you want as MS has never taken any
personal user/installer to court over multiple installs against a single
key/license.

In the grand scheme of software licensing, it's up to you to determine
what is right/wrong and what you feel you can get away with. Some of us
are hard-line and purchase a OEM copy considering that additional MS
documents call the Motherboard the defining component, while others look
at the EULA and say that the power cord could be the single defining
component. It's all in what you are comfortable with until you ASK MS
legal what they mean.

--
--

remove 999 in order to email me
  #6  
Old May 11th 05, 01:40 AM
kurttrail
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Leythos wrote:
In article ,
says...
"Leythos" wrote in message
...
You've asked/speculated two different things:

1) What are the rules
2) What can you get away with

One has little to do with the other, the other has a lot to do with
the one, you can read it as you want


That's exactly what I asked him. I asked "if it was more of a policy
than a technical limitation". I don't want to pirate XP but if a
customer has bought XP I'd like to know what I can do to their
machine before a new copy is required. If XP hadn't worked after
their machine was upgraded it would have been a problem and it would
have been good for me to know before hand. I probably should have
found out earlier but there are so many things I should have found
out earlier and MS don't make it easy sometimes. Anyway, it looks
like I can do whatever I want to the machine and it will still work,
which is a good thing. :-)


Actually, you can call MS and ask for Licensing information, not the
activation drones, MS proper and ask for a email/document explaining
licensing. Now, after I've said this, you are also going to get people
telling you that you can do what you want as MS has never taken any
personal user/installer to court over multiple installs against a
single key/license.

In the grand scheme of software licensing, it's up to you to determine
what is right/wrong and what you feel you can get away with. Some of
us are hard-line and purchase a OEM copy considering that additional
MS documents call the Motherboard the defining component, while
others look at the EULA and say that the power cord could be the
single defining component. It's all in what you are comfortable with
until you ASK MS legal what they mean.


LOL! The End User never agree to that post EULA password-protected
webpage that makes the unsubstantiated claim that the MOBO is the
defining component!

And different MS employees tell a different story about at what point
does upgrading components constitute a new and different computer.

Leythos you really should just give it up! The OP actually talked to a
MS employee and couldn't get a straight answer out of him. And why is
that? Because MS rather keep the FUD surrounding when upgrading a
computer turns it into another computer by defining it in the EULA. MS
KNOWS if pressed their POST EULA FUD is in no way enforceable.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"


  #8  
Old May 11th 05, 02:11 AM
kony
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Tue, 10 May 2005 23:42:05 GMT, Leythos
wrote:



Actually, you can call MS and ask for Licensing information, not the
activation drones, MS proper and ask for a email/document explaining
licensing.


No, you quite specifically cannot do this.
It is not binding to add terms and not legal to try to
enfore them. Of all possible avenues, MS cannot supply you
with "Further" details about a license that weren't already
part of that license. If someone simply can't find their
EULA then they might be SOL.


In the grand scheme of software licensing, it's up to you to determine
what is right/wrong and what you feel you can get away with. Some of us
are hard-line and purchase a OEM copy considering that additional MS
documents call the Motherboard the defining component,


That's not "hard-line", that's ignorance.
If the license agreement that came with the product
specifies the motherboard, then it is (a) defining
component. It is improper and pointless to make any mention
at all of "additional MS documents". If those documents had
told you that you are bound to reformat your hard drive
every 7 days, would you do that too?


while others look
at the EULA and say that the power cord could be the single defining
component. It's all in what you are comfortable with until you ASK MS
legal what they mean.


No reasonable person will conclude the power cord is a
defining component, UNLESS the license was purchased with
that cord, if the EULA allows it.

It is NOT "what you are comfortable with until you ask MS
legal".

MS legal cannot add, subtract, or redefine a EULA after the
sale.
  #10  
Old May 11th 05, 02:26 AM
kurttrail
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

kony wrote:
On Tue, 10 May 2005 23:42:05 GMT, Leythos
wrote:



Actually, you can call MS and ask for Licensing information, not the
activation drones, MS proper and ask for a email/document explaining
licensing.


No, you quite specifically cannot do this.
It is not binding to add terms and not legal to try to
enfore them. Of all possible avenues, MS cannot supply you
with "Further" details about a license that weren't already
part of that license. If someone simply can't find their
EULA then they might be SOL.


In the grand scheme of software licensing, it's up to you to
determine what is right/wrong and what you feel you can get away
with. Some of us are hard-line and purchase a OEM copy considering
that additional MS documents call the Motherboard the defining
component,


That's not "hard-line", that's ignorance.
If the license agreement that came with the product
specifies the motherboard, then it is (a) defining
component. It is improper and pointless to make any mention
at all of "additional MS documents". If those documents had
told you that you are bound to reformat your hard drive
every 7 days, would you do that too?


while others look
at the EULA and say that the power cord could be the single defining
component. It's all in what you are comfortable with until you ASK MS
legal what they mean.


No reasonable person will conclude the power cord is a
defining component, UNLESS the license was purchased with
that cord, if the EULA allows it.

It is NOT "what you are comfortable with until you ask MS
legal".

MS legal cannot add, subtract, or redefine a EULA after the
sale.


Amen!

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"


 




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