XP license to 2nd computer legal?

I'm thinking of buying a laptop with XP Media Center, but would like to
instead install linux on that laptop and use XP Media Center on another
pc that has a tv tuner card to setup an HTPC.

Assuming I could get a clean copy of XP Media Center to install on the
2nd pc (as opposed to the oem disk that will come with the laptop) is it
legal to re-use the license since I will have paid for the OS and it
will only be running on one machine?

I don't know about "legal" .. Microsoft doesn't make laws,
but they would try to make you think they do .... but Bill
would say that since the OS is "bundled" with the laptop
at a greatly reduced fee, it is "legally" only a part of that
bundle. My experience is if you purchase a bundled OS,
it is pre-registered by the Vendor, and you are just
activating it in your name when you purchase the product.
I think that means you need to purchase an over the
counter OS that is not associated with a machine in
order to be able to re-install it to another machine when
ever you upgrade your hardware. I do that all the time,
and when I call Microsoft to re-register it, they do it
for me. Also, I've been able to do it from the install disk
if I have the system online. And I've been able to do
it after a re-install that way too ... you have to be
careful how you enter the numbers ... any typos, and
the re-install will fail, and you then have to call them.
All of this doesn't mean that some know-it-all won't
come screaming into this post swearing I'm wrong.
So I call Microsoft and ask whenever I do anything
like this, and they have always helped me do it, and
not one time have they refused. Only difference in
me and the rest of the world, is I am making Academic
purchases over the counter, and paying the extra cost
for the stand-alone OS. It is $130 as opposed to $80.
Confused ?

johns

Carlos writes:

I'm thinking of buying a laptop with XP Media Center, but would like to
instead install linux on that laptop and use XP Media Center on another
pc that has a tv tuner card to setup an HTPC.

Assuming I could get a clean copy of XP Media Center to install on the
2nd pc (as opposed to the oem disk that will come with the laptop) is it
legal to re-use the license since I will have paid for the OS and it
will only be running on one machine?

It technically violates the terms of the OEM license for Windows.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

On 24 May 2006 10:34:24 -0700, "johns" wrote:

I don't know about "legal" .. Microsoft doesn't make laws,
but they would try to make you think they do .... but Bill
would say that since the OS is "bundled" with the laptop
at a greatly reduced fee, it is "legally" only a part of that
bundle. My experience is if you purchase a bundled OS,
it is pre-registered by the Vendor, and you are just
activating it in your name when you purchase the product.
I think that means you need to purchase an over the
counter OS that is not associated with a machine in
order to be able to re-install it to another machine when
ever you upgrade your hardware. I do that all the time,
and when I call Microsoft to re-register it, they do it
for me. Also, I've been able to do it from the install disk
if I have the system online. And I've been able to do
it after a re-install that way too ... you have to be
careful how you enter the numbers ... any typos, and
the re-install will fail, and you then have to call them.
All of this doesn't mean that some know-it-all won't
come screaming into this post swearing I'm wrong.
So I call Microsoft and ask whenever I do anything
like this, and they have always helped me do it, and
not one time have they refused. Only difference in
me and the rest of the world, is I am making Academic
purchases over the counter, and paying the extra cost
for the stand-alone OS. It is $130 as opposed to $80.
Confused ?

johns

What I'm wondering is when Vista gets settled in as the
mainstream MS OS, and XP is not supported anymore, will MS still give
activation help for XP users? There still are people who use Win98 on
their old systems that can't run WinXP reliably. I have an old AMD
K6-2 that can't run WinXP, and works fine with Win98SE.
I can't help but see the activation thing as a way for MS to
force OS upgrades, and by doing so, forcing hardware upgrades as well.

"Carlos" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of buying a laptop with XP Media Center, but would like to
instead install linux on that laptop and use XP Media Center on another
pc that has a tv tuner card to setup an HTPC.

Assuming I could get a clean copy of XP Media Center to install on the
2nd pc (as opposed to the oem disk that will come with the laptop) is it
legal to re-use the license since I will have paid for the OS and it
will only be running on one machine?

You might not even see an actual CD of Windows when the thing is dekivered.
These ****s are sometimes only putting a recovery program on a hidden
partition on the hard drive.
The only way to get a physical copy is tell'em your HD failed.

Larry Roberts writes:

I can't help but see the activation thing as a way for MS to
force OS upgrades, and by doing so, forcing hardware upgrades as well.

I'm sure that has been one of the motivations of MS all along. It's
getting to the point where many people will never "upgrade" if they
are not forced into it, and MS realizes this.

I'd be happy to use XP indefinitely. I really don't see any reason to
upgrade to anything.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

What I'm wondering is when Vista gets settled in as the
mainstream MS OS, and XP is not supported anymore, will MS still give
activation help for XP users? There still are people who use Win98 on
their old systems that can't run WinXP reliably. I have an old AMD
K6-2 that can't run WinXP, and works fine with Win98SE.
I can't help but see the activation thing as a way for MS to
force OS upgrades, and by doing so, forcing hardware upgrades as well.

Exactly. The activation was presented as a reasonable
protection of copyright, but it was actually a transition
from selling OS licenses to selling embedded Windows.
(Which is a step in the transition to renting software.)

MS gets paid a fee on every PC and they're making
a great deal of extra money from people who threw
away one computer, or lost their CD, and end up buying
another license for copyrighted material they they should,
lehgally, already have a right to use. The real costs of product
activation were not evident to most people when the
program started.

XP home was due to lose all support at the end of this year.
Support has been extended until "2 years after the release
of the next OS" since MS had put themselves in the awkward
position of potentially supporting *none* of their own products
as of 1/1/07.
Already, support for Win2000 and even XP SP1 is
being phased out. An increasing number of things are only
being released for WinXP SP2. And the new versions of
Media Player and IE won't run on 2000, even though it's
theoretically supported until 2009 or 2010. I think there's
no question that MS will stop issuing XP activation codes
at the earliest possible date that they can get away with it.

mayayana wrote:
Exactly. The activation was presented as a reasonable
protection of copyright, but it was actually a transition
from selling OS licenses to selling embedded Windows.
(Which is a step in the transition to renting software.)

Already, support for Win2000 and even XP SP1 is
being phased out. An increasing number of things are only
being released for WinXP SP2. And the new versions of
Media Player and IE won't run on 2000, even though it's
theoretically supported until 2009 or 2010. I think there's
no question that MS will stop issuing XP activation codes
at the earliest possible date that they can get away with it.


When I bought a new barebones system (Shuttle SN21G5, Athlon
64 X2 3800+), I added an OEM WinXP 64 to my order. But then,
after looking at the driver situation (no drivers for my WinTV
card, for instance, while an x86_64 Linux kernel has the
drivers ready to go), *and* thinking ahead to the very issue
of (a) having to ask Bill for permission to use my own computer,
and (b) LockdownOS, er, Vista was right around the corner, and
(c) MS might quit issuing activation codes, I ended up returning
the XP unopened for a refund and left the system as purely Linux.
For those rare times that I actually need XP, I have a
perfectly good ThinkPad with a no-activation-required preinstall.
I made sure to order recovery CDs as well, so I could put a
larger hard drive into the system without a lot of trouble.

I've noticed that recovery-CD-based (or partition-based)
preinstalls typically don't require activation. My folks'
Emachines boxes didn't need it, nor did the ThinkPad.
Site-licensed corporate copies also don't need activation.
It figures that MS would screw the homebuilders!

Given Microsoft's ever-more-intrusive, draconian licensing
terms, I'm glad I decided against putting XP on the new box.

--
Bus error (passengers dumped)

You may be able to install it if it comes with a standalone reinstall disc,
but you probably won't be able to activate it on another machine. Generally
the XP discs are set up to recognize the brand of computer it is installed
on. For example, if you install a Dell XP disc on a Dell machine it will
install without even asking for the product key. If you use the disc on
another machine, it will probably install and ask for the key during
install, but it may not activate. Microsoft disabled the ability to activate
many OEM keys because people were using them to sell (and install) pirated
copies of XP.

"Carlos" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of buying a laptop with XP Media Center, but would like to
instead install linux on that laptop and use XP Media Center on another pc
that has a tv tuner card to setup an HTPC.

Assuming I could get a clean copy of XP Media Center to install on the 2nd
pc (as opposed to the oem disk that will come with the laptop) is it legal
to re-use the license since I will have paid for the OS and it will only
be running on one machine?

On Wed, 24 May 2006 11:26:58 -0500, Carlos had a
flock of green cheek conures squawk out:

I'm thinking of buying a laptop with XP Media Center, but would like to
instead install linux on that laptop and use XP Media Center on another
pc that has a tv tuner card to setup an HTPC.

Assuming I could get a clean copy of XP Media Center to install on the
2nd pc (as opposed to the oem disk that will come with the laptop) is it
legal to re-use the license since I will have paid for the OS and it
will only be running on one machine?

You may not get any cds, and if you do, they only work with the brand
of laptop you buy.

For a Dell, you get no cds with the computer unless you added them at
the time of purchase.

Stephen
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