office XP license

  • Thread starter Thread starter steener
  • Start date Start date
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steener

A simple question (I think) before I open the box on the Office XP upgrade I
just bought:

I have three computers in the house, not networked. Can I install this
upgrade (to Office 97) on all three, or will the license allow an
installation on only one computer?

thanks,
Steener
 
A retail upgrade version of Office XP permits you to
upgrade only two computers.

--
Nicholas

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| A simple question (I think) before I open the box on the Office XP upgrade I
| just bought:
|
| I have three computers in the house, not networked. Can I install this
| upgrade (to Office 97) on all three, or will the license allow an
| installation on only one computer?
|
| thanks,
| Steener
|
|
 
For the best most accurate answer to this question it should be asked on one
of the office boards. Click Newsgroups on the Outlook Express toolbar, type
"officexp" without the quotes in the search box, press enter and post this
question on one of the office boards.
 
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 123761
read this article....maybe info on the box...small print.
 
Steener,

The correct answer to this question is that you can only legally install
Office on a single computer. The ONLY exception in the EULA (License) is
that MS gives you the right to install it on a second, portable computer
that will NEVER be used at the same time as the first computer.

So if there are three people living in a household, then you need 3 licenses
for Office if you want it installed on each.
 
Thanks to all who offered a response to my question.

Maybe I should have been more explicit: I can install the upgrade "legally"
on one desktop and one laptop only. What - other than my own moral
convictions - would stop me from installing it "illegally" on the other
desktop in my house?

Forgive me if this sounds frivolous...I'm curious.

ps to Michael Solomon: There don't seem to be any "officexp" groups on the
msnews server; not in English, anyway.
 
You have to activate Office XP with Microsoft to be able
to use it, and it can only be activated on the desktop and
laptop. You will not be able to use it on the third
computer. You would have to purchase an additional license
for the 2nd desktop. Contact Microsoft Sales at 1-800-426-
9400 if you have any questions.
 
Steener,

To answer the question about newsgroups (someone already answered the legal
issue):

Looking at microsoft.public.office.* there look like ~15+ ngs and these are
the English ones.
 
Office XP will only activate successfully on two computers.
Your "moral convictions", or lack thereof, have nothing to
do with the product activation mechanism.

--
Nicholas

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Thanks to all who offered a response to my question.
|
| Maybe I should have been more explicit: I can install the upgrade "legally"
| on one desktop and one laptop only. What - other than my own moral
| convictions - would stop me from installing it "illegally" on the other
| desktop in my house?
|
| Forgive me if this sounds frivolous...I'm curious.
|
| ps to Michael Solomon: There don't seem to be any "officexp" groups on the
| msnews server; not in English, anyway.
|
|
|
| | > A simple question (I think) before I open the box on the Office XP upgrade
| I
| > just bought:
| >
| > I have three computers in the house, not networked. Can I install this
| > upgrade (to Office 97) on all three, or will the license allow an
| > installation on only one computer?
| >
| > thanks,
| > Steener
| >
| >
|
|
 
You have to activate Office XP with Microsoft to be able
to use it, and it can only be activated on the desktop and
laptop. You will not be able to use it on the third
computer. You would have to purchase an additional license
for the 2nd desktop. Contact Microsoft Sales at 1-800-426-
9400 if you have any questions.
Click to expand...

I wish I had known that before I installed my copy on my daughter's
computer. I innocently thought that if I bought the CD, I should be
able to install it on all home computers I own. I had no problem when
I did this with Office 97. Now she's stuck. She can't use it without
registering it and she can't register it, since I registered it on my
computer. And she can't back out the install and go to the previous
version. I understand charging for multiple licenses for business
use, but why should I have to pay double or triple the cost of the
software for home use? It's no wonder people prirate copies of
software and install them illegally.
 
Greetings --

Product Activation. But, like locks on house and car doors, this
serves only to prevent "crimes of opportunity" by keeping nominally
"honest" people honest. Determined thieves will always find ways to
jimmy locks and bypass PA.

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
 
Greetings --

Let's apply a little common sense to the question, shall we? Does
your local grocer let you walk out of the market with three loaves of
bread when you've paid for only one? Can you drive two cars home if
you've paid for only one? Does your local clothier allow you to leave
the shop with two shirts if you've purchased only one? Have you
noticed a trend, yet? So where in the world did you ever get the idea
that software manufacturers would sell their product licenses any
differently? In real life, it doesn't matter whether the product
being purchased is a physical item, a service, or a software license -
if all you buy is one, that's all you get.

It's because so many people stole earlier versions of Office by
performing multiple installations, even after having agreed to be
bound by the terms of the EULA that clearly stated the restrictions,
that Microsoft chose to implement Product Activation as a
theft-deterrent mechanism.


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
 
Greetings --

Let's apply a little common sense to the question, shall we? Does
your local grocer let you walk out of the market with three loaves of
bread when you've paid for only one? Can you drive two cars home if
you've paid for only one? Does your local clothier allow you to leave
the shop with two shirts if you've purchased only one? Have you
noticed a trend, yet? So where in the world did you ever get the idea
that software manufacturers would sell their product licenses any
differently? In real life, it doesn't matter whether the product
being purchased is a physical item, a service, or a software license -
if all you buy is one, that's all you get.
Click to expand...

I don't get the logic - and I'm not trying to be a hardass about it,
but the analogy doesn't seem to work. A load of bread is a disposable
item, and only one person can use a car at a time. But by the same
logic, you're telling me that if I purchase a music CD, I should only
play it on one CD player? Or if I purchase a dress for my daughters
and they happen to wear the same size, only one of them can wear the
dress? I'm not looking to take something that isn't mine; I'm not
talking about installing the software on my computer then loaning it
to a friend, I feel I should have a right to use software I purchased
on all machines I own - granted within reason. I'm not a business and
certain software packages are expensive. To double or triple the cost
is an unfair financial burden. Am I being unreasonable?
 
Greetings --

Can you play that one CD in two stereos at the same time? Can
both of your daughters wear that one dress simultaneously? What don't
you understand about your own analogies? You purchased a _single_
license of WinXP, so you can install it on a _single_ PC. If you
subsequently wish to use that license on a different PC, just like
taking the dress off one daughter so the second can wear it, you'll
need to remove WinXP from the first computer. Or buy a second
license.

What you, like many others, fail to realize is that you have not
purchased Windows XP. You have purchased a _license_ (Microsoft's
permission, in other words) to use their intellectual property on your
computer, for just so long as you abide by the terms of that license.
Almost all software, regardless of company, is "sold" this way: as a
license only. If you don't like the terms of any given license,
simply buy a different product, one with licensing terms more to your
liking.



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
 
Bruce, no disrespect intended, but I have to favour Sandy on this. It does
seem a bit much for MS to force an individual to spend hundreds of dollars
just so he and two kids in the same house can use the same software.

You'd think they might be able to figure out some way to expand the license
to accommodate this kind of situation.

Anyway, thanks for the info.
 
Greetings --

Ah, but no one is "forcing" anyone to use the same software on
every PC in the house. That's a free choice that each home computer
owner gets to make for him/herself. Having made that a choice, one
should be prepared to pay for it. I was always taught to be
responsible for the costs/consequences of my own actions/decisions. I
really can't understand why that simple concept seems so utterly alien
to so many people today, particularly when it comes to purchasing
software licenses.

Now, would it be nice if Microsoft were to offer some sort of
deeply discounted licensing scheme for households with multiple PCs?
You bet. But that is a business decision that's entirely up to
Microsoft. It's their product to sell the way they want. If
consumers want something different, all they have to do is buy
products from a different manufacturer with a licensing scheme more to
their liking.


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
 
Now, would it be nice if Microsoft were to offer some sort of
deeply discounted licensing scheme for households with multiple PCs?
You bet. But that is a business decision that's entirely up to
Microsoft. It's their product to sell the way they want. If
consumers want something different, all they have to do is buy
products from a different manufacturer with a licensing scheme more to
their liking.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. For example, anyone not willing to pay for a license for each
instance of, say, Office, can just download and install something like
OpenOffice.
--
Brian Tillman
Smiths Aerospace
3290 Patterson Ave. SE, MS 1B3
Grand Rapids, MI 49512-1991
Brian.Tillman is the name, smiths-aerospace.com is the domain.

I don't speak for Smiths, and Smiths doesn't speak for me.
 
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