User Licence

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I bought an OEM Windows XP Home cd with my PC a year ago, and now I have another PC that I want to install it on. But I want to run BOTH pc's, not just one. Is my copy of Windows licenced for two PC's (I think so, but I'm not sure)? I don't want to install it and have it expire because I can't register it. Info PLZ...
 
Blaker1-9 said:
I bought an OEM Windows XP Home cd with my PC a year ago, and now I have
Click to expand...
another PC that I want to install it on. But I want to run BOTH pc's, not
just one. Is my copy of Windows licenced for two PC's (I think so, but I'm
not sure)? I don't want to install it and have it expire because I can't
register it. Info PLZ...

No your OEM copy is actually only licensed for the first PC it is installed
to.
So even if you destroy your old machine you also no longer have a licenses
to use the OEM copy on another machine - this is just one of the many
restrictions on OEM copies that result in there relative cheapness when
compared to full retail product.
See the EULA for details of the licensing of Windows XP - but it is one
license per machine (expect OEM may not be moved to another machine post
install)

--
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

Blaker1-9 said:
I bought an OEM Windows XP Home cd with my PC a year ago, and now I have
Click to expand...
another PC that I want to install it on. But I want to run BOTH pc's, not
just one. Is my copy of Windows licenced for two PC's (I think so, but I'm
not sure)? I don't want to install it and have it expire because I can't
register it. Info PLZ...
 
Greetings --

No, of course not.

First of all, you have an OEM license for WinXP Home. An OEM
version must be sold with a piece of hardware (normally a motherboard
or hard rive, if not an entire PC) and is _permanently_ bound to the
first PC on which it's installed. An OEM license, once installed, is
not legally transferable to another computer under _any_
circumstances. You can remove or replace it, if you like, but you
cannot ever reuse it on a different computer.

As it has *always* been with *all* Microsoft operating systems,
it's necessary (to be in compliance with both the EULA, if not
technically) to purchase one WinXP license for each computer on which
it is installed. The only way in which WinXP licensing differs from
that of earlier versions of Windows is that Microsoft has finally
added a copy protection and anti-theft mechanism, Product Activation,
to prevent (or at least make more difficult) multiple installations
using a single license

You can, however, buy additional retail licenses, assuming you
have a retail license. Naturally, Microsoft cannot sell additional
OEM licenses. Be aware, however, that you'll probably pay more this
way than you would if you were to buy a second copy of WinXP from a
discount retailer; Microsoft will only offer you a 15% discount off
their MSRP.

Additional Licenses for Windows XP Home Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/addlic.asp

Additional Licenses for Windows XP Professional
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/addlic.asp


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
 
I think some people get confused because Office XP (again retail, not OEM!)
can be installed on 1 computer and 1 notebook/laptop belonging to the same
person. This is Office (Word, Excel, etc) not Windows (the operating
system.) ref: http://www.microsoft.com/office/previous/xp/faq.asp (I
assume Office 2003 works similarly but I'm not sure.)
 
Greetings --

You have a point, but I really don't understand how people can get
Windows and Office confused, after all these years. They've been
named similarly since the Win95/Office 95 days.

Anyway, my retail Office 2003 Pro EULA reads:

"1.1 Installation and use. You may install and use a copy of the
Software on one personal computer or other device located within your
home. "

No mention of the "one desktop and one portable computer" allowed
on some earlier versions.


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,

Does the retail EULA for Office 2003 not state

"...
1.1 Installation and use. You may:
(a) install and use a copy of the Software on one personal computer or
other device; and
(b) install an additional copy of the Software on a second, portable device
for the exclusive use of the primary user of the first copy of the Software.
...."

This is from the copy installed on one of my machines ( I think it is a
retail SKU)

--
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
 
Greetings --

No, my EULA doesn't contain any sub-paragraphs to 1.1, which reads
exactly as I copied & pasted. The very next paragraph is 1.2, which
discusses Remote Desktop. Come to think of it though, I purchased my
copy from Microsoft's Online E-store, so it probably isn't a standard
retail license, after all.


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
 
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