Reactivating Vista after Mobo Change

[Clunk]

Its a weird one. If it was common theft, what would it be that I had stolen?, if I had already bought and paid for the initial license, but broke the license agreement by changing the motherboard. Lets say Microsoft decided to take you to court for breaching their license, what then would be their legal grounds for prosecuting/suing me?

I'm genuinely interested in this, if anyone with legal knowledge is reading

[behappier]

LOL - wouldn't have a clue to be honest. Law is anything but a speciality of mine.

Could have fooled me!

It's a difficult one. It obviously can't be copyright theft (you pay for the license, not the media), but is it common theft? Does breaking the licensing agreement count as stealing?

I know I could be jailed and/or fined if I didn't license our software at work, so in that sense, I guess it must be against the law in some respect. I just don't know in which way.

You did not answer the question, the poster was asking about the EULA being in contradiction with the law.

[djphatic]

I recently ran into a problem with Vista activation after I replaced my old hard drives for 3x Samsung 500GB hard drives. After re-installing vista I could not activate via the internet, although I had previously activated via the internet.

In the end I had to call the number to get activated, just asked me a bunch of questions like how many machines its installed on and whether I had changed anything in my system. I imagine I will have to do this again when I upgrade motherboard and CPU in the future.

[0iD]

Interesting article at PCmag.com on the subject http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2087792,00.asp

[this_is_gav]

Could have fooled me!

And likewise, taking the proverbial doesn't seem a speciality of yours

I said I didn't have a clue, and just tried to add a little transparency. All I said is I know I can be prosecuted, but am unaware on what direct grounds.

Remarkable how when you make a stand on an entirely moral ground how you get a minor flock targeting you, isn't it?

[Supershanks]

I've been looking at the pricing & wondering which vista package 2 adopt have decided that Business edition will do. Now i've got vista rc2 32 & 64 installed atm which are time limited to expire around june.

I've been pondering if it's worth going oem or retail.
If i look at it simply:-
Retail = £234.52
OEM = £84.4

Now on average i might change my mobo every 18m whilst the retail will last 5 years until biilly's next besterest new os hits the shelves.

So £/Month
Retail = £234.52/60= £3.9
OEM = £84.40/18= £4.67

So is my next mobo a replacement or not
A moot point guarantee period for a mobo is 3 years now i think.
so OEM = £84.40/36 = £2.34

Personaly i see a CPU change different socket as being a different pc. But we have to live with the Licence terms. It appears to be almost like an honesty box - down to the individuals intepretation of a replacement or new mobo. In fairness I don't think that Microsoft are so concerned about this If they were they would have done something. They are more concerned on other areas of piracy which are more costly imo.

Still not made my mind up think i'll wc 1st. Now does a W/Block entitle me to an OEM

[Sinizter]

Actually you just made it relate very well - if you paid for a TV you deserve a TV.

If you paid for a version of windows that runs on different hardware setups then you deserve one.

If you deliberately decided on a cut back version that only runs on one hardware setup, to save money, then you deserve that too.

No-one isn't getting what they paid for - you have the choice to pay for exactly the right thing for your usage.

But if you paid for a 14 inch TV you don't deserve a 71 inch plasma. That would be silly.

As as for speeding - the 'I'll do it as long as I'm not caught' arguement is really dumb. If you don't agree with the law then petition to get it changed, don't just pick and choose what laws to obey or not.

The TV argument is still dumbest one I have heard in a long time.

Vista activation would be like if I bought a TV and the TV decided it would not play Channel 5 or something like that. In case you did not realise until now, TVs dont come with licenses restricting what you cant or can do with it. Read the manual. Really - no restrictions.

The TV stays what you bought it as first. It doesnt stop being a TV halfway through its use just because I plugged a DVD player into it. Or because I changed which DVD player I used it with.

And petitions dont work as the government is using speeding as a source of funding.

[directhex]

TVs do have a restriction, actually

See http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/index.jsp

Note that there are two types of license - a full one, and a cut-down restricted one (black & white). Paying for the latter & pretending it's the former won't get you very far when the enforcers come a knockin'

[Sinizter]

TVs do have a restriction, actually

See http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/index.jsp

Note that there are two types of license - a full one, and a cut-down restricted one (black & white). Paying for the latter & pretending it's the former won't get you very far when the enforcers come a knockin'

Thats a TV license - not what I was talking about.

[ajbrun]

You don't need a windows license to use a PC in the same way you don't need a TV license to use TV. So yes, it is the same really...

[Sinizter]

You don't need a windows license to use a PC in the same way you don't need a TV license to use TV. So yes, it is the same really...

Oh please. Just read what you just said.

Anyway, I wont be posting in this thread again. But rest assured that unless MS insist I buy a new OEM license, mine will be getting reactivated if it needs to be.

[Blitzen]

I recently ran into a problem with Vista activation after I replaced my old hard drives for 3x Samsung 500GB hard drives. After re-installing vista I could not activate via the internet, although I had previously activated via the internet.

In the end I had to call the number to get activated, just asked me a bunch of questions like how many machines its installed on and whether I had changed anything in my system. I imagine I will have to do this again when I upgrade motherboard and CPU in the future.

If thats an OEM the you are indeed thieving from Microsoft and people that buy retail.

Sooner rather than later MS will tell you to take a hike if its OEM and so they should!

Scroungers, thieves and fee dogers (which is really what this thread boils down to) should be found and shot......we have enough of them in the rest of society so to think PC's should be any different is foolish and naive on my part i suppose.

[DecomposingStar]

If thats an OEM the you are indeed thieving from Microsoft and people that buy retail.

Sooner rather than later MS will tell you to take a hike if its OEM and so they should!

Scroungers, thieves and fee dogers (which is really what this thread boils down to) should be found and shot......we have enough of them in the rest of society so to think PC's should be any different is foolish and naive on my part i suppose.

Ahahaha, you're funny. Irony.

[barker967]

At least people who buy the OEM version have actually bought it, lets face it any one of us here can go and download a fully working version of vista ultimate (newer cracks even fully update) and screw Microsoft totally.

If Microsoft had a problem with people buying and using OEM software then it wouldn`t be available to buy from website shops, they know you will get around any activation issues after changing hardware and expect it to happen and to be frank, if your stupid enough to spend over £300 on a retail version of an OS then thats your problem.

[ajbrun]

and to be frank, if your stupid enough to spend over £300 on a retail version of an OS then thats your problem.

People spend the same amount on graphics cards which last only 2-3 years, and are used only when playing games. Why is it stupid to spend that much on an OS which would last twice the time, and is in use whenever you're using your PC?

[directhex]

People spend the same amount on graphics cards which last only 2-3 years, and are used only when playing games. Why is it stupid to spend that much on an OS which would last twice the time, and is in use whenever you're using your PC?

because you can pirate it for free! duh!