Reactivating Vista after Mobo Change

[kalniel]

There's a huge difference between the automotive market and the Operating System market, you can get the same car accessories for practically any make or model of a car and any car can drive any part of the road along side other makes of car, the same can't be said for Operating Systems, if VW tried to impose such licensing restrictions (and explicitly said you don't own the car, you're just buying the right to use it) you'd tell them to swing their hook and buy from another manufacturer.

In terms of Operating Systems, if you want to send/receive documents to/from customers and other businesses you need MS Office, which only realistically works with Windows, also if you're a home user and/or gamer you're also locked into the Windows trap. That makes 'voting with your feet' impossible with Microsoft's virtual monopoly.

So buy an older operating system, xp for example.

I'm not saying you should pirate Windows, but at the same time violating a ridiculous part of the OEM EULA isn't theft

It's simple - don't agree to it if you don't agree with it. Violating EULA is the same thing as piracy IMO.

[aidanjt]

So buy an older operating system, xp for example.

Windows XP is already hitting a support dead wall, Microsoft has no intentions of releasing DirectX 10 redist for the operating system. Which means no running DirectX 10 applications, so that idea wont work.

It's simple - don't agree to it if you don't agree with it. Violating EULA is the same thing as piracy IMO.

Well it isn't, neither morally nor legally.

DirectHex raises a valid argument as to 'where you draw the line'. I think it should be fine to migrate the license to a new machine or motherboard, in that you can erase the old hard drive, and use it on the next machine. IMHO the differences between OEM and Retail should only cover the scope of technical support sources, I would be fine with that, because generally I find telephone support services useless if it's a problem that's fixable at my end.

[kalniel]

DirectHex raises a valid argument as to 'where you draw the line'. I think it should be fine to migrate the license to a new machine or motherboard, in that you can erase the old hard drive, and use it on the next machine. IMHO the differences between OEM and Retail should only cover the scope of technical support sources, I would be fine with that, because generally I find telephone support services useless if it's a problem that's fixable at my end.

And someone else might think that they deserve Vista ultimate for the price of home basic. Does that make it right? No.

I'm sorry, but if you think it's ok to ignore licensing, sign up to something and then ignore it, and just make up your own terms of use, then you'll just end up with a situation where there is no retail available OEM, and we'll all have to pay full retail prices all of the time - because that way the product pricing is matching the actual usage of the product.

[redlight]

Does it matter Microsoft has won anyway they have you using a paid for version of Vista which is exacty what they want. If they did not want you to re-activate they would stop you but they dont. Possibly in the future they may stop it once we are all hooked on Vista but at the moment I think Microsoft just want us to buy Vista be that retail or oem. The threat from Linux is very real to them and the more users they stop from switching is in their interest.

[Clunk]

Devils advocate again...

You should buy an OEM version and reactivate it because,

UK prices are much higher than anywhere else.
It isnt actually against the law to do so.
Microsoft let you do it.



Another point.

If I were to buy the OEM version, run it on my pc, then decide to change the pc, and I run it again, maybe twice again in its lifetime, and got microsoft to reactivate it each time, and each time it was reactivated, if microsoft had refused to reactivate it, I would have happily gone back to my retail version of XP, who is this hurting?

Keep in mind that I only ever had enough money to buy vista oem, and I would never have used it without microsoft's consent, and would have gone back to XP had they not reactivated it.

End of devil's advocate.

Just curious.

[kalniel]

Devils advocate again...

You should buy an OEM version and reactivate it because,

UK prices are much higher than anywhere else.
It isnt actually against the law to do so.
Microsoft let you do it.

At some point this can become cyclical though

UK customer: I'll buy OEM and break license because it's more expensive.
MS: We'll make UK version more expensive because people break license and use OEM instead of retail.



PS - I've never bought the 'because you can' arguement. Car makers don't restrict cars to 70mph but just because they can go faster doesn't mean it's ok to do so.

[Clunk]

I wasnt meaning 'because you can', its more like 'because microsoft dont stop you' isnt it?

Going faster than 70mph is illegal though, and dangerous. Am I right in thinking that this is neither?

[kalniel]

I wasnt meaning 'because you can', its more like 'because microsoft dont stop you' isnt it?

Well car makers don't stop you either

Going faster than 70mph is illegal though, and dangerous. Am I right in thinking that this is neither?

Back to interpretation of laws on ones own criteria - someone might argue that doing drugs is less dangerous than consuming alcohol, or in fact many illegal things aren't harming anyone - that still doesn't make it ok though.

In this case, I think breaching EULA/copyright *does* have the potential to affect other people, via pricing/controls.

As for legality - I have no idea on this one, it's all very well for us to state breaching contract is legal, but I wouldn't know for sure. Ditto where use outside of licensed conditions comes wrt copyright law and so on.

[Clunk]

I suppose that the closest comaprison with a car manufacturer would be the warranty, if you were to make the car go faster by modifying it, that would invalidate the warranty perhaps? Anyway!

I can definately see both sides of this, and I have to say that I dont think that either side are right.

I think the UK pricing is unfair, I think microsoft should police the oem reactivation better, or reduce the price of the retail version.

[DecomposingStar]

I think we all fully understand the situation, so enough of the metaphors.

After reading all this i can't see why reactivating is a problem. I'm buying a new mobo because i'm annoyed at Foxconn for false advertising, and selling total crap. If MS want money, in a FAIR world, Foxconn should be buying my new OEM copy of Vista. But i honestly can't see that happening, can you? In which case i will reactivate my copy of Vista, i'll tell a little white lie, or even smash my motherboard to pieces so they reactivate it for me. No-one gets hurt, no-one is out of pocket, except me of course.

[barker967]

If Microsoft only wanted retail versions of their software to be sold, online shops would ONLY be allowed to sell retail software,system builders would have to source direct from microsoft and the public would not get a look in, the fact that anyone can buy OEM with just a cheap 99p mouse shows that they truly dont care who buys it.

Its all money to them and if you choose to fork out £300+ for the same product as you can pay £130 for then i still say that is your problem, why is this such a contentious issue to some people? Who cares if Microsoft lose a few million on lost retail sales, the company is worth billions of dollars.

[DecomposingStar]

If Microsoft only wanted retail versions of their software to be sold, online shops would ONLY be allowed to sell retail software,sysytem builders would have to source direct from microsoft and the public would not get a look in, the fact that anyone can buy OEM with just a cheap 99p mouse shows that they truly dont care who buys it.

Its all money to them and if you choose to fork out £300+ for the same product as you can pay £130 for then i still say that is your problem, why is this such a contentious issue to some people? Who cares of Microsfot lose a few million on lost retail sales, the company is worth billions of dollars.

actually it has to be a non-peripheral now. But still a good point.

[Nox]

actually it has to be a non-peripheral now. But still a good point.

Novatech chap saying you can get it on its own, he thinks:

http://forum.novatech.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=20894

Nox

[dangel]

Anyone keeping count of the analogies in this thread?

Can we have some in the style of Simon Cowell now too?

[DecomposingStar]

Anyone keeping count of the analogies in this thread?

Can we have some in the style of Simon Cowell now too?

I think we all fully understand the situation, so enough of the metaphors.

After reading all this i can't see why reactivating is a problem. I'm buying a new mobo because i'm annoyed at Foxconn for false advertising, and selling total crap. If MS want money, in a FAIR world, Foxconn should be buying my new OEM copy of Vista. But i honestly can't see that happening, can you? In which case i will reactivate my copy of Vista, i'll tell a little white lie, or even smash my motherboard to pieces so they reactivate it for me. No-one gets hurt, no-one is out of pocket, except me of course.

totally agree.

[Splash]

Enough with the analogies. If Microsoft feel people are taking the mick with OEM licenses by not using the product within the terms of the license they'd be quite within their rights to stop selling OEM licenses through retail partners, insisting that only registered system builders can obtain them. I suppose my point is that if you want to buy OEM and violate one of the major terms of this license then by all means do it. Just don't come crying if they refuse to activate it for you, and don't come crying when you can only buy the next Windows OS (which will clearly come with some form of "must have" like DX10, let's be honest) in boxed retail form, and they charge £500 for it.

EDIT - and if you're annoyed at the quality of the Foxconn product why not take it up with them? I dunno about you, but if I'm speccing a new machine I will sure as hell do my research first... Just because the motherboard that you chose to buy isn't the all singing, all dancing product you expected doesn't entitle you (in my eyes at least) to break the license and deny Microsoft another sale. But that's my opinion, and you clealy aren't interested in anyone with a similar one.