Vista EULA

I've been reading about the Vista EULA recently and I've got a question I hope someone can answer.

It says Vista OEM can only be installed on one machine, if that machine dies then the copy if Vista goes with it and you have to buy another copy of Vista, you cannot use the previous one copy/details/serial ever again. Thats started to put me off buying Vista immediately but...

With XP OEM I can uninstall and reinstall it as much as I like if I decided to change a hardware component, I think XP64 EULA says 5 times, then you have to call them up and justify your existance with them. Will the same apply to Vista? If I get a new graphics card, in which case I'll completely reinstall, will I be able to install Vista on my existing hardware but with a new component? This is the part in the EULA I can't really figure out.

Cheers.

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Originally Posted by mondogenerator

I've been reading about the Vista EULA recently and I've got a question I hope someone can answer.

It says Vista OEM can only be installed on one machine, if that machine dies then the copy if Vista goes with it and you have to buy another copy of Vista, you cannot use the previous one copy/details/serial ever again. Thats started to put me off buying Vista immediately but...

With XP OEM I can uninstall and reinstall it as much as I like if I decided to change a hardware component, I think XP64 EULA says 5 times, then you have to call them up and justify your existance with them. Will the same apply to Vista? If I get a new graphics card, in which case I'll completely reinstall, will I be able to install Vista on my existing hardware but with a new component? This is the part in the EULA I can't really figure out.

Cheers.

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you've misunderstood your licenses.

with XP, an OEM license only allows you to install on one machine. buy a new PC, you need a new OEM license. a "machine" is counted basically as a motherboard. however, buy a *replacement* machine in the event of hardware failure (as long as the replacement could be considered a direct replacement, e.g. a socket a board to replace a failed socket a board), then the license can be transferred

Vista has exactly the same licensing conditions for OEM

if you've been deviating from the above, you've been in breach of your license

There is lots of confusion about this. It appears that a full retail version can only be tranferred once to a new machine. There are some details here. http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=156

Personally I'm not bothered - I don't have any reason to regrade from Win2K!

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Originally Posted by directhex

you've misunderstood your licenses.

with XP, an OEM license only allows you to install on one machine. buy a new PC, you need a new OEM license. a "machine" is counted basically as a motherboard. however, buy a *replacement* machine in the event of hardware failure (as long as the replacement could be considered a direct replacement, e.g. a socket a board to replace a failed socket a board), then the license can be transferred

Vista has exactly the same licensing conditions for OEM

if you've been deviating from the above, you've been in breach of your license

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Possibly I have but I can't say I've ever had a problem registering any bought and paid for copies of Windows I have when installing them on another PC, thats not to say I have one copy of XP I've put on multiple PC's, just transfered it from one PC to another when I upgrade my gaming kit.

From the Vista EULA, it looks like a transfer won't be possible at all. Once its installed, thats it, it cannot be moved or transfered. It doesn't even state if you can format your PC and reinstall on the same hardware.

hex is right mondo :)

The EULA is in fact no different for VISTA OEM than for XP OEM so far as what you can install on is concerned.

There is a difference in the EULA for OEM and Retail copies of windows - even though the actual installed product might be exactly the same. This means that even if you have a product CD for your XP OEM, and it lets you install and activate on a different machine, you are still breaking the eula, and the licence is invalid.

Microsofts activation procedure is by no means perfect, and doesn't take in to account if it is an OEM or retail copy most of the time...the exception being with some vendors such as dell or HP which tend to apply more restrictions - either with the key or by giving you a 'recovery CD' rather than a full blown XP disc