# Windows XP OEM



## Geoff (May 31, 2008)

I was reading through Wikipedia, and came upon this for Windows XP OEM usage:

*OEM licenses are to be installed by professional system manufacturers only. Under Microsoft's OEM License Agreement, they are not to be sold to end-users under any circumstance, and are to be pre-installed on a computer using the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) before shipment to the customer, and must include at the very least the manufacturer's support contact information. They are therefore designed for installation only on a single computer and are not transferable, even if the original computer is no longer in use. This is not usually an issue for users who purchase new computer systems because most pre-assembled systems ship with a pre-installed operating system. There are few circumstances where Microsoft will allow the transfer of an OEM license from one non-functioning system to another, but the OEM System Builder License Agreement (SBLA), as well as the OEM End User License Agreement (EULA) do not contain any allowance for this, so it is entirely up to Microsoft's discretion, depending on the situation.*

If thats correct, then I wonder how Newegg and other vendors can sell OEM versions, unless they can slip buy because customers buy parts to build PC's.


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## Intel_man (May 31, 2008)

Usually, stores make you buy other hardware stuff from their stores before you can purchase an OEM version of Windows.


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## StrangleHold (May 31, 2008)

Theres a difference in Branded and Unbranded OEM cds.


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## voyagerfan99 (Jun 1, 2008)

Hmm. Thats interesting.


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## Geoff (Jun 1, 2008)

Whats also interesting is that it says you can not move it from one PC to another, so I guess there really is a difference between retail and OEM.


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## AlienMenace (Jun 1, 2008)

And considering that Window xp pro x64bit only sells under oem, not retail.


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## StrangleHold (Jun 1, 2008)

I thought it was well known that a OEM branded or unbranded is connected to the board its installed on! You all think they are selling them cheaper to be nice.


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## Hass (Jun 1, 2008)

AlienMenace said:


> And considering that Window xp pro x64bit only sells under oem, not retail.



that's how i got my version of it.
and I didn't buy anything else with it when I did.


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## voyagerfan99 (Jun 1, 2008)

Well, I say you should have to pay for the OS thats on the disc and you can put it on as many computers as you want.

Thats the only good thing about mac OS - you can put them on at least three computers.


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## OvenMaster (Jun 1, 2008)

Weird... I use XP Home OEM on an unbranded disc. One of the files in the "ValueAdd" folder has software from Citrix, but other than that it's unremarkable. I've reactivated it a few times with new hard drives and a new motherboard with no problems, and I wasn't required to buy any hardware or anything at all when I purchased it. 
Tom


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## PC eye (Jun 1, 2008)

With XP's unbranded OEM disk following SP2 MS made a revision in the EULA liscensing to allow 3 simultaneous or 3 consecutive activations. With 3 at the same time only one can be connected online at any given time.

With Vista it's one OEM per system with the new version's licensing. Probably the most likely reason for the revision not widely known is the lengthy delay seen with Vista while people were upgrading into new machines not having a new version to run on them.


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## StrangleHold (Jun 1, 2008)

PC eye said:


> With XP's unbranded OEM disk following SP2 MS made a revision in the EULA liscensing to allow 3 simultaneous or 3 consecutive activations. With 3 at the same time only one can be connected online at any given time.


 
Show me something from (mircosoft) that proves that. A OEM branded or unbranded can only be installed on 1 computer at a time and with a branded OEM only 1 computer that it was installed on. Even a Retail XP can only be installed on 1 computer at a time. Show me something.


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## Geoff (Jun 1, 2008)

StrangleHold said:


> Show me something from (mircosoft) that proves that. A OEM branded or unbranded can only be installed on 1 computer at a time and with a branded OEM only 1 computer that it was installed on. Even a Retail XP can only be installed on 1 computer at a time. Show me something.


Yes, just as what I posted states as well.  It actually says that an OEM license is only good on one PC, regardless of if that PC is no longer in commission or not, it can not be transferred.  However if you get a nice rep, they may let you transfer it.


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## StrangleHold (Jun 1, 2008)

I have before too. Like you say it depends on who answers the phone and the questions they ask, and a little bit of the answers you give.


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## PC eye (Jun 2, 2008)

I can quote a small portion of a private conversation with someone who does work for MS on what made the difference between XP -XP/SP1 and then XP/SP2.

"The differences in the disc from SP1 and SP2 was due to a change in the EULA between the 2 versions. The EULA was updated and changed cause SP2 allowed for several new features. 1. being big drives over 137GB. 2. Being multi core CPU's. Originally XP was only allowed 1 core and 1 CPU. It had to be updated cause of the change in technology."

"So as i have previously said. You could install it on 3 different machines and activate it. As long as only 1 machine was active on the internet. This would not violate the EULA or TOS. Since only 1 machine can check in and get updates at any given time.

The reason for more than 1 PC now is cause of WGA. The Windows Genuine Advantage checks in with Microsoft roughly every 2 weeks to at elast once a month for updates. If you have 3 PC with the same serial all activated checking for updates at the same time. I think that would set a alarm off at Micrsoft. Which will cause all of them to be considered pirated and the serial blacklisted."

When further inquiring about any MS pages about the changes seen in the SP2 revision ofthe EULA this is what the reply to that was.

"The whole thing about installing it on 3 PC's is only because I know that the serial will activate on 3 machines before you have to call M$. It is the same for OEM Vista. I know you have to call after you activate it on 1 machine. That is where all that stems from.

Not the actual terms of the EULA or TOS saying that you can have 3 machines with the same serial and acitvation. That is just me stating what I know form facts of the OEM licenses and how to use that to your advantage."


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## StrangleHold (Jun 2, 2008)

About what I expected! No wonder you can fool noobs.


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## PC eye (Jun 2, 2008)

No as expected you would only read what you wanted to into it. What you obviously missed is the fact that in none of the licensing agreements will you find any reference to private home users. The system builders pages strictly refer to those who custom build systems seeing an OS preinstalled are required to provide the original disk along with the single machine. MS provides no support for OEM while the builders are required to.

The part on those who buy without already having a machine is vague when looking through that at MS. You can read that on the restrictions page. When first hearing that one I was scratching my head on that and made the inquiry to a programmer that should know first hand.


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## StrangleHold (Jun 2, 2008)

I repeat post 16. In that case Bill Gates came to my house yesterday and said you were full of it. (Like I said show me some proof), not another 2 paragraphs of your B/S.


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## porterjw (Jun 2, 2008)

PC is absolutely correct, seeing what you will as seen here: http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/181405/2/istockphoto_181405_paris_gate.jpg

and also see seeing seen will see here: http://www-lci.enst-bretagne.fr/english/images/Baseball.jpg

The screenshots don't lie...have a little faith


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## PC eye (Jun 2, 2008)

You can stick post #16 in your craw! All I can is convey what I was hearing from other source when making an inquiry. Obviously you again failed to read the entire post and simply want to shoot off your mouth.

When asking "IF" there were MS pages that explained the revision seen in the EULA for OEM with the release of SP2 for XP. The main concern when reviewing MS information has more to do with activation and verification of you using a genuine copy and not if you see Windows installed on more then one system.

*Activation* is an anti-piracy technology designed to make sure that your copy of Windows XP is properly licensed. It works by verifying that the product key is valid and is only being used on the number of computers permitted by the software license. Activation uses a simple and fast process to protect your copy and ensure that you paid for the right thing. http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/ProgramInfo.aspx?displaylang=en&tab=XP

The only conclusion you can draw from what that source came out with and cross referencing information at Microsoft is that is a form of loop hole. Time to get an MSDN subscription. 

"MSDN Subscription product keys can be used to activate software on up to 10 PCs."   http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/aa948864.aspx


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## StrangleHold (Jun 2, 2008)

None of that proved anything you said. I like the way you claim people missed things or fail to read something when you try to back up some crap you claim with (no proof). I didnt miss anything, thats why the question is still out there. Show me some (proof)!


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## PC eye (Jun 2, 2008)

And again you're off base simply by stating I was trying to prove anything. As mentioned before all I can do is "convey"(understand the term) what I was hearing from someone beta testing for MS.

The inquiry there raised the question already as to are there any MS pages to show that as asked at the time. You already should have read the response I got in return to that question in post #15.

"The whole thing about installing it on 3 PC's is only because I know that the serial will activate on 3 machines before you have to call M$. It is the same for OEM Vista. I know you have to call after you activate it on 1 machine. That is where all that stems from.

Not the actual terms of the EULA or TOS saying that you can have 3 machines with the same serial and acitvation. That is just me stating what I know from facts of the OEM licenses and how to use that to your advantage."

That's left to viewer's discretion there since I couldn't get anything more in the way of confirmation except being told to look over the EULA. I think you would need a microscope to find the loop hole being referred to.


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## StrangleHold (Jun 2, 2008)

You have no proof. Just talk, like always. I dont give a crap what your buddy said. Microsofts rules with a OEMs is, it can be installed and activated on (1) computer. And its tied to the board. You cant install it and activate on 3 computers unless you bend the rules period.

Sure like I said in a previous post I,ve installed OEMs on different computers. But it depends on what they ask when you call, but it can be done. But not activate 3 at once. There has been no rules change. PC eye you cant even activate 3 computers at once even with a retail copy much less a OEM.

I,m out of this one, rant on all you want.


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## PC eye (Jun 2, 2008)

No one said you would activate 3 machines all at once to start with. That source was referring to 3 total activations allowing for 3 pcs over a period of time with only one connected online or 3 consecutive builds in a row.

When first hearing that one I was ...huh?   deciding to make a private inquiry with a few questions on that being the "Skeptical Inquirer" for the most part. Why do you think the question of "are there any MS pages that show that?" was asked to begin with.


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## G25r8cer (Jun 2, 2008)

PC EYE is always right!! LOL


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## PC eye (Jun 3, 2008)

I couldn't say any of us are always right since we all make our own share of goofs at times. The statements there were by someone well versed with the licensing agreements and revisions made of all MS products. I still have to play the Skeptical Inquirer and don't blame anyone else for also being skeptical since the source is the one who needs to confirm those remarks.


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## porterjw (Jun 3, 2008)

With all this super-secret info that he's privy to from his MS Source, you would think said source would tell him how to uninstall USB drivers without crashing Windows...

Odd how life works sometimes


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## PC eye (Jun 3, 2008)

Funny I never crash Windows when going to remove usb drivers. Do you have that problem?


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## porterjw (Jun 3, 2008)

PC eye said:


> Funny I never crash Windows when going to remove usb drivers. Do you have that problem?



Oldie but goodie!

http://www.computerforum.com/114761...hard-drive-320gb-passport-won-t-work-why.html

It gets humorous around Post 10 folks By Post 17, you'll probably be thinking 'WTF?! is this guy for real?' to which, of course, the answer is...yes...sadly he is...


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## fortyways (Jun 3, 2008)

I received an OEM copy of XP from Newegg the other day. It comes with a registration code sticker (the type you see on the bottoms of laptops) and instructions that are clearly geared to someone building a computer for resell (not toward end-users). So, I'd say Newegg can sell them under the "veil" of supplying them to system builders who intend to resell (which is true in some cases).

It's also been my experience that if you call Microsoft and tell them it's only on one computer (old motherboard died or something), they'll allow you to re-activate it. I've done it several times with no issues.


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## Cromewell (Jun 3, 2008)

> It's also been my experience that if you call Microsoft and tell them it's only on one computer (old motherboard died or something), they'll allow you to re-activate it. I've done it several times with no issues.


Mine as well. I've talked to several reps and they ask if I've installed on more than 1 computer, which I haven't, it's always on the same hard drive just the rest of it changes. Then they ask why I reinstalled, usually because I got a new motherboard, and then they give me an activation key. No hassels or anything. Takes all of 5 minutes


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## Mitch? (Jun 3, 2008)

imsati said:


> Oldie but goodie!
> 
> http://www.computerforum.com/114761...hard-drive-320gb-passport-won-t-work-why.html
> 
> It gets humorous around Post 10 folks By Post 17, you'll probably be thinking 'WTF?! is this guy for real?' to which, of course, the answer is...yes...sadly he is...



one of the most non intentionally funny threads i've seen. when i saw it the first time around i was laughing awkwardly in the cafe


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## StrangleHold (Jun 3, 2008)

PC eye said:


> With XP's unbranded OEM disk following SP2 MS made a revision in the EULA liscensing to (allow 3 simultaneous or 3 consecutive activations). (With 3 at the same time) only one can be connected online at any given time.


 


PC eye said:


> (No one said you would activate 3 machines all at once to start with). That source was referring to 3 total activations allowing for 3 pcs over a period of time with only one connected online or 3 consecutive builds in a row.


 
Your alittle on the confused side arent you. But I guess you didnt mean what you said. Or it was a typo. Or that your friend didnt really say that. Or that your really John Kerry or Dr. Phil. Bill Gates told me to tell you HI.


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## Mitch? (Jun 3, 2008)

StrangleHold said:


> Your alittle on the confused side arent you. But I guess you didnt mean what you said. Or it was a typo. Or that your friend didnt really say that. Or that your really John Kerry or Dr. Phil. Bill Gates told me to tell you HI.



StrangleHold. If you're going to help with the topic then do. If not we don't need to carry our little internet vendettas out on a forum. Got it?


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## StrangleHold (Jun 3, 2008)

Dont tell me to do anything!


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## Cromewell (Jun 3, 2008)

Mr. Johanssen said:


> StrangleHold. If you're going to help with the topic then do. If not we don't need to carry our little internet vendettas out on a forum. Got it?



Why is one seemingly OT post OK to you but not the other? If you don't see what I'm talking about you can see it here and here.


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## StrangleHold (Jun 4, 2008)

I didnt think I was OT at all. The thread is about OEM XP cds isnt it. PC eye said you could activate 3 computers at once with a OEM, then he said he didnt. I said you cant and never changed my story.


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## PC eye (Jun 4, 2008)

I never stated you could activate 3 systems at once. What I have been referring to all along was what was being heard from an MS beta tester who was stating the 3 acivation allowance on the OEMs for XP following the revision of the EULA.

MS is more concerned with what they "casual copying" then if you have XP on a few other machines at home as long as that's a genuine copy. Over a period of time plus the revision needed for multicored cpus not seen in the original one cpu licensing agreement someone was referring to only having one system connected online due to the autoupdate process.

MS allowed for periodic upgrades of hardwares even with the original. Someone was simply mentioning a way to slide past things. When someone first referred to all this I had to make an inquiry being quite skeptical and asked specifically about any MS pages to show what was being mentioned. You saw the reply I received on that earlier in post #15.


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## Cromewell (Jun 4, 2008)

StrangleHold said:
			
		

> I didnt think I was OT at all. The thread is about OEM XP cds isnt it. PC eye said you could activate 3 computers at once with a OEM, then he said he didnt. I said you cant and never changed my story.


I meant he took your post as OT when the other post was OK by him. I thought your post was fine too, if I didn't I would have said something to you 


			
				PC eye said:
			
		

> I never stated you could activate 3 systems at once. What I have been referring to all along was what was being heard from an MS beta tester who was stating the 3 acivation allowance on the OEMs for XP following the revision of the EULA.


That may be what you meant, I don't know. I do know how your post reads though. And I read it to say you can activate XP OEM on 3 different machines concurrently. Reread your post here, does it not read like you've said MS lets you activate 3 systems at the same time? I know you said as long as only 1 is conencted to the internet at a time but the license doesn't allow for that either.


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## PC eye (Jun 4, 2008)

You see why I was inquisitive about any MS pages that would show the EULA allowed for seeing one product key used on three separate machines. You wouldn't see Windows go on all 3 but after a period of time I gather.

The other statement pertained to 3 consecutive builds meaning once your system is too slow or whatever and you build a new one using the same disk there and for the next. This is why I pointed that out as someone describing a loop hole.

The idea of 3 with only one connected online has to do with the automatic update notification and possible sound off you might get at the MS update site with 3 at once connecting for updates. That presumes that is set to auto and not disabled.

With Vista you are strapped to one system. When the first board for this build quit and was replaced with the exact same the "you may have a counterfeit copy..." was displayed on the corner of the desktop. MS got a call before performing a full reinstall when removing the ide drive later to see the new version reactivated. 

Likewise with 3 seeing XP if Windows is then reinstalled on any of them you would have to call MS since the 3 activation limit was reached? Funny I reinstalled XP here several times over the last 6 months now beta testing some new programs for Vista and dual booting with XP and other OSs. 

XP saw instant online activation once verified at MS as genuine. Originally when reinstalling XP too soon you had to call in to see Windows activated again.


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## StrangleHold (Jun 5, 2008)

Thats one of the most back tracking, I didnt say what I said, all over the place post I have ever saw. PC eye if you put as much thought into gettting your post right the first time as you do defending them, I didnt mean what I really said. You might learn something.


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## tlarkin (Jun 5, 2008)

[-0MEGA-];987064 said:
			
		

> I was reading through Wikipedia, and came upon this for Windows XP OEM usage:
> 
> *OEM licenses are to be installed by professional system manufacturers only. Under Microsoft's OEM License Agreement, they are not to be sold to end-users under any circumstance, and are to be pre-installed on a computer using the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) before shipment to the customer, and must include at the very least the manufacturer's support contact information. They are therefore designed for installation only on a single computer and are not transferable, even if the original computer is no longer in use. This is not usually an issue for users who purchase new computer systems because most pre-assembled systems ship with a pre-installed operating system. There are few circumstances where Microsoft will allow the transfer of an OEM license from one non-functioning system to another, but the OEM System Builder License Agreement (SBLA), as well as the OEM End User License Agreement (EULA) do not contain any allowance for this, so it is entirely up to Microsoft's discretion, depending on the situation.*
> 
> If thats correct, then I wonder how Newegg and other vendors can sell OEM versions, unless they can slip buy because customers buy parts to build PC's.



Not sure if this has been answered, but there is a lot of posts on this thread.

The reason you can get away from it because there is nothing that qualifies you as a professional systems builder.  You can be a self employed on site tech guy who runs his own business and part of that can be building systems.

Yes, you are not allowed to transfer it, it is bound to that machine you install it on.  However, no one tracks it and you would only get caught if someone turned you in, or MS was looking at some way to sue you, ie you were cheating them out of lots and lots of money.  Otherwise, their lawyers could give a rat's ass if some single person buys an OEM copy versus a retail.  They still got your money, and they have bigger fish to fry like those people that pirate thousands of copies, or the businesses that don't pay for their licenses.

When I worked for an warranty ASP we were also an official Microsoft OEM system builder, which requires some ridiculous license that your company applies for to have that ability.  So, we could add on OEM copies of all software to system builds, be it Office or Windows or whatever.  

If a system got returned, we were not allowed to take say Office 2k3 off the machine.  We had to sell it open box with that software preinstalled and tied to it, and a lot of the time we actually ate the cost I bet, or discounted it so it was at a loss.  

If the machine was never sold, like if our client changed their mind at the last minute and decided not to get it, after the install was done.  We could remove it using a special tool they provided.  Some uninstaller application.

We also got audited by Microsoft several times while I worked there (about 6 years).  They would just drop on in sometimes and audit us, just to make sure we were up to snuff on standards.  What my role in it was is that I had to go around to every single machine that the company used in their offices and stuff and pull from the registry every single license key.  The sales side ran some numbers with sales and sent that to them.  If everything matched they would just leave you alone.  I am sure the corporate office gave them information and of course they have their own databases and methods of tracking software licenses.

I used to have this big black book (it was a binder actually) that had all the license keys typed up and stored in it.  I then scanned that thing to PDF and emailed it to one of the managers and they forwarded it to MS.

The bottom line is, if you are company making a lot of money (mine was making millions a year) and you do so by selling Microsoft products, they are going to keep an eye on you.  If you are an average Joe Civilian, they would care less.  They would gain more money from suing a multi million dollar company than they would an average individual.  Plus, I am sure if they did go after an individual that would make a bunch of people jump ship, and you would see a bunch of Linux and Mac users pop up every where.

Now, if you are an individual pirating a crap ton of copies of their products they will definitely sue you.


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## PC eye (Jun 5, 2008)

That's their main concern more then anything right there. That was the reason for the WGA tool for verifying a genuine MS product is installed and not any whatever.
*What is WGA Notifications?*

Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is a program that helps Microsoft fight software piracy and helps you validate that the copy of Microsoft Windows XP installed on your computer is genuine and properly licensed. 
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/AboutNotifications.aspx?displaylang=en

Some additional information about that is seen at  http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/ProgramInfo.aspx?displaylang=en&tab=XP

I can imagine you also had to log the PIDs on those systems as well.


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## tlarkin (Jun 5, 2008)

WGA is crap, and can be easily disabled.  In fact I disable it when I create an image or when I update my system because of how much of a pain in the arse it is.

WGA is just DRM, and it is worthless, because it is remarkably easy to get around.


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## Geoff (Jun 5, 2008)

Thanks tlarkin, I know I've called up in the past and all Microsoft asks is if you are trying to install it on another PC.  Most of the time I just say I had to buy a new hard drive or something, but I only use it on one PC at a time anyways.

I know what your saying though about site licenses and such, if a school with two thousand computers was running off one license, then they should be the ones who watch out.


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## PC eye (Jun 5, 2008)

A place like a school or private even non profit organization will see an open license or volume type there. I would love to see someone come on here and try to actually finish explaining what I quoted earlier. 

WGA is likely a pile of crap just like Windows Defender and the older MS Anti-Spyware gimic they had out that didn't do much. Why do you think SP3 sees over 1,000 fixes for XP? Since XP is getting a longer life to some  degree they finally fixed the problems that have been seen all along just as the now older version of Windows is about to wane away.


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## tlarkin (Jun 5, 2008)

There is no special licenses for a site license, it is just a site license, and you tell them approximately how many clients and that reflects the cost of the license.  You are looking at like close to a 100k per a year for an unlimited client site license of Windows, which is just freaking ridiculous.  

Educational institutions get the same thing, but at a slight educational discount.  My old work had an MSDN subscription that gave us unlimited installs of Server 2k3, Win XP Pro, Vista business, Office 2k3 and office 2k7, and serer 2k7.  I know it costs nearly 100k for that subscription, and I am not sure how long it lasted, probably a year or two at the max.

Those are the people MS goes after, and I can guarantee you, NOBODY, uses Symantec's Ghost legally.  They charge you per a client, and that gets freaking expensive!


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## PC eye (Jun 6, 2008)

Outrageous seems to fit those better! I never even bother with Ghost since I simply go ahead and perform a clean install when upgrading a drive. Often I'll simply burn a set of data dvds to see additional backup there as well as having more then one drive/partition to work with.

MS makes the money while the companies simply write the expenses off as a deduction for the costs of doing business as far as those types of subscriptions go. For something far less elaborate and obviously far more within the reason of the smaller "mom+pop" type businesses that need multiple machines the latest option available is the Get Genuine Kit now seen at  http://www.microsoft.com/india/originalsoftware/home/tools_and_resources_1/great_offers.aspx


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## tlarkin (Jun 6, 2008)

yeah, but you aren't going to go to say, 10,000 machines and put an installer DVD into each one and load the OS by hand.  You are going to use some sort of mass multi casting imaging solution to get it done right, and efficiently.

Ghost is a great product.  I've used it and I'd even recommend it, however it is ridiculously expensive for an enterprise solution.

For a small business I'd recommend DRBL, but anything larger I say you have to use Ghost, or go open source with OS X or Linux and well, you then dabble in lack of windows support.  However, I am digressing, that is a whole different topic all together.

Are you from India?  The site you linked was in Rupees.......


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## PC eye (Jun 6, 2008)

I don't you would want to spend 20,000 hours installing Windows on 10,000 individual systems as well as all of the office type and other softwares to be used there. That's a totally a separate environment then working with one individual desktop pc where even MS provides a list of generic numbers until Windows is up and running to then see the actual product number entered as well as preactivation proceedures under volume licensing.

Ghost is the big name for the longest time as far as drive imaging goes. Their antivirus is at the bottom with McAfee while that one stands out. When dealing with softwares for corporate over small business you have to expect the large price tags seen there where you pay through the nose. How you worked Acronis at all?


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## tlarkin (Jun 6, 2008)

Acronis is a great cheaper alternative, but in all honesty, Ghost does it best.  It works in virtual environments, you can create PEs, migrate them to images, etc.  Slipstream drivers, netboot, blah blah blah

Ghost only does imaging though.  Other suites offer imaging and package deployment.  It depends on what you want to spend.


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## PC eye (Jun 6, 2008)

Or the budget you have available that is. Any large company will spend the higher prices for the Pro versions of any software to meet their needs while a small shop or private user will have to watch expenses according to their own. Since you are working far more with these types of softwares plus Ghost already having a long time rep I figured I would run Acronis by you since that has a good rep as well. 

Most imaging softwares would mainly be used by companies having volume licensing there for the multiple systems along with servers. For private users the idea of preserving data more then anything off of one drive simply being upgraded or replaced before failing would be the main application there. When changing drives however you still have to plan on a fresh install of Window for the stand alone pc.


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