Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Is your Windows install Legit?

It's amazing what you can discover after a little digging:

This is mainly for people who run the OEM version of Windows (came pre-installed from factory).

Do you THINK you are being legal?
Yes
No

Now that you have voted on what you think, read the following document from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/oslicensing/SBLicensingQA_031202.doc

Pay close attentiong specifically to questions number 7 and 18.

"7. What is the difference between OEM software and retail (FPP) software?

...Most importantly, OEM software is licensed only for use on the computer system on which it was originally installed, while retail software may be transferred to a different computer system. ..."

"18. If I upgrade computer system components for my customers, when does a new operating system need to be acquired?

In general, all OEM software cannot be separated from the computer system on which the software was originally installed. If a System Builder builds a new computer system, new software will need to be acquired.
...The same hardware changes..requiring re-activation of Windows XP..a guideline for changes...before a PC is considered to be �??new�?� �?? and when a new license for OEM software is required."

So remember: If you build your computer, or upgrade old one, and TRANSFER the Windows from the old computer (which might not be anything but a shell), or do a re-install after the upgrade, you are obligated to pay for it AGAIN.

I'm only posting this because it caught me by suprise (even tho I work for #2 Desktop PC OEM in the world) and because it changed the validy of one of my home installs.

Also, OEM copies of the software CAN NOT be returned for Re-Fund. Clicking "I do not Agree" at the License during the setup will result in the TOTAL loss of your Windows investment. So remember that when buying an OEM copy from Newegg.com.

...and Microsoft wonders why Linux has caught on like wildfire.

I will readily admit that I've owned a copy of just about every major Windows release.


But...


The only legitimate copy was Windows 1.0

all they want is $
boo bill gates

I might tolerate the money grubbing if they could simply release software that is not so chock full of security holes that you have to download a new patch or update every week. Another reason to buy a Mac... FAR less viruses to worry about.

Bill Gates has enough money as it is , there is no way i'm going to pay $200-$300 minimum for winblows and i have every single versions of it except server 2003....

I gave Windows up on Jan 1 this year... previously I had used every version since 3.0. I remember seeing screenshots of other operating systems such as Next OS and others while I was using Win 3.11 and Win 95 and it made me want a different environment to work in so much. Gaming and hardware support made me hold off on using Linux until this last year, but I am so glad I switched. I use Mandrake 9.2 now, though I hear that Gentoo is a good way to go. I never cared much for the Mac user interface, nor the proprietary hardware which goes along with it.
As far as the gamers are concerned, the following run great in Linux (from my experience), either natively or under emulation using WineX:
Quake2 and Quake3 (not tried Q1 in Linux), H.M. FAKK2, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, U.T. 2003, Rune, Thief, Thief2, Medal of Honor, Diablo 2, BF1942/Desert Combat, Legacy Doom openGL (Doom1, Doom2, Heretic, etc.), Duke3D, Half-Life, Savage, American McGee's Alice, Black & White, Morrowind (semi-crappy performance), MAME
U.T. 2004 should be no problem as it has linux native installer.
Serious Sam is supposed to work well too but not tried it, So is Max Payne(no idea about Max-2)

What I tried but couldn't get to run properly:
Unreal 2 (doesn't launch), Postal 2 (runs but renders crappy), Gothic 2 (also runs but crappy).

So... gaming has not been a bummer for me.

I no longer care about my version of Windows being legit or not, because it is just a coaster now