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Microsoft: The Windows OEM License Dies with Its Computer


section: windows, for your questions: KezNews forum, 17.6.2008

Licenses for Windows come in various flavors from Retail to Volume, but perhaps the most common of all is provided by original equipment manufacturers together with operating systems preloaded on new computers.




Since over 80% of the revenues of the Windows Client Division come from sales of Windows on new machines, the OEM licenses are bound to represent the vast majority of EULAs. At the same time, the OEM End User License Agreement is the one offering the least amount of flexibility to customers because it irremediably ties Windows to the PC.

"The original OEM Windows licenses that ships with the PC is bound to that PC. So, if you buy a PC with an OEM Windows license, that OEM Windows license stays with that PC. If you sell the PC, you have sold the OEM Windows license with it. If you donate the PC, you donate the OEM Windows license with it. If you burn and destroy the PC, you burn and destroy the OEM Windows license with it," explained Eric Ligman, Microsoft US Senior Manager Small Business Community Engagement.

Ligman revealed that this situation is also valid for OEM Windows licenses on refurbished computers. As long as the motherboard of a refurbished PC is not changed, customers will not need a new OEM Windows Desktop Operating System license. Since the Windows copy is intimately connected with the PC's motherboard, the OEM license for the operating system will be valid for the refurbished computer as long as that critical hardware component stays in place.

"Just because you wipe the information clean off the hard drive before transferring the PC, it doesn't change the fact that the OEM Windows license stays with it. Because of this, yes, you certainly can reload the original OEM Windows CD back onto the PC since the OEM Windows license is tied to it anyway. Just be sure that when you transfer the PC to the new owner that you also transfer all of the OEM Proof of license components with it as well," Ligman added.

source: news.softpedia.com

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Comments(14)

who cares

By nige on 18.06.2008 - 00:06
who the hell checks all this....
the microsoft love and peace police...

what a load of tosh...

For all I care

By ha ha on 18.06.2008 - 00:06
you can stick your oem license bs up your arse microshaft. i have stopped paying for your shat since 95b. now sue me !

Shafted!

By lex on 18.06.2008 - 03:06
and ms wonder why so many people are happy to use a pirated windows.

Slow news day, Marius Oiaga?

By Samic on 18.06.2008 - 03:06
the policy of oem license ties with the machine existed since the day of win98.

yeah, old news is really *that* exciting.

make easy for tranfer license owner

By nick on 18.06.2008 - 05:06
its because making us the hardness of transferable license and clean installation, well this seem not good. someday we may need new mainboard and hard drive and how it goes?

You wish ...

By ekl on 18.06.2008 - 09:06
unfortunately for microsoft selling 'used' oem-licenses is legal by european law and thus corresponding passages in the oem-eula are invalid. too bad ...

No self respect

By sjc1963 on 18.06.2008 - 10:06
i see that alksdflaksdf has no self respect and loves to call up india and beg to continue using something that he paid good money for. you wouldn't like this if every time you changed the tires, or even just put air in them, you had to call the car maker to send you a new set of keys to start your car.

Astalavista rocks

By Pirate lover on 18.06.2008 - 14:06
i got my free license from astalavista.com

how about just using a legit vlk?

By ovulator on 18.06.2008 - 14:06
that's why microsoft allegedly wanted to make vista activation by kms harder to emulate...too many people stealing their business's legit vlk's and using them to install xp and ms office at home.

can't say i blame them for doing so.

no need for VLK silly

By OEM on 18.06.2008 - 15:06
when all you need is slic in your bios :)

Time to give up,,,,,,,,,

By The CAT on 19.06.2008 - 01:06
microsoft has tried in vain to stop pirated copies of their os. wga and all it's revisions have been complete failures as evidenced by vistaloader as an example. the best plan for microsoft is to remove wga and activation and return to serial number-based installation minus activation like the windows 98/nt days and quit wasting money, time and effort on an activation plan that never worked and never will. microsoft's time could be spent doing more productive things as vista isn't perfect yet.

Agree with The Cat

By RadarSadie on 19.06.2008 - 10:06
ms made their initial billions on dos, win 3.1, nt, etc. those systems did not use wpa. as the article said, most of the profits are made with the sale of new pcs. that isn't going to change if wpa is eliminated. they could do one other thing but hell will freeze over first...... how about making the cost of a retail version of windows ultimate $99? business $79 and home premium $49? home preimum family edition (3 user) $99. watch piracy drop by 80%.

Wrong

By cushty on 19.06.2008 - 20:06
the oem licence dies with the chassis not the motherboard. the licence should be attached to the chassis on a non removable panel. source : microsoft partner program.

MS is BS

By non legit on 24.07.2008 - 12:07
i will never pay for any software or os till the day i die. eat that microshit.


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