windows licenses

[Radar]

The licence is just to indicate back to microsoft that you have bought and installed a legit copy of XP. They have holograms on media and those little stickers, all supposed to be hard to copy by forgers.

After the install completes and you fire up windows update, one of the programs that is installed is WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage). It attempts to detect if you're running a cracked version of XP or are using any of the mass licence keys that they know are compromised.

If you're not that worried about the legality of it, you probably will be able to install your existing media and key. I believe there's a small number of allowed re-installs before authorisation starts acting up (Anyone know how many ??) Being behind a NAT router should keep you safe while your install & patching is taking place. The installed licence won't match up with the 98 licence on the case, but there's nothing physical to block the install.

The vendor probably asked about licences because he had already paid MS for the 98 OEM licence and it works out cheaper to buy a 98-> XP upgrade on top rather than a whole new XP licence.

I'm sure that makes no sense.

Nahh, I'm sure we've got to the bottom of it now

 

[wishface]

Thanks.

So If i buy XP i got no problems with some 98 license on the machine or whatever it is.



Though this

Why would the installed license, on XP, match up with the 98 license at all?

confuses me.

Everything is confusing me today.

 

[Radar]

Fuck, I wrote a reply to this last night and its gone

bottom line.

Buy XP (either upgrade if poss or new copy) and forget about your 98 licence. Once XP is on there your 98 setup is irrelevant.

It makes no difference that the licence keys don't match. All that suggests is that the OS on the PC isn't the one it was sold with.

 

[wishface]

I will eventually, just can't afford that as well right now.

Thanks.

 

[longdog]

What's all this licence / not installed on other machine bollocks?

I run the same snide copy of XP Pro on three machines using the same disk and the same key.

A lot of the minimum spec is bollocks too. I've had it running on some very low spec PCs without any problem.

 

[Radar]

I run the same snide copy of XP Pro on three machines using the same disk and the same key.

So have I, but not everyone is happy running illegal copies.

If you're not that worried about the legality of it, you probably will be able to install your existing media and key.

It's been made perfectly clear that all this hoohaa over licencing is only if you care about the legality of your installation, otherwise whack in the existing dodgy copy and away they go.

(just be aware that you might have to do another install later if you ever want your setup squeaky clean again)

 

[Fez909]

Lordy, lordy, lordy!

Yep, the last two posts I have to agree with.

1. Forget about licenses. Put a dodgy copy of Windows on and you can worry about the rest later (you might need a crack for the Windows Genuine Advantage thing mentioned above).

2. Your router will keep you safe enough to go online immediately without Service Pack 2. I'm running SP1 still and have had no problems at all.

3. Get yourself a nice free firewall, anti-virus and spy-ware doofer.

4. Do nothing!