MS continues to hate consumers and hobbyists

[Mercutio]

Microsoft recently made a change to the licence agreement saying that a new motherboard is equal to a new computer, hence you need to purchase a new Windows licence.

Here is what Microsoft has to say:

“An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a “new personal computer” to which Microsoft® OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required.”

The reason Microsoft gave for this term is that “Microsoft needed to have one base component “left standing” that would still define that original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the “heart and soul” of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created.”

Microsoft sent a memo to its OEM partners asking them to enforce this new policy, every time they upgrade a computer for a client.

That's the article, verbatim, from this place

Unbelievable.

 

[Will Rickards]

Why would microsoft ask it's OEM partners to enforce?
Wouldn't their activation center be tasked with enforcement?

I can find plenty of people quoting the same information even back in january. But I can't find a microsoft blurb about it.

They can't change the license though for existing OEM copies in the wild though, correct?

 

[Mercutio]

That's a really good question, but it annoys me on principle. Maybe because there's no mechanism in place for Microsoft to handle it through OEMs?

Probably 80%+ of the copies of XP that've been sold, ever, have been OEM copies. Even if they're just flatly saying motherboard change = reactivation, that's still no good; given all the crap that's on motherboards these days, reliability isn't exactly a strong suit for most manufacturers (... I say, as I think about the three one-month-old Dell machines from an order of 12 in which I have to replace the motherboard for one reason or another).

 

[Bozo]

I thought some OEMs like Dell already did this. A Drive Image (aka: Ghost) copy of a Dell will not run another brand PC. Seems it needs some serial number or code from the motherboard.

Bozo :mrgrn:

 

[P5-133XL]

Merc. note

If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect

This provision has nothing to do with reliability -- If your machine is broken, then this does not apply. I would hope that if you contacted M$ they would then allow activation if told that the replacement is because of damage.

Rather it has to do with people upgrading. If I have a legitimate copy of Windows on an old machine and I upgrade my machine by replacing my MB, RAM, CPU then do I get to use my old copy of Windows??? What if I buy a second machine -- Do I get to use the Windows copy from my first machine? How can Microsoft tell the difference between the two senerios?

Since modern MB's very often contain everything now with no add-in cards at all the how can M$ tell if the new install isn't an install onto a brand new machine? It is very hard to enforce their activation process and license agreements from priracy if they can't tell between an "upgrade" and an entirely different machine...

Mircosoft is obviously struggling with this issue

 

[Tannin]

....(other stuff) ... It is very hard to enforce their activation process and license agreements from priracy if they can't tell between an "upgrade" and an entirely different machine.

I can't believe you just said that. What an utterly ridiculous thing to say! This has absolutely nothing, repeat nothing, repeat nothing to do with piracy, and everything, repeat everything tp do with increasing their already obscene monopoly profits. Microsoft are simply looking for yet another way to force you to buy an inflated-price product that, in real (inflation adjusted) terms, already costs 10 to 12 times more than a market price, more often. They are aiming, little by little, to switch over to a pure rental model, where you pay Microsoft every year, over and over and over.

 

[CougTek]

Where is Al Qaida's suggestion box for their future strike? Redmond seems like a good place to land an aircraft. Scratch a commercial airplane though. A fully loaded B-52 would get my vote.

 

[Sol]

I have to agree with Tony, if these measures and licence changes are in fact designed to prevent piracy then they are singularly inefective...

I know there is the argument that a determined individual will always be able to circumvent copy protection and it's just there to stop everyone else. But by now just about everyone else knows at least one determined individual they can call. Afterall if your going to be upgrade your motherboard your probably going to need a determined individual about.

So there are a couple of options, you can call your determined friend who will chuck in the new board and install your pirated windows or very earnestly lie about a faulty motherboard to the nice lady at the MS activation center. Or you will go to a computer store and get ripped off for a new copy of windows. Either way no piracy is prevented.

 

[mubs]

I thought some OEMs like Dell already did this. A Drive Image (aka: Ghost) copy of a Dell will not run another brand PC. Seems it needs some serial number or code from the motherboard.

It's in the BIOS.

 

[Tea]

Whenever you get a faulty vomitbox and replace the motherboard - we do this regularly, sometimes even while the VB is still under warranty because the owner is tired of sending the damn thing to Sydney and waiting forever while they buggerise around with it - Windows cracks a hickey fit and you have to ring them up to activate it, spending an eternity on the telephone and getting lots of practice at mumblingrudendprobablyanatomicallyimpossiblethingsunderyourbreath.

 

[mubs]

Thash why, Tea, because years ago MS made it mandatory for VB makers to stick a special sumtin in de BIOS. So when you do a reinstall on the original hw, there's no problem at all. When you change the motherboard, that OEM's copy of Wndows XP looks for the special sumtin and freaks out when it doesn't, thinking you're installing on an alien m/c that that copy of OEM XP is not licensed for. All this was in the media around / soon after the XP launch.

 

[MaxBurn]

This only effects OEM copies of windows right? If we have a full Retail box version of windows we can continue to do whatever we want with it correct?

 

[mubs]

Cowwect, except that AFAIk you'll still have activation to deal with, but should be easier to handle when you tell them you're upgrading and the OS is still being used on only one machine.

 

[CougTek]

One thing that just came to my mind : why don't they just bundle Winblows with motherboards? Since you can't have more than one copy of Winblows per motherboard, it would make sense. And M$ should make quite a lot of money from this move, even if they only charge something like 15$ or 20$ each. That would also help to decrease the number of pirated copies and therefore, it would help to secure the entire Net because more Winblows users could easily update their OS with the latest security patches via WinblowsUpdate.

 

[CougTek]

Cowwect,...

Ahw, so you bwother com fwom Afwica? Nice to ahdd mowe cultwal divehsity.

 

[mubs]

Elmer Fudd. Vewy, vewy scawy. Just like Mawy, Mawy, Quite Contwawy.

I have a welapse of Elmer Fudd disease evewy now and then. Stwikes without wawning. Fowtunately, it's not dangewous. Just contagious...

 

[ddrueding]

One thing that just came to my mind : why don't they just bundle Winblows with motherboards? Since you can't have more than one copy of Winblows per motherboard, it would make sense. And M$ should make quite a lot of money from this move, even if they only charge something like 15$ or 20$ each. That would also help to decrease the number of pirated copies and therefore, it would help to secure the entire Net because more Winblows users could easily update their OS with the latest security patches via WinblowsUpdate.

I actually really like this idea. Granted, it gives us less control and gives MS more money (both things that we are fundamentally against), but it does make a certain kind of sense.

 

[MaxBurn]

No way they will drop the price that low. XP Home OEM through newegg is $94 and Professional OEM is $140. Retail Pro is still $220.

Does anyone know what kickbacks MS gets from Dell or Hcrap to bundle an OEM version of the operating system with their PC's?

 

[Pradeep]

Last I remember XP cost Dell something like $30-$40 bucks per copy.

 

[CougTek]

And they are supposed to sell Vista at a significantly lower price than previous Windows OS, so my 20$ per copy isn't that far stretch.

 

[MaxBurn]

And they are supposed to sell Vista at a significantly lower price than previous Windows OS, so my 20$ per copy isn't that far stretch.

Wow, so thats another reason MS continues to hate consumers and hobbyists. They really bend you over if you build your own machine and want to be legit.