News Microsoft clarifies Vista activation to bit-tech hacks

[WilHarris]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/10...n_to_bit-tech/

[Gunsmith]

10 times? bollocks to that, I format and rebuild every 2-3 months, (old habits from the 98 days) i think i shall be waiting to see how the hackers start working their way around it.

[Darkedge]

and as far as I know right now - Ghosting doesn't work with Vista, it's impossible

[BioSniper]

Originally Posted by Gunsmith

10 times? bollocks to that, I format and rebuild every 2-3 months, (old habits from the 98 days)

I'm glad I'm not the only one that kept the format every 3 months or so habit

[Matkubicki]

Cool my thread got a link in an article, the pride!!

This is better than was previously mentioned obviously, 10 times will be enough for most of us upgraders. My XP has probably been through maybe 7 major changes.

Not perfect but better would be my feeling

[Blademrk]

Originally Posted by Gunsmith

10 times? bollocks to that, I format and rebuild every 2-3 months, (old habits from the 98 days) i think i shall be waiting to see how the hackers start working their way around it.

Going by the article, re-Installing just to keep the system clean shouldn't be a problem.

Windows Vista will not require a system re-activation unless the hard drive and one other component is changed.

You only need to re-activate if you change a HD and another component. which theoretically would allow for 10+ upgrades over the life of the PC.

[TGImages]

While 10 times is a substantial number for most users, this is still BS. I paid for it, I should be able to use it/reinstall it as I see fit. If I bought a one user/one PC license then, even if I want to reinstall it every week, I should be able to use it without any limits. I'm an IT Manager and with some of our test stations, 10 rebuilds in one year is definitely a possibility.

[DougEdey]

Please read the article (and the post above yours), you only re-activate when the hard drive AND another component are changed

Are you really going to change those components more then 10 times?

[Da Dego]

Originally Posted by TGImages

While 10 times is a substantial number for most users, this is still BS. I paid for it, I should be able to use it/reinstall it as I see fit. If I bought a one user/one PC license then, even if I want to reinstall it every week, I should be able to use it without any limits. I'm an IT Manager and with some of our test stations, 10 rebuilds in one year is definitely a possibility.

I'd have to agree here. This goes back to the old question: Are we buying software, or renting it? Though I applaud MS getting out of the habit of that ridiculous activation scheme that it had going for XP, putting a hard limit on how many times I should be allowed to move my installation is not really fair. Fortunately, by the time anyone likely hits activation #10, a hack will surely have been perfected.

[DarkInferno]

Let me think of the items that have been changed in my pc since my last install...

3 new hard drives (2 of which were C
about 5 new opticals
2 new motherboards
3 new graphics cards
Ram, changed twice
PSU (The old one set on fire)
Sound card.

I'm not sure if I have changed processor... I may have... not 100%...

(I still have my original NIC. rarr!)

Now I'm rather glad I use 2k rather then XP because I've had to do precicely zip in order to change all that hardware other then change the drivers over, and physically install it.

I personally can't see me migrating to Vista any time soon as it looks more limiting then XP with no upside, (higher hardware requirements with no added functionality) which looks pretty weak compared to 2k tbh.

Can't help but think that microsoft should be forced to buy back the licence after the 10 instances get used up.
If microsoft no longer want their custom then they should at least pay back the money the consumer payed for its software.

[aggies11]

Originally Posted by DougEdey

Please read the article (and the post above yours), you only re-activate when the hard drive AND another component are changed

Are you really going to change those components more then 10 times?

So you don't need to active when you do a fresh install? Wow, who knew that M$ could keep your activation data on the HD, even surviving a format.

Upgrading a video card, will not require activation, nor will ram, cpu, soundcard, etc. Those things don't require reinstallation either.

Unfortunately, from the limited information given above (and drawing parallels with XP's activation scheme) it's entirely possible (and I would say likely) that Vista will require activation upon installation. That could then count towards your total of "10".

The only thing I could see that *might* let you get around this, is the ability to backup your activation info before you format/reinstall, and then import it back into the system. Do we know if Vista will support something like that?

I think it's still a good idea to be critical. The EULA definitely did not say what the M$ rep is reporting, so this "change" is in direct response to all our compliants, which is good. We have to stay vocal, to keep Microsoft honest.

Aggies

[Techno-Dann]

So... You put as many old components as you can on the new motherboard, including your old hard drive, and re-install. The hard drive hasn't changed, so re-activation isn't required. Then, you swap in the new hard drive, re-re-install. Again, re-activation isn't required, as nothing but the hard drive has changed. Then, you start swapping in componments.

Easy enough, just takes time.

[Buzzons]

so Dark your on 3 changes, not 10, big wow, and you had your system how long?

to computer sys admin : i doubt the enterprise version etc that you will be deploying over your networks will have this issue so it wont really matter to you

to bit-tech geek people that build fun systems to test : you could get the afore mentioned enterprise one to allow this.

to people that build new computers every week : if you buy a broom , then change its handle, and a week later change its brush, it is _NOT_ the same broom, ergo, if you change your hard drive, and your motherboard, ZOMG! its _NOT_ the same PC -- you could quite easily have just built it and tried to install windows on it keeping your old one up and running at the same time. Stop flaming MS for just trying to sell a product, after all thats ALL it is, all politics about MS asside, its a company, it has to make money, and to be fair, its being rather nice about it, it could set it to 1 as .. it IS there software.

[cjmUK]

Originally Posted by Buzzons

to people that build new computers every week : if you buy a broom , then change its handle, and a week later change its brush, it is _NOT_ the same broom, ergo, if you change your hard drive, and your motherboard, ZOMG! its _NOT_ the same PC -- you could quite easily have just built it and tried to install windows on it keeping your old one up and running at the same time. Stop flaming MS for just trying to sell a product, after all thats ALL it is, all politics about MS asside, its a company, it has to make money, and to be fair, its being rather nice about it, it could set it to 1 as .. it IS there software.

An MS apologist? Here??!

I regard myself as buying some software. Microsoft regard it as me loaning some software for a fee. OK, I can accept that, I suppose. But MS say that I can only use it on one PC - ever.

Hang on! Even the scum-sucking pigs at EA dont try that kind of trick. They at least allow me to re-install their software on a new PC. And again on a new PC after that.

When I hire a chainsaw I dont need to nominate which bit of tree or hitchhiker I'm going to cut up. When I hire a car, I'm not limited to driving it on the A1; I can drive it wherever I want. If I buy a DVD from Disney (er.. for example), I'm not obliged to only watch it on the one DVD player. I'm not allowed to copy it, but I can play it where the hell I want to. If I buy some fluffy dice for my car, I can change cars or even put it in my wife's car.

Yes, Microsoft is there to make money, but it has a responsibility not to exploit its customer base with draconian licensing clauses.

CJM

[[sinz]]

Let the Linux gaming begin.

[Lazarus Dark]

as .. it IS there software.

wrong. I purchased it FROM them. Its mine now. What I do with it in my home is none of MS's business so long as I'm not redistributing it over the net. If I buy a new dvd player is it only usable with my current tv? Do I have to ask permission to use it on another tv? Any company that says a software license is different from hardware and can be differently limited is just greedy and wants to rip off its own paying customers. plain and simple. I'm NOT going to purchase a 400$ vista license TWICE! If MS says I can't reinstall it on the eleventh time I will just find a workaround. And I will sleep like a baby. I dare a jury to punish me for USING the software I legitimately purchased. The fact is this licensing crap as far as I know has not really been tested in courts when there is no piracy involved and its just a legitimate user trying to use legitimately purchased software. Honestly, I don't think it will really hold up in court.

Let the Linux gaming begin.

I'm hearing some good reviews of that new CrossOver software for playing WoW and other windows apps on linux. With faster procs with more cores the overhead of wine based apps is not so much a problem and the performance hit can be negligible. maybe someday soon even hardcore gamers can switch to linux with no loss of quality.

[EK-MDi]

Originally Posted by TGImages

While 10 times is a substantial number for most users, this is still BS. I paid for it, I should be able to use it/reinstall it as I see fit. If I bought a one user/one PC license then, even if I want to reinstall it every week, I should be able to use it without any limits. I'm an IT Manager and with some of our test stations, 10 rebuilds in one year is definitely a possibility.

Did you even read the article? You only have to reactivate if you change the hard drive and one other component. Therefore, you can keep reinstalling Windows once every week if you wish.

[cpemma]

Originally Posted by Lazarus Dark

...its just a legitimate user trying to use legitimately purchased software.

Microsoft used to have little or no precaution against abuse of the licence. What happened? Millions abused it and bragged about their abuse as though they'd done something clever.

To fit a burglar alarm doesn't imply you're treating everybody as criminals, it's a logical precaution because so many people are bent. Blame the bent people, not the people who fit alarms.

Every re-format changes the VSN (though you can change it back) and wipes the local activation files, which might be why MS say "the HDD and any other component" would come into the total permitted, whereas HDD reformat only wouldn't. Seems logical, even better than current, providing the checker is reset every few months so I can upgrade HDD in January and something else in April without a hiccup.

[cjmUK]

Originally Posted by Lazarus Dark

wrong. I purchased it FROM them. Its mine now.

And herein is the crux of the matter. You are correct and wrong at the same time.

You did purchase it from them. And it is yours. And always will be.

The problem is it is not the software; it is the use of the software under the conditions laid out in the EULA.

I'm pleased that MS are saying that by and large we won't be affected, but the real issue is that they *could* shaft you at any time. They decide if/when you are able to re-activate.

[Darren9075]

Originally Posted by cjmwork2

I'm pleased that MS are saying that by and large we won't be affected, but the real issue is that they *could* shaft you at any time. They decide if/when you are able to re-activate.

They would never do it, Microsoft has had the power to ID every single Illegal copy of XP that was ever connected to the internet, the reason they dont do it, is because it would destroy them, and its probably illegal.

If this Hard disk + one other is true, does that means you could change everything except the hard disk and be ok? or you could change the Harddisk and nothing else.

Re-installing vista after change some items i doubt would count to the 10 activations, as long as it wasnt the Hard disk + 1. I suspect that Hardware IDs would be used to create some kind of number, that number would be used apon activation and if it showed that the things have not changed outwith there harddisk plus one it wouldnt count to there 10.