"MICHAEL" <u158627_emr@dslr.net> wrote
> To me, this is important enough to post in its entirety.
> While I can not find an "official" link from Microsoft-
> PCMag is a reputable source.
> http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2087792,00.asp
> A Microsoft representative confirmed that users may buy an OEM copy of
> Windows Vista at a substantial discount, provided they adhere to the terms
> of the license - which, incidentally, may mean providing support for
> family members.
> In addition, users should still be subject to the same familiar
> re-activation restrictions as users of a retail Vista license and Windows
> XP, a spokeswoman said. Users can alter the PC's hardware substantially,
> but they will be forced to reactivate - not repurchase the OEM software -
> if they do, she said.
> One system builder pointed out, however, that Microsoft's OEM license
> forbids the software from being transferred to a whole new machine, from
> scratch, once it is installed on the original target machine.
If this is true, it means that:
1. Microsoft has abjured the "the motherboard is the computer" line that it
adopted recently.
2. Anybody who "builds a system" is by definition a "system builder" and can
therefore lawfully buy and install an OEM copy.
3. Those who want to do a "clean installation" of Vista now have a
Redmond-sanctioned way of doing so. (Presumably the OEM Vista can only be
installed on a newly formatted HD?)
4. I'm in line to buy OEM copies of Vista for my and my wife's machines.
--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com