Windows Licensing Question

R

RAD

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
Messages
489
Hi Guys,
Over the past few months I have built several computer using the Windows 7 RC. I also have several friends and family members using Vista or XP that want to upgrade to Windows 7 when it officially launches. Is there a way to purchase a license that can be used on multiple computers? Or is that prohibitively expensive?
 
sure, you can get a volume license.
But certainly not cheap :p
 
Right, so it would probably be cheaper for me to buy 4 to 6 oem licenses than to buy a single bulk license?
 
I don't know much about Windows 7 in particular, but historically, the least expensive way to purchase a MS OS is to buy an OEM license for each machine. The downside is that an OEM license is only legal on the initial system that it is installed on and can't be moved like a volume license or a boxed license would be.

Wasn't there just a special deal where you can pre-order Windows 7 for $50?
 
Unfortunately YellowSnow, the $50 deal was for the upgrade version of Windows 7, so if you started the system off with Win 7 RC you would not be able to use that deal.
 
Aw, that's right.

You may be able to save some dough on the OEM licenses if you buy them in packs of 3, 5 or 10, etc. I think.
 
Unless you are buying a gift for friends/family, have them buy it and you can always help them install whenever. It wont even be in stores til late October.

If you have a bunch of computers yourself, a Technet subscription will get you 10 Win7 licenses (along with Office, etc) next week, Aug 6. For your own evaluation use, of course. Just sayin. :rolleyes:
 
RAD said:
Unfortunately YellowSnow, the $50 deal was for the upgrade version of Windows 7, so if you started the system off with Win 7 RC you would not be able to use that deal.
Click to expand...

Incorrect. Microsoft has explicitly stated that an activated Windows 7 RC installation will qualify an upgrade install of the finalised product! That statement was part of the 'further information' available via Microsoft store when the $US50 Upgrade Special Offer was current.




@ topic poster:

There definitely will be a 'family pack' offered, as MS have already mentioned it. But details aren't yet available regarding it, and if previous efforts are any indication it'll probably be for 3 'pooters and cost more than 3xOEM System Builder packs anyways.


For a competent person maintaining several 'pooters the sensible course is to take out and maintain a Technet subscription. Initial subscription cost is reasonably inexpensive and subscription renewals are less costly again. Less than $1 per day gets you access to up to date versions of Windows and MS Office (as well as a raft of other stuff) forever after, and it is suitable for use with numerous machines.

Check it out here:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

That's ostensibly for IT Professionals, and for testing and troubleshooting purposes, and not for either commercial purposes or for use with 'live data'. Enthusiasts like ourselves, who troubleshoot and figure stuff out for others on internet forums loosely (and arguably) fit that criteria, so for people like ourselves a Technet subscription becomes, basically, a "don't try sue us if you stuff up and blow out your data without having it backed up safely" kinda thing :)
 
Catweazle said:
Incorrect. Microsoft has explicitly stated that an activated Windows 7 RC installation will qualify an upgrade install of the finalised product! That statement was part of the 'further information' available via Microsoft store when the $US50 Upgrade Special Offer was current.
)
Click to expand...

I wish I had known that. I searched all over for information regarding this and could not find that statement anywhere. Sigh.
 
Not a good way to go regardless, RAD, considering that the RC install becomes expired/unusable mid next year, so it'd be kinda hard to use it for qualifying future reinstalls.
 
Incorrect. Microsoft has explicitly stated that an activated Windows 7 RC installation will qualify an upgrade install of the finalised product! That statement was part of the 'further information' available via Microsoft store when the $US50 Upgrade Special Offer was current.
Click to expand...
Source? That makes absolutely no sense. First of all, there's no upgrade path from old Win7 builds to RTM - too many potential problems. Second of all, given that the RC was open and free, they'd be throwing money away.

In fact, here's a source that says you're flat-out wrong: Source
 
Catweazle said:
Not a good way to go regardless, RAD, considering that the RC install becomes expired/unusable mid next year, so it'd be kinda hard to use it for qualifying future reinstalls.
Click to expand...

If you ghost the basic Win7 RC validated install, why wouldn't that work in the future? I'm creating an image I hope to use by restoring, then immediately installing the upgrade over it before the RC pulls it's own plug. For that matter, I could do the same with a basic Vista install. I mean, it won't invalidate itself until it phones home, will it? Right now, I'm dual booting Vista with a 230 GB of files, and Win 7 RC that I imaged before installing anything so it's less than a 5 GB image. I'd rather restore 5 GB than 230 GB for a Win 7 Upgrade install.
 
Arainach said:
Source?
Click to expand...

http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/14/microsoft-confirms-windows-7-rc-upgrade-rules/

That information was also on the microsoft website, as one of the 'further info' links accessible when people were availing themselves of the 50% off upgrade pre-order offer. Now that the offer is over, the info is no longer avaiulable there. (I suspect somebody got their knuckles rapped for including it, to be honest!)

Plenty of others saw it and are making such claims, not just me mate. I wasn't the only person who saw it :)

First of all, there's no upgrade path from old Win7 builds to RTM - too many potential problems...

..In fact, here's a source that says you're flat-out wrong: Source
Click to expand...

An 'upgrade path' impacts ONLY upon the capacity to use an over the top upgrade install. Not having a 'valid upgrade path' with your qualifying product means only that you need to perform a custom clean install to use the upgrade package install key.

If the RC release didn't work with the upgrade media and key that'd be a situation of not having a 'valid qualifying product', not a situation of not having a 'valid upgrade path'. You're confusing the meaning of the terms.


yossarian said:
If you ghost the basic Win7 RC validated install, why wouldn't that work in the future?
Click to expand...

It'll depend upon precisely how the upgrade install key interacts with the installer and precisely what happens when the RC release reaches end of life in June next year.

Theoretically it should be fine. But there's no certainty that the activated RC install will continue to successfully qualify the upgrade key after it has reached expiration date.
 
RAD said:
Hi Guys,
Over the past few months I have built several computer using the Windows 7 RC. I also have several friends and family members using Vista or XP that want to upgrade to Windows 7 when it officially launches. Is there a way to purchase a license that can be used on multiple computers? Or is that prohibitively expensive?
Click to expand...

The legal way is to buy a license for each computer.

Anyone suggesting or mentioning Microsoft's Action Pack, Technet, MSDN, or Volume Licesing for this purpose is promoting piracy.
 
Last edited:
Arainach said:
Source? That makes absolutely no sense. First of all, there's no upgrade path from old Win7 builds to RTM - too many potential problems. Second of all, given that the RC was open and free, they'd be throwing money away.

In fact, here's a source that says you're flat-out wrong: Source
Click to expand...

And here is an MS link that documents your source.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772579(WS.10).aspx

Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios
Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are not supported:


Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP, Windows Vista® RTM, Windows Vista Starter, Windows 7 M3, Windows 7 Beta, Windows 7 RC, or Windows 7 IDS


Windows NT® Server 4.0, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server® 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2
Click to expand...
 
FromTheLou said:
Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios
Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are not supported:


Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP[/URL]
Click to expand...

That sucks that Windows XP doesn't qualify for the Win 7 Upgrade...:rolleyes:
 
SJConsultant said:
The legal way is to buy a license for each computer.

Anyone suggesting or mentioning Microsoft's Action Pack, Technet, MSDN, or Volume Licesing for this purpose is promoting piracy.
Click to expand...

Getting into "that's arguable" territory with relation to TechNet subscriptions. Those are ostensibly for "IT Professionals", but there is no clear definition of what an "IT Professional" really is, nor are there any mandatory requirements/qualifications necessary for a person to be considered as one. TechNet can (and in practice does) get used by the 'enthusiast' community, nd although microsoft does not explicitly make statement to 'include' the enthusiast community in their formal pronouncements regarding TechNet, that enthusiast community does in reality perform the 'testing and troubleshooting' practices TechNet is there for, and does communicate the results and outcomes of that testing/troubleshooting to a wide audience, via forums such as this and via other online mediums of communication.

Microsoft will be well aware that the enthusiast community uses TechNet, does not make speficic statement to include that community, but also does not take any action nor make any comment to specifically exclude that usage. The other options you've mentioned are more clearcut, however, and do not by any stretch of argument or imagination include enthusiast usage.

FromTheLou said:
And here is an MS link that documents your source.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772579(WS.10).aspx
Click to expand...

Again, that link refers to "valid upgrade paths" and thus the article is speaking ONLY to the capacity to perform over the top upgrade installs. It does NOT speak to whether or not particular products can, either practically or legitimately, serve as "qualifying products" which allow upgrade media and install keys to be used.



People need to understand that 'valid upgrade path' and 'valid qualifying product' are NOT the same thing! A valid qualifying product can be used to upgrade the license even if a valid upgrade path does not exist for the transition. That scenario would mean only that a custom clean install is required, and an over the top upgrade install not possible. It does not mean that the previous license cannot be upgraded.
 
Catweazle said:
Getting into "that's arguable" territory with relation to TechNet subscriptions.
Click to expand...

This particular thread is not arguable by any stretch of the imagination. To put it in proper context, the OP's request was :

RAD said:
Hi Guys,
Over the past few months I have built several computer using the Windows 7 RC. I also have several friends and family members using Vista or XP that want to upgrade to Windows 7 when it officially launches. Is there a way to purchase a license that can be used on multiple computers? Or is that prohibitively expensive?
Click to expand...

Technet is for an *individual* user and only that named user. It is not to be installed on family and/or friends computers.

You can *try* to dispute it any way you like, but using Technet to install copies on anyone's computers but your own is piracy plain and simple.
 
Fair point and one I'll more than happily concede. I was losing track of precisely what the topic poster had said.

One can reasonably stretch that restriction a bit, for a network of machines owned, maintained and primarily operated by the subscriber. But you can't reasonably stretch it to the handing out of 'licenses' to others.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys. It looks like we will have to bite the painful bullet of buying new OSes multiple times. Major suckage. Was thinking about splitting a technet sub with my brother so we got access to Office as well but looks like that is out the window too if sticking to a strict interpretation of the license. Also the $100 discount has expired now on that.

Looks like I will be sticking to OpenOffice and having to buy single copies of the OS as necessary.

I love Windows 7 but bitterly resent Microsoft for the insanely expensive structure on their productivity suite and OS.
 
I love Windows 7 but bitterly resent Microsoft for the insanely expensive structure on their productivity suite and OS.
Click to expand...
For how much you use the OS (and how infrequently you have to buy a new version), Windows is quite a bargain, really - moreso when you think of how much design, development, and testing work has to go into making it and when you realize that you get all the updates free.

Similarly with Office - the Student edition is priced insanely lowly, and even the higher-priced editions, for how much most people use them, are a bargain. Companies wouldn't have switched if they didn't find the time savings worth the cost.
 
I understand what the link means and the difference between valid upgrade paths and valid qualifying products.

But lets think logically here for a minute, is MS honestly going to allow the hundreds of thousands of RC installs to qualify as a valid qualifying product?

Catweazle said:
Again, that link refers to "valid upgrade paths" and thus the article is speaking ONLY to the capacity to perform over the top upgrade installs. It does NOT speak to whether or not particular products can, either practically or legitimately, serve as "qualifying products" which allow upgrade media and install keys to be used.



People need to understand that 'valid upgrade path' and 'valid qualifying product' are NOT the same thing! A valid qualifying product can be used to upgrade the license even if a valid upgrade path does not exist for the transition. That scenario would mean only that a custom clean install is required, and an over the top upgrade install not possible. It does not mean that the previous license cannot be upgraded.
Click to expand...
 
FromTheLou said:
But lets think logically here for a minute, is MS honestly going to allow the hundreds of thousands of RC installs to qualify as a valid qualifying product?
Click to expand...

Hang on a bit there! You are exceeding what's actually been said!


There's a BIG difference between "works as a qualifying product" and "it is acknowledged as a valid qualifying product".

The information, previously available via Microsoft store, mentioned only that with an activated Windows 7 RC installation in place the Windows 7 Upgrade media and key would install successfully. That comment does not state that the activated RC installation is considered as a valid qualifying product. The fact that the information is now no longer available on the Microsoft website indicates pretty clearly that it's not considered so.

As I said earlier, I'm betting that somebody got their knuckles severely rapped for including the information in a public document. It's the kind of information Microsoft always leave 'undocumented'.
 
The simple answer is: No, you will not be able to upgrade to the retail (and OEM) versions of Windows 7 if you currently only have the Release Candidate as an OS - you're going to have to need (and potentially install) an actual retail or OEM copy of a qualifying product, which seems to be Vista and XP afaik...

Don't people get sick of asking and seeing the same shit over and over again? :D
 
The simple answer, Average Joe, is that in reality neither you, I nor anybody else outside of the Microsoft development team actually definitively KNOWS just yet precisely what the procedures and needs will be. And until upgrade install keys become available to test and check with we WON'T know! Pretty much same shit was said pre-release for Vista too. INCLUDING the claim that an activated previous version would be required!

But with respect to upgrading your previous license you're quite correct. A pre-release install or a trial install won't legitimately upgrade a LICENSE. We're yet to see/verify if it'll successfully allow a custom clean install to be conducted with an upgrade key though.



Don't YOU get sick of repeating the same 'half answers' ad nauseum?
 
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