B
Beyond X
Flightless Bird
This question must have been hundreds times, but please help.
I want to know what the Microsoft policy is concerning licensing its
softwars. In particular:
1) I need to alternate two or three hard drives in the SAME computer
depending on the kind of work I do. The platform installed in my current
routine hard drive is Win XP Pro which is 'genuine' with legitimate
product key. When it was activated, I believe, Microsoft collected
information specific to this particular hard drive product together with
discriminatory information about the computer's hardware set up
(motherboard, memory card, CPU, graphic card, etc).
Now, if I replace the hard drive and install the same OS from the
SAME CD (with the same product key) followed by going through new
activation process, I am sure that the activation attempt will pass
(because the OS software is 'genuine').
Then, when I switch back to the previous harddisk in which the same
OS with the same product key has been installed, what will happen? Will
it work without complication? Or will it need to go through another
activation and safely? (I will not and will not be able to use the two
drives simultaneously.)
If so how many times will I be permitted to do such a switching if
there is a limit to it?
(Does information about successful activation stay inside the disk or is
it in MS's activation database and checked out every time the disk is
used?)
2) If I install the same OS in a deifferent partition in the same hard
drive and use it in the same computer, what will happen?
My thought:
What Microsoft wants is prevention of a software from its use in
"different computers" at the same time, isn't it? That is, MS does not
want piracy. When we purchase a "genuine" MS software, however, we own
it with every right of the ownership and we should be able to use it in
every way we want as long as we do not commit piracy or illegal
transaction, right?
I want to know what the Microsoft policy is concerning licensing its
softwars. In particular:
1) I need to alternate two or three hard drives in the SAME computer
depending on the kind of work I do. The platform installed in my current
routine hard drive is Win XP Pro which is 'genuine' with legitimate
product key. When it was activated, I believe, Microsoft collected
information specific to this particular hard drive product together with
discriminatory information about the computer's hardware set up
(motherboard, memory card, CPU, graphic card, etc).
Now, if I replace the hard drive and install the same OS from the
SAME CD (with the same product key) followed by going through new
activation process, I am sure that the activation attempt will pass
(because the OS software is 'genuine').
Then, when I switch back to the previous harddisk in which the same
OS with the same product key has been installed, what will happen? Will
it work without complication? Or will it need to go through another
activation and safely? (I will not and will not be able to use the two
drives simultaneously.)
If so how many times will I be permitted to do such a switching if
there is a limit to it?
(Does information about successful activation stay inside the disk or is
it in MS's activation database and checked out every time the disk is
used?)
2) If I install the same OS in a deifferent partition in the same hard
drive and use it in the same computer, what will happen?
My thought:
What Microsoft wants is prevention of a software from its use in
"different computers" at the same time, isn't it? That is, MS does not
want piracy. When we purchase a "genuine" MS software, however, we own
it with every right of the ownership and we should be able to use it in
every way we want as long as we do not commit piracy or illegal
transaction, right?