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Windows Home Server (OEM copy): Will I be able to reactivate on differnt mobo online?
- Thread starter mshan
- Start date
RebateMonger
Elite Member
Like XP Windows Media Center Edition, Windows Home Server was only released as an OEM version.
Microsoft prints the license terms on the package itself. I don't think I have a package here, but all recent Microsoft OEM software carries the same basic terms. It's not supposed to be moved to "a new computer" once installed. Microsoft currently defines "new computer" as a new motherboard.
As to whether Microsoft will let you move it and re-Activate? Probably. I haven't heard of anybody with a legitimate license for "generic" OEM software not being allowed to re-Activate it as long as it's only installed on one PC at a time.
If you aren't sure where you want to put it, you can also download the 4-month-trial version and do a re-install on top of that with the OEM version.
Microsoft prints the license terms on the package itself. I don't think I have a package here, but all recent Microsoft OEM software carries the same basic terms. It's not supposed to be moved to "a new computer" once installed. Microsoft currently defines "new computer" as a new motherboard.
As to whether Microsoft will let you move it and re-Activate? Probably. I haven't heard of anybody with a legitimate license for "generic" OEM software not being allowed to re-Activate it as long as it's only installed on one PC at a time.
If you aren't sure where you want to put it, you can also download the 4-month-trial version and do a re-install on top of that with the OEM version.
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
This is one of the many things that angers me about MS.
Want to use their software? Pay Microsoft.
Want to use the software that you already paid for, on a different machine? Pay Microsoft twice, perhaps even thrice.
It's no different than car companies attempting to force you to purchase a new card, if you move, because the old car is "married to the driveway".
It's 100% absolutely totally ludicrous.
And yet, stupid consumers in the tech industry actually put up with this shit!!!
Want to use their software? Pay Microsoft.
Want to use the software that you already paid for, on a different machine? Pay Microsoft twice, perhaps even thrice.
It's no different than car companies attempting to force you to purchase a new card, if you move, because the old car is "married to the driveway".
It's 100% absolutely totally ludicrous.
And yet, stupid consumers in the tech industry actually put up with this shit!!!
I'm not clear on this:
1. It's a free country - buy and sell what you want.
2. Customers have a choice of retail or OEM.
3. MS publishes information on the difference between the two.
In fact, if one read labels prior to buying, it's pretty obvious.
4. MS isn't anyone's mommy. In fact, they exist to make money.
Why (how) could anyone be alarmed at this? It's made for people that buy a machine + OS and never upgrade it. And for that huge (majority!) crowd, it's a great way to save 25-50% of the price of the OS.
RebateMonger
Elite Member
When XP Activation was first implemented, MS said it kept updates to its Activation database for 120 days. If you made a change to your PC and waited 120 days, the history was completely wiped from the database and from the PC. As long as you didn't have more than one PC using the License Key, you could, in theory, move your XP to a new PC every 120 days and MS would allow Activation.
I don't know the current status of that system, but that's likely why many folks report being able to re-Activate their "generic" OEM licenses on new motherboards with no problem.
MS's "hot-buttons" regarding Activation appear to be:
1) Trying to use a large OEM's Key for Activation (i.e. attempting to Activate using the Key on the side of a Dell or HP).
2) Using the same Key simultaneously on more than one PC.
3) Using a pirated Volume License Key.
4) Attempting to modify the OS to evade Activation.
Folks who steer clear of those issues seldom have Activation problems.
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
Bullshit. This thread is talking about WHS. Tell me where I can buy a RETAIL copy of WHS (tranferrable between machines at my whim), and I'll buy it on the spot.
I buy only retail (upgrade, usually) versions of MS OS software. I don't buy OEM, because I don't like the draconian restrictions. But MS has been increasingly releasing their OSes ONLY in OEM versions, intentionally, because the want to force the consumer to pay, not once, but twice or thrice for their software. It's a clever but decietful scheme. All made possible by our corrupt court system, that refused to strike down otherwise unlawful and unenforceable "clickwrap" licensing.
Yep, you are correct. I guess MS only wants to sell to the OEM market. So if you are the legal type of person and you don't want to abide by the agreement, don't buy it. Pretend it doesn't exist.
We all have our own opinions - and options. I mostly switched to MacOS for everything but servers, and I virtualized (ESXi, naturally) my servers, so they're just VMDK files on hard drives on any physical box I want.
RebateMonger
Elite Member
Examples? The only (non-corporate) OEM-only Microsoft OSes that I know of are:
* XP x64 - MS didn't want "Average Joe" to buy a Retail box of XP x64 and expect it to work with his old inkjet printer.
* XP Media Center Edition - XP Media Center Edition was REALLY picky on hardware requirements, so they didn't want "Average Julie" to run to Best Buy and pick up a box of MCE to turn her five-year-old PC into a Media Center PC that won't work well at all.
* Windows Home Server - Windows Home Server is pretty much a long-term investment. Unlike a gaming PC, once you build a WHS server, it should easily do its job for the next five years. There's even unlimited 4-month trials available to allow time for experimentation.
This is such an invalid statement it's annoying how often you bring up this lie.
The price for software product X it $100 dollars and you can move it around at will. The author says, since your buying this with a new machine I'll sell you a copy for $40 as long as you only use it on that one machine.
You happily pay the $40 since you saved $60 then come back and complain that you got ripped off once you DO want to move it another machine.
I can't think of an MS OEM copy that isn't at least 1/2 the cost of retail meaning you'd have to go through 3 machines (and bear in mind, you can sell that old machine WITH the license, so its not like it becomes valueless) to lose out.
Of course, when your a liar that complains about MS all the time, guess these stories make you happy.
Bill
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
Bill, I am insulted. How is my statement a lie? MS *DOES NOT SELL* a version of WHS that can be moved between machines. YOUR ONLY CHOICE to to pay MS MULTIPLE TIMES FOR THE SAME PRODUCT, should you wish to upgrade or change out your hardware.
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
Also, Bill, what do you say about MS's plans to ship Win7 Starter Edition on netbooks, which is intentionally crippled to only be able to run 3 apps at once, with the sole purpose of attempting users that get pissed off at that limitation to upgrade to a higher edition of Win7?
How is that not MS's plan, to make customers pay multiple times for the right to own and use a copy of MS's OS?
How is that not MS's plan, to make customers pay multiple times for the right to own and use a copy of MS's OS?
RebateMonger
Elite Member
It does look like the 3-app limit will be removed from W7 Starter Edition.
Of course, you could always choose to NOT buy a PC with Starter Edition, solving the "problem".
The purpose of the Starter Edition limit appeared to be threefold:
1) Provide a low-cost OS to make low-cost PCs available (especially to students)
2) To discourage people from moving that low-cost license to full-size computers, getting around having to pay for the higher-priced "full" versions.
3) To avoid poor netbook performance caused by "overloading" the storage, memory and CPU capacity of the netbooks.
Of course, you could always choose to NOT buy a PC with Starter Edition, solving the "problem".
The purpose of the Starter Edition limit appeared to be threefold:
1) Provide a low-cost OS to make low-cost PCs available (especially to students)
2) To discourage people from moving that low-cost license to full-size computers, getting around having to pay for the higher-priced "full" versions.
3) To avoid poor netbook performance caused by "overloading" the storage, memory and CPU capacity of the netbooks.
This was an option that MS was making available to Netbook oem's who wanted it (and was recently dropped afaik). The majority will simply get a netbook with w7 home.
Sigh. They don't buy a netbook with a copy of Windows you don't want, or pay to upgrade it to a copy you do want. This is no different than the Vista Anytime upgrade option which allowed you to move from Vista version X to a higher version for a fee.
Such a complete falacy. It is not YOUR ONLY CHOICE. If you don't like the licensing requirements of the people who invested to write and create the software then RUN SOMETHING ELSE. You act like the government dictated that you run WHS. There are plenty of competing products (many free) out there, if you dont like the feature set, then dont run it.
The VAST majority of WHS users get WHS with their hardware, that is the design on the program (along with EBS). VERY few people get WHS oem. For those that do, when you upgrade to a new server, you can sell the old one (along with ITS copy of WHS). You act like the value of the previous system goes to 0 when that is clearly not the case.
With your constant bitching and lies about MS, why don't you just run Linux and go away?
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
It was implied in the conversation that we were talking about someone that wanted WHS. Not Linux. For those customers, MS offers NO CHOICE but to buy OEM, which greatly restricts what the user can do with their own hardware, when it interacts with the OS licensing.
My point still stands. For customers interested in WHS, MS provides only one choice, if you wish to upgrade your hardware and still run WHS - pay the piper over and over again, for the same piece of software.
So your point in your original reply to me, about there being a discount in exchange for the limitations of OEM, vis a vie buying retail, is invalid. Since there is no retail WHS edition.
And your point about not being forced to run MS software is also invalid, given the context of the discussion was about someone that wished to run WHS.
So Bill, I would appreciate it if you would stop bringing up invalid points, and wasting your breath calling me a liar because of your invalid points.
Regardless of only OEM and no retail availablility of WHS there ARE OTHER OPTIONS that can accomplish the same thing, no one forces you to use WHS, and if you do choose WHS then you also CHOOSE to be limited by MS OEM policy, its your choice. There are better free options if you are willing to learn/reasearch. Therefore if this conversation is about people who WANTED WHS then those people also made the choice and WANTED to be limited by MS OEM policy
RebateMonger
Elite Member
Bill's point is often ignored in conversations about MS OEM software.
First, as noted, most folks will buy a pre-built Windows Home Server, complete with hardware and software. They'll likely be paying very little for the OS itself, since Microsoft gives great deals to large PC makers. If they decide they don't like the Server, they can sell the entire package to somebody else.
But there's a minority who will spend $100 on a "generic" OEM Windows Home Server software license.
First, you have 120 days (if you first install a Trial version) or 30 days (if you jump to your OEM disk) to evaluate your new server before you must Activate the license. If you aren't sure, you can install ANOTHER 120-day trial over the top and evaluate it for another 120 days.
Once Activated, if, after a year or two, you (voluntarily) decide you want to use another motherboard, you have two choices:
1) Sell (or give away) your motherboard and the WHS license to somebody else. In the real world, that's what happens to most "first-generation-discarded" computers. People hand them off to somebody else, who uses them for a couple more years.
2) Put the WHS software onto the "new computer" and see if it Activates. It probably will. If it doesn't, there's a good chance you can call up Microsoft and will be asked one question: "Is the software installed on more than one computer?".
If your motherboard fails at any time, you are also entitled to replace it with another board that meets MS' license terms. Which, in the case of a "generic" System Builder copy of the OS, is pretty much left up to your discretion.
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