Installin WinXP with dell reinstallation disk

kifi

I have a Dell laptop and also have recently built a new desktop system

Is it possible for me to install WinXp on my new system? Would you recommend that I fork out the 110euro for a new license?

SouperComputer

kifi wrote:

Is it possible for me to install WinXp on my new system?

Possible: yes. Legitimate and legal: No.

You need to purchase windows for the new machine, if you want a version that you can transfer from one machine to another, you need to purchase a retail box version, not OEM.

kifi

this is as illegit and illegal as downloading the latest mp3s without paying. Something along the same lines, do you agree?

A retail version of XP is ridiculous money.

seamus

kifi wrote:

this is as illegit and illegal as downloading the latest mp3s without paying. Something along the same lines, do you agree?

A retail version of XP is ridiculous money.

Well not really. You have to look at it from the manufacturer's point of view. In software, a manufacturer finds themselves in the unique position of having their goods copied endlessly from a single copy supplied to the end user.

No other industry suffers from this: if you bought a new engine for your car, you couldn't move it to another car without rendering the first car useless. Whatever about Microsoft being a massive company with plenty of money, they still have the same right as other manufacturers to be paid for each use of their product.
You'll find that many EULAs specify "Licenced for use by one person on one machine", they just don't employ the same rigorous protection machanisms that MS do.

Capt'n Midnight

seamus wrote:

Well not really. You have to look at it from the manufacturer's point of view. In software, a manufacturer finds themselves in the unique position of having their goods copied endlessly from a single copy supplied to the end user.

Then again like the music industry most of the cost is in producing the first copy, subseuent copies can be made for almost zero cost. Life ain't fair. If you want free software there are many alternatives.

seamus wrote:

Whatever about Microsoft being a massive company with plenty of money, they still have the same right as other manufacturers to be paid for each use of their product.
You'll find that many EULAs specify "Licenced for use by one person on one machine", they just don't employ the same rigorous protection machanisms that MS do.

note the phrase use of their product. you don't own the software, you have not bought it, all you have paid for are rights to use their software subject to any legal terms they see fit to impose.
For applications and client OS's microsoft licenses are in practise machine licenses (not per user, unless you want to uninstall/reinstall every logon)
OEM licenses are faustian in that they are LOCKED to the supplied hardware even if you upgrade to a newer version.

As for a retail license of XP being mad money - back in the days when a 368 PC cost £3,000 DOS would cost less than £100 (1/30th the price). Nowadays you can buy a computer with XP pre-installed for less than the cost of buying the OEM XP license the PC came with and an XP PRO retail license.

It's been called the "microsoft tax"

BTW: that 110 sounds like OEM so again the license would be bound to the HW you buy with it.

seamus

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Then again like the music industry most of the cost is in producing the first copy, subseuent copies can be made for almost zero cost. Life ain't fair. If you want free software there are many alternatives.

Well, this is true and is the fundamental difference in producing software. While MS do have a right to be paid, I agree that their OS's are far too expensive, particularly when you think about how many copies they sell.

There can be no doubt that MS has a monopoly when competitive and equally useful software is available for free, yet everyone continues to buy MS's stuff.

Serbian

I was told by Microsoft that I could run the software on one Workstation and one laptop about one year ago. I read through the EULA and it doesn't appear that this is the case, but it may be worth ringing them and asking. You can get the EULA from the Microsoft Website if you want to take a look yourself.

ressem

The limited workstation + users laptop allowance applies to MS Office retail ok, but not windows.

(Not that you save money if fool enough to pay €700 for Office Pro retail.)

seamus

It should be noted that if you are installing software under the "two machines" rule (which applies to the office suite, not Windows), it works as follows:
You can install it on any one machine, multi-user or otherwise.
You may also install it on any other machine, provided that you are the sole user.