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| Anybody ever invoked the warranty for Windows? Sure, and Microsoft will fix any problem free of charge... and they will deliver that fix to you in the next version that you purchase. |
Posted on 10/12/2006 6:14:06 PM PDT by zeugma
Microsoft has released licenses for the Windows Vista operating system that dramatically differ from those for Windows XP in that they limit the number of times that retail editions can be transferred to another device and ban the two least-expensive versions from running in a virtual machine.
The new licenses, which were highlighted by the Vista team on its official blog Tuesday, add new restrictions to how and where Windows can be used.
"The first user of the software may reassign the license to another device one time. If you reassign the license, that other device becomes the "licensed device," reads the license for Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, and Business. In other words, once a retail copy of Vista is installed on a PC, it can be moved to another system only once.
The new policy is narrower than Windows XP's. In the same section, the license for Windows XP Home states: "You may move the Software to a different Workstation Computer. After the transfer, you must completely remove the Software from the former Workstation Computer." There is no limit to the number of times users can make this move. Windows XP Professional's license is identical.
Elsewhere in the license, Microsoft forbids users from installing Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium in a virtual machine. "You may not use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system," the legal language reads. Vista Ultimate and Vista Business, however, can be installed within a VM.
Vista Home Basic, at $199 for a full version and $99 for an upgrade, and Vista Home Premium ($239/$159), are the two most-affordable retail editions of the operating system scheduled to appear on store shelves in January 2007.
Although the Vista team's blog did not point out these changes, it did highlight others. "Two notable changes between Windows Vista license terms and those for Windows XP are: 1) failure of a validation check results in the loss of access to specific features; and 2) an increase in our warranty period from 90 days to 1 year, which brings Windows in line with most other Microsoft products," wrote Vista program manager Nick White.
Specifically, the Vista license calls out the ramifications of a failed validation check of Vista.
"The software will from time to time validate the software, update or require download of the validation feature of the software," it reads. "If after a validation check, the software is found not to be properly licensed, the functionality of the software may be affected."
Vista's new anti-piracy technologies, collectively dubbed "Software Protection Platform," have met with skepticism by analysts and criticism by users. Under the new program, a copy of Vista that's judged to be in violation of its license, or is counterfeit, is disabled after a set period, leaving the user access only to the default Web browser, and then only for an hour at a time.
Anybody ever invoked the warranty for Windows?
I'm not going to have to worry about this because I've decided not to buy any new copies of operating systems from Microsoft. After all, if I really, really, need one, I can do what used to be allowed and transfer one of my old licenses to a new machine.
I can't imagine why a "typical user" will ever want to get Vista. Microsoft will force manufacturers to start installing it on computers, so users will end up with it regardless of what they want.
It has a warranty? What's it warranted to do?
Look purty. And I'm sure theres one of those perverted paper clip thingies hanging out somewhere.
That's my plan.
And afterwards, if support and incompatibilities force me in the future to something else, I am ready for Linux.
But whatever it is it's for longer for longer in Vista.
Without there being a compelling reason to upgrade, I will stick with XP.
One thing I thought was interesting about this, is that it would appear from this license that if you install vista on a standalone non-networked PC (the only sane way to run any MS-Windows product IMO, it will essentially stop working.
What a riot.
Also, when is the basic Vista an upgrade? From Windows XP, or do they mean from another Vista system?
And finally, how do you transfer the operating system from one computer to another?
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| Anybody ever invoked the warranty for Windows? Sure, and Microsoft will fix any problem free of charge... and they will deliver that fix to you in the next version that you purchase. |
I guess MS will reimburse your losses (work, work time, sales etc.) that will take place while you spend hours and days begging to get your *legally purchased* software turned back on.
/major sarc
A FREE tube in every new box of Vista.........
I guess the fact you cannot VM the home editions will sort of make the Virtual PC virtually useless.
Thankfully I am running just about every other OS under VMWare. Though I will get Vista through my MSDN subscription, I am going to say "to hell with Vista" just like I said "to hell" with Microsoft Mobile 5.0. That piece of junk was nothing more than a downgrade from the previous version.
Plus, Synaptic makes it simple to install just about anything you could possibly want.
I have no idea why anyone would purchase Vista, when Linux has become so damned useable.
I'll never use this operating system, ever. No computer on my network where I work will be caught dead with this! I can just imagine a call at 3AM over a workststation that has been hosed because of a validation check gone bad.
ping
Microsoft Vista
The NEXT Windows ME
Oh I am sure you will be able to call their support phone numbers if you need to re-re-re-validate your system. Piece of junk.
A "virtual machine" in this case means you can run multiple operating systems side by side on the same computer.
For example I can run Linux, Windows 2000 and Windows XP all on the same computer. There is a company called VMWare that makes software to give you this capability. http://www.vmware.com/products/
TY. Doesn't that tax the machine memory quite a bit, and what is the benefit of switching back and forth? Using software designed for each one?
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