How many installs can you do with windows 7 retail

Retail isn't tied to any hardware, so you can swap and change as much as you'd like.

I have no idea on the amount of reactivations you can do before you end up phoning for manual activation, but I would assume that (if you include telephone activation) there is no limit (within reason).
 
hypothetically, yes, but you're breaking the EULA, so you might as well just pirate it from the off..

just buy copies now as they're cheap if you need multiple copies
 
hypothetically, yes, but you're breaking the EULA, so you might as well just pirate it from the off..

just buy copies now as they're cheap if you need multiple copies

Awww, now look what you've done! you've gone and given him naughty ideas!
 
Not really.
The bottom line and it is still something I "recommend"....

If you aren't going to stick to the license agreement that came with your software then go and pirate the software and pay nothing.
There is absolutely no logic or sense in spending money on something only to be no more license legal than somebody who pirates their software.

Either grow up, realise the world doesn't owe you a living, that people deserve to be paid for what they produce and get license legal.
Or be thieving scum.

Everyone has the choice.
 
So if someone had 20 computers and had purchased 20 OEM licenses but let's say that for whatever reason, they decided to replace the motherboards and just reuse the 20 OEM copies, you're saying that they shouldn't have bothered purchasing the software in the first place and should have pirated it instead?

Personally, I'd rather have been paid for those 20 copies than for nothing at all.
 
You either have a legal copy, or an illegal copy, there's no middle ground

I never said anyone should pirate, of course not. But people shouldn't kid themselves into thinking "it's ok, it activated" = it's legal.
 
I agree that's it's either legal or not and long ago stopped pirating software myself, but I would still say a purchased 'illegal' copy is better than a pirated one. At least the developers are getting some money.
 
I agree that's it's either legal or not and long ago stopped pirating software myself, but I would still say a purchased 'illegal' copy is better than a pirated one. At least the developers are getting some money.

I think I agree with you Trip, if I'm reading it correctly. From my point of view, I, my sister, my mother and my brother all have separate computers. I live with my sister, so I don't understand why we can't buy one copy of Windows and install it on both our machines. I'm all in favour of paying devs for the work they do, which is why I don't pirate games any more. Still, if we all lived under the same roof it'd cost £280 to cover all the licenses without seeking discounts. That's an unnecessarily large amount of money for one family, and nothing to the developers no matter who they are - let alone a company grossing as high as Microsoft.
 
I think I agree with you Trip, if I'm reading it correctly. From my point of view, I, my sister, my mother and my brother all have separate computers. I live with my sister, so I don't understand why we can't buy one copy of Windows and install it on both our machines. I'm all in favour of paying devs for the work they do, which is why I don't pirate games any more. Still, if we all lived under the same roof it'd cost £280 to cover all the licenses without seeking discounts. That's an unnecessarily large amount of money for one family, and nothing to the developers no matter who they are - let alone a company grossing as high as Microsoft.

So you can afford to buy the computers, but not the OS?
Perhaps you should give Linux a go if you don't want to pay for Windows.

And I'm guessing that as you already own the computers, they are already installed with an OS. There's nothing forcing you to upgrade to Windows 7, it's purely your choice. If you can't afford it then stick with XP/Vista/Linux until you can.
 
I agree that's it's either legal or not and long ago stopped pirating software myself, but I would still say a purchased 'illegal' copy is better than a pirated one. At least the developers are getting some money.


totally agree.

it can be legal on one pc and illegal on the other, atleast that way MS still get their money from atleat one pc in the house as compared to none

/im not recommending this, just saying that its better to have one legal and one illegal , than it is to have both copies illegal
 
I think I agree with you Trip, if I'm reading it correctly. From my point of view, I, my sister, my mother and my brother all have separate computers. I live with my sister, so I don't understand why we can't buy one copy of Windows and install it on both our machines. I'm all in favour of paying devs for the work they do, which is why I don't pirate games any more. Still, if we all lived under the same roof it'd cost £280 to cover all the licenses without seeking discounts. That's an unnecessarily large amount of money for one family, and nothing to the developers no matter who they are - let alone a company grossing as high as Microsoft.

wah?

if you can afford multiple machines, you should be able to afford a licence for each one
 
totally agree.

it can be legal on one pc and illegal on the other, atleast that way MS still get their money from atleat one pc in the house as compared to none

/im not recommending this, just saying that its better to have one legal and one illegal , than it is to have both copies illegal

Why is that then?
It's fine to pirate stuff as much as you like so long as you have at least one legitimate copy?

Sorry, no.
Piracy costs businesses a lot of money - money they have earnt and deserve.
Just because you don't think you should have to pay for all the software you use doesn't make it a justifiable position.
 
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