VISTA is on its way!!

Vertigo1 said:
You sure about that?

I always thought the primary purpose of the activation system introduced with XP was to prevent people casually giving/lending/copying their XP CD to friends to install on another computer. If MS are prepared to give away activation codes ad infinitum due to hardware changes, how do they differentiate upgrades from an install on a totally different machine?
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No he means on the same hardware you can reinstall as many times as you want
 
dirtydog said:
Windows XP has been out since 2001, is this stuff new to you? :)
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We're not talking about what you're licensed to do but rather what you can "get away" with.

It has been claimed in this thread that the retail and upgrade versions differ from the OEM in that they will allow unlimited hardware changes. The point is that, if this were the case, then you'd be able to install it on multiple machines. MS patently aren't going to allow this, therefore unlimited hardware changes obviously won't be permitted.

I suppose they could be clever and check how often you're re-activating or how many components have changed "in one go" to try and differentiate a genuine upgrade from a different machine but frankly I saw no sign of such behaviour with XP so I don't believe Vista will be any different. The retail and upgrades will simply allow a few "free" automatic activations and then you'll have to reach for the phone just as with OEM.
 
ShiWarrior said:
ok, and how will a CD know i have changed to a conroe set up?
i am hopeing to change my motherboard,cpu and RAM in 1-2 years time, dont want to buy vista OEM now, if i cant reinstall it all the time
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The CD doesn't know - but Microsoft does because they keep a hash of your hardware every time you install and activate. If it has changed sufficiently then they will *in theory* refuse to activate it. In practice with XP they apparently didn't do this, but that is the whole point of the OEM EULA, that the license is tied to one machine only. Otherwise you would be paying over £100 more for the retail version just to get a cardboard box.
 
tomanders91 said:
For oem, what hardware changes that will ask you for another license count? Will gfx card, ram and cpu count?
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I was just wondering that as well. Surely if you upgrade your RAM, it won't ask you to reactivate
 
tomanders91 said:
it says home basic dosent have the Aero skin, then what skin does it use? XP?
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It uses a Vista skin but without the transparent glass effects etc. I'm surprised the 'Basic' version is for sale in the UK as I'm not sure who will want it.
 
Well I just rang Microsofts UK office and they assured me that any version of Vista from the United States will work in the UK region fine but if you need product support then you have to get it from the states, you will not be eligible for support from Microsoft UK :) .

Looks like I'll be getting my Retail verion from over the pond :D .
 
dirtydog said:
It uses a Vista skin but without the transparent glass effects etc. I'm surprised the 'Basic' version is for sale in the UK as I'm not sure who will want it.
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Probably no one, as I think you've already said its for the markets where MS want to reduce the massive piracy in say the Asia countries.

However like XP M was it, MS are probably releasing Vista Basic in the UK/Europe to keep the EU from starting another legal battle?
 
I'm a bit disappointed about the lack of information regarding OEM vs Retail.

Lucklily we get a few licenses in our works Action Pack so I can have it on my work machine to evaluate.

I will be switching to Vista later on I suppose, but £300+ is a bit crazy.
 
lowrider007 said:
Well I just rang Microsofts UK office and they assured me that any version of Vista from the United States will work in the UK region fine but if you need product support then you have to get it from the states, you will not be eligible for support from Microsoft UK :) .

Looks like I'll be getting my Retail verion from over the pond :D .
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Sounds good
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Who said you do not get 32bit and 64 bit versions in the same box ?

Gibbo, can you confirm this,

OEM versions are avalible in 32bit or 64 bit versions, HOWEVER the "retail" versions have BOTH 32bit AND 64bit versions?

and can u install either oem or retail as much as u like including hardware changes?

thanks
 
ShiWarrior said:
Who said you do not get 32bit and 64 bit versions in the same box ?

Gibbo, can you confirm this,

OEM versions are avalible in 32bit or 64 bit versions, HOWEVER the "retail" versions have BOTH 32bit AND 64bit versions?

and can u install either oem or retail as much as u like including hardware changes?

thanks
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Retail version you can install as many times as you like including hardware changes and you also have the choice to install 32bit or 64bit.
 
lowrider007 said:
Well I just rang Microsofts UK office and they assured me that any version of Vista from the United States will work in the UK region fine but if you need product support then you have to get it from the states, you will not be eligible for support from Microsoft UK :) .

Looks like I'll be getting my Retail verion from over the pond :D .
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Ok a two things about that;

One it is the wrong region so Media centre extender (esp the Xbox 360) will not work as it will have region incompatibility (had this with B2 and RC1).

Second is the licence valid in the UK or is it limited to the USA?
 
roakes said:
Gibbo - On http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_editions.asp it lists one of the differences between Home Premium and Ultimate as that "Windows Activation Services" is not included in Ultimate, does this mean it doesn't require activation after hardware changes or is it something else?
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Now that IS interesting. But if it is too good to be true it usually is. The OEM will require activation everytime. The retail however will not have activation.
 
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