What Microsoft won't tell you about Windows 7 licensing

I'm pretty sure Microsoft do tell you all that stuff about the licensing, it's called the license agreement. Not understanding it / bothering to read it doesn't mean they didn't tell anyone.
 
Im not sure which of that is not being told to the consumer, I'm sure it's all available through general knowledge, and reading through the licensing.
 
Everything there is common knowledge to anyone involved in the purchasing department of a System Builder.

Regular users need not worry about any of it because they simply buy the all-singing-all-dancing Retail copies in a nice box and shrink wrap...

Of course OcUK'ers tend to buy OEM discs but that's more because of a grey area in Microsoft's licensing. A "System Builder" can also apply to an individual that just happens to know how to throw a few bits of hardware together so that it resembles a working PC.
 
Of course OcUK'ers tend to buy OEM discs but that's more because of a grey area in Microsoft's licensing. A "System Builder" can also apply to an individual that just happens to know how to throw a few bits of hardware together so that it resembles a working PC.

Yes, but like I have said for a while now: "If you are not transferring the machine to someone else, you should not use an OEM licence". As per this thread: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17969729&highlight=licensing+hobbyists

Although to be fair, Microsoft have been anything but clear about this until recently.
 
Although it is possible for an individual to buy a System Builder copy of Windows 7 and install it on a new PC, that scenario is specifically prohibited by the license agreement, which requires that the software be installed using the OPK and then resold to a non-related third party.
Which means everyone who has bought an OEM copy of Windows 7 from OCUK and installed it on their home PC is NOT licensed. :p
 
Which means everyone who has bought an OEM copy of Windows 7 from OCUK and installed it on their home PC is NOT licensed. :p

I wish it was that clear cut. The terms and guidance has changed over the life of the product so it depends what terms were there at the time of purchase.
 
I wish it was that clear cut. The terms and guidance has changed over the life of the product so it depends what terms were there at the time of purchase.
Life of the product? It's only been out a couple of weeks.

It seems people here are giving money to Microsoft but still not being licensed due to breaking the terms of the OEM contract.
 
Yes, but like I have said for a while now: "If you are not transferring the machine to someone else, you should not use an OEM licence". As per this thread: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17969729&highlight=licensing+hobbyists

Although to be fair, Microsoft have been anything but clear about this until recently.

"Must be preinstalled on a PC and sold to another unrelated party"

This clause doesn't really matter. Technically, all you need to do to get around it is purchase the OEM license using a credit card. Because then it is your credit card company that is purchasing it. Then once you pay your next credit card bill the transfer of ownership of the OEM license is complete.
 
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