I heard it is possible to run more than one computers on the same serial of Windows. I also heard that it can be registered and use all the functions of any legal copy of Windows. Lets say I have 4 computers in my house and don't want to pay $800 for windows on each one if I build them all myself. I can just put same serial on all of them. But I heard this is also breaking the EULA agreement with Microsoft which redeems this being illegal or improper use of windows. I would like to hear your sides on this, or the whole truth behind this. If so does this mean somebody can just go to Bestbuy or Circuit City and look on the side of a computer for sale and write down the serial key on the side sticker? Can you be arrested for this use of serials? Will Vista have more security against this type of thing? Dont worry, im not doing this. Just want some opinions on this matter.

Yup, you can do that. After all, they just can't make a software that only install once. But of course, it would be considered piracy. If you would to buy a branded computer, then the Windows version could only be used on that brand. Which is a total waste of money if you bought a laptop and then the laptop got stolen. Happened to me. Then I got myself a desktop and now the laptop Windows XP is just trash.

Well, why bother jotting the serial number in BestBuy if you do not have a copy of Windows with you? And if you have, you would already have the serial number, right? Even pirated copies have serial numbers with them.

I'm not sure how that would be done, but if a user has several machines in the same home that they use for what ever reason, I don't see why they should have to pay for X amount of copies of the same thing instead of one.

The EULA should be expanded to allow multiple copies in use (perhaps at different times?) on more then one machine in the same home. Of course that would probably pose as a problem with how it would be done with Microsoft's shoddy attempts at OS activation online...

You will get bad results trying that, when you activate a copy of WIN XP, several environmental values are sent along with the registration, even the hard disk type and size, so when you put the same software on several machines Microsoft knows what machine it was activated for, so when you place it on another machine it has a different hard drive a different cmos, and many other features that are different from the first one, so when you try to update your software on any of the machines that is when Microsoft will know that there are several copies of the same software being used on several machines, or if you do place Win XP on all four machines only one will be activated and the rest will fail, then in 60 days the machines that failed activation because one copy had already been activated will now quit working altogether.

Hey I got a larger hard drive and decided to put a licensed copy of the software on to it and it told me that I had to contact Microsoft and get licensed software so after talking with them over the phone they told me that you can only have one copy on any given hard drive. So I could do one of two things keep using the old hard drive and use the new one for extra purposes or remove the OS from the old hard drive and then Microsoft if necessary generate me a new serial number to use with the new hard drive.

If you have already placed the software on the other machines then in 60 days they will all stop working and only one that has been activated will continue to work, or you could purchase a copy of XP that gives you a license for 5 machines which still costs quite a bit but not as much as individual copies of XP.

This post has been edited by Houdini: May 27 2006, 11:55 AM

The annoying thing is, if you replace too many core components of your PC, e.g. you upgrade your motherboard, cpu and memory, Windows XP will refuse to start, similar to said above.

And guess what Microsoft will tell you? To buy another copy, yeah pay more money for using the same product on the same machine, how pathedic.

I had this problem a few months back, I didn't buy another copy though and I won't go into what I did but suffice to say I felt I had every right to.

I had no idea you could purchase one copy for several machines though, I guess you get 5 different activation keys or something? You should be able to just order them online or something it would be benefecial to some people, say a large business but I suppose they have options for that too.

Microsoft calls it volume licensing; Source Microsoft Volume Licensing Overview
I have a corporate version which licenses 5 machines and while it is more expensive than a single license it is much cheaper than buying 5 individual licenses, usually unless you do have a company when you buy PC you would have a single license but companies like Walmart might have a volume license for thousands of computers. Also if you go to Best Buys or somewhere like that and copy a serial number off a PC that is on display how do you know that the serial number is really a bogus one and if you tried to use that number that it will work, or did you bother to think about that, and yes it is illegal even if the serial were legitimate for you to use it, and it is outright theft.

I say if you don't like that then maybe you ought to think of using Linux which is free and then you don't have to worry about it.

I actually didn't know and hadn't even considered the fact that a hardware upgrade would cost me a possible failure in Windows OS. Where I'm coming from is that to date, I have always worked off a laptop computer, but I have been considering a purchase of a desktop for home - something that I can actually leave on for extended periods of time without having to worry too much about it. The responing I had about purchasing a desktop was that I'd be able to go about upgrading my hardware whenever I required myself to do so. And for the sake of convenience to my family, who require a whole bunch of handholding with computig, I'd considered windows as the OS of choice.

The frightening thing is that once Windows has been loaded - (a purchased version), should I want to change the HDD, I'd actually have to purchase a new version of Windows along with it - (say I do not want to retain my old HDD) - or (if I swap HDD with another machine - it'd probably not work since Windows would not recognize the rest of the machine configuration). how stupid is that?

Good point for Linux. My only problem with linux is that configuring a wireless CDMA internet modem is not readily supported by the primary service provider on anything other than Redhat (I suppose it would be supported but I personally have to have someone show me the ropes of how to connect to the modem on something like Debian - most internet tutorials have never helped - and I had to swtch right back to Windows a while back because of this). But that was for my laptop, now, for my desktop purchase - I'll probably want to look at Linux - as long as I can sort out the internet connectivity. Need to do more research and learning.

katputnik, try using ndiswrapper to see if you can install your wireless modem's driver. Also, if you use PPPoE for internet, then you can use SuSE's smpppd to help to get on your network.

xboxrulz

If you have a licensed copy Of Windows XP it will only work on one machine. The best option to run Windows XP on multiple machines is to get an action pack subscription which allows you to run XP on up to 10 networked machines. It is not that expensive, about the same as one Best Buy full Windows XP Pro licence and media.

Another option is to buy MSDN operating systems subscription and then use the same machine with Microsoft Virtual Server.

the best way is to build a couple computers with the EXACT same configuration ... that way, M$ doesn't know that

xboxrulz