Taking Some License

The answer is open to interpretation. First off, we need to set the record straight about Microsoft's EULA for Vista. The biggest change is that the language has been clarified. Many portions of the Windows XP EULA, frankly, were vague at best and falsely gave people the impression that they could move the OS to other machines at will. The simple fact is XP has always been licensed to the device and not the user. With Vista, the EULA now explicitly states that a user may "reassign the [Vista] license to another device one time." That approach is a compromise; technically Microsoft never intended to give users the right to move XP among multiple PCs, but poor EULA wording forced the company to concede that point and Vista now allows end users to move the license one time.

What does that mean for upgraders and technicians? Pretty much nothing. It should be a rare occurrence when the "reactivation monster" rears its ugly head. The activation algorithm seems to kick in only if both motherboard and hard drive are replaced with different hardware. It shouldn't be an issue for those adding RAM, new video cards, optical drives and so on. When it comes to replacing parts due to failure, there also should be no problem, as long as the same components are used as the originals.

For those that think hard drives and motherboards are truly part of an upgrade methodology, there is little to fear. After a major hardware change, Vista will try to self reactivate, but may fail. If the activation fails, installers will be forced to manually reactivate. Sure, this may be time-consuming, but aren't upgrades time-consuming anyway?

Other EULA changes affect virtualization: You cannot run Vista Home Basic or Home Premium in a virtual machine. However, you can run Vista Business and Ultimate in VMs. Vista Enterprise offers more flexibility: Installers can use a single licensed copy of Vista on one physical PC and up to four VMs simultaneously. But on the face of it, Vista only clarifies the rules and doesn't change them from XP as so many pundits have assumed.

How will you interpret Vista licensing? Contact CRN Labs Director Frank J. Ohlhorst at (516) 562-7485 or [email protected].