Zomby is not giving a reason, and I agree, that's too bad because it makes the point, pointless.
But I agree with him - and here's the reason. You have not told us what type license you bought. You said this will most likely take longer than 30 days, and wondered if Microsoft might give you grief. It depends on what type of license you bought. If you bought an OEM license, then you are not legally allowed to install it on a 2nd computer - even if you uninstall it from the old. So yes, MS might (they usually don't but they might) give you grief and you will have to explain your intentions. But if you bought a retail copy of Windows, then as long as it is only on one computer at a time, you are fine - legally. BUT, you still might have to explain your intentions because it might appear you are installing it on 2 computers at once.
So I agree with Zomby, do not activate it until you have it installed in your new computer for a couple weeks (in case you need to reinstall) - then regardless the license type, no grief.
Mychael said:
It's the same thing though if you had a huge HDD failure
No it isn't. A hard drive failure is a hardware failure. You have not experienced a hardware failure where you were forced to reinstall. BIG DIFFERENCE!
Note that being technically able to do something does not make it legal. Most software will let you install multiple copies - and you can often get away with it. But it could come around to bite you in the a$$ down the road - this is especially significant since there very capable and "free" alternatives to MS products readily available.
yodap said:
MS will not fight you on hardware upgrades.
While they may not, they have every right to, and I assure you, they have. Again, it depends on the type of license you have, so note it carefully. If OEM or an Upgrade, then the OEM MUST remain with the old computer and is NOT transferable to new computer. Furthermore, the EULA makes it clear, an upgraded motherboard consitutes a new computer! For Upgrade versions, the license follows the original license that authorized the upgrade, and it too cannot be carried forward if the original was OEM or an upgrade.
ONLY retail versions of Windows can be carried forward to new computers, but again, only if uninstalled from the old.
Now, if your HD fails or you need a bigger one, you can upgrade it, as long as you don't
upgrade the motherboard too. "Upgrade" is the key word. If your motherboard fails, you are authorized to replace it with the same make and model, or a similar board if the old is no longer available. You are not allowed to upgrade your motherboard because that is the heart of a new computer.
Again, Microsoft
usually does not force you to buy a new license, but if you have an OEM copy, they have every right to, and sometimes do.
And while it is easy to blame MS for being a PITA on this, I don't. I think their prices are way to high, but that's for another discussion. The problem is illegal copies and pirating of Windows is one the top sources of malware on the Internet. The badguys take advantage of the millions of software thieves (and lets face it, if the prices is too good to be true, you have to know it is illegal, so that makes you a thief) and use their illegal, and typically unpatched Windows to distribute their code. Microsoft, right or wrong, continues to get blamed for unsafe people being threats.
So they have to control piracy even though people are going to complain it is a PITA. But MS, correctly so, now believes it is better to be a PITA, than wrongly accused for security issues it has no control over. .
