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On Fri, 2010-01-29 at 19:31 +0000, Rob Beard wrote: > Simon Robert wrote: > > why worry about the terms of the licence. Install virtualbox and use the > > licence number on the side of the machine or the side of the dead > > machine. if you need to find a new copy of windows borrow an install > > disc or download a copy from pirate bay. It's not like you've stolen a > > copy as the licence would otherwise be unused. > > > Because it's a business presumably, it's not as if it's a home user who > would get away with it. It only takes the Business Software Alliance > (who I hold in the same regard as PRS) to investigate and make an > example of the nursery, i.e. fines, plus the cost of a license to boot. > > I don't think we should be promoting piracy on the list, even if it's > only technical piracy (I know it's silly that you can't transfer the > license, but that is Microsoft, if you don't agree to the EULA then > don't use it, same as if you don't agree to the GPL, don't use it). > > There is also the fact that a lot of the time, the license keys on the > side of the machines don't actually work. My wife has got an IBM > Thinkpad with XP Home, when I came to reinstalling it from an OEM > Windows XP Home disc, it wouldn't accept the key, despite the fact it > was a legitimate key which was stuck to the machine. Nowadays the > majority of pre-installed machines have a mechanism where the BIOS is > locked into the copy of Windows, there are some exceptions however such > as when my Dad upgraded from Vista to Windows 7 and HP sent a valid key > which he had to use to activate Windows. In the odd cases where they > key is valid, chances are Windows is already activated to a specific > hardware set and changing the hardware will require re-activation and a > bit of explaining to Microsoft. > > There is quite a lot of educational software for linux, but the stuff > > they're used to is probably not among it. There is edubuntu which might > > be worth a look. So linux and wine is an idea, or linux and crossover > > office. Crossover Office has a trial version and may well run stuff wine > > won't, or would be difficult to set up with wine. You could try both and > > might at the end find that crossover is worth Â34 (maybe if you > > contacted codeweavers, who make it, they might cut you a deal seeing as > > what you'd be using it for). Crossover is really easy to use. Maybe > > edubuntu with crossover installed. > > > Yep, with the beauty of having a trial version available, if it does > work then Â34 is going to be cheaper than a one off copy of Windows. > > It's a shame it's over in Exmouth otherwise I'd have happily gone over > with my laptop and given the stuff a try on Wine. > > Rob > > if its the same machine is one actually transfering the licence? If I need XP, but don't have a disc and then download it from pirate bay and use the licence on the box (I've done this a few times and it's worked) isn't it legal as its the licence that's been bought, not a particular (identical) instance of the software? Simon -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html