"Microsoft recently made a change to the licence agreement saying that a new motherboard is equal to a new computer, hence you need to purchase a new Windows licence. Here is what Microsoft has to say: "An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a 'new personal computer' to which Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required." Please note that this does not go for retail copies of Windows, but only for OEM versions.
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Member since:2005-07-06
Why should they care?
If you replace your motherboard with the same model, I suspect it's not considered a new motherboard.
If your motherboard fails and you take the opportunity to upgrade it (and cpu and ram, possibly) then your OEM license won't cover the resulting new system. Let's face it, if you upgrade your Dell's MB, you are VERY unlikely to put in a new Dell MB.
I don't like it, but it's well within their rights to do so.
Member since:2005-07-06
"If your motherboard fails and you take the opportunity to upgrade it (and cpu and ram, possibly) then your OEM license won't cover the resulting new system."
Actually it does depedning on how you interpret the 'or' in the following sentence.
"If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required."
If can easily be interpreted as
upgrade due to defect/failing motherboard or replaced due to defect/failing motherboard and hence the OEM license should cover it.
Basically, ladies and gentlemen, if you want ot upgrade your computer w/o buying a new license - take a hammer to your existing motherboard and consider it 'defective'.
Member since:2005-07-06
"Let's face it, if you upgrade your Dell's MB, you are VERY unlikely to put in a new Dell MB."
well, its been a while since i was last poking around a Dell, but if you're replacing a Dell motherboard, its VERY likely that you WILL be replacing it with a NEW Dell motherboard. Dell, last time i saw the innards of one, used proprietary mounts, that were a slide/hook setup rather than the typical screw + riser.
Member since:2005-06-29
"I don't like it, but it's well within their rights to do so."
Changing the license after you've agreed to it, isn't that like changing a contract after you've signed it? So maybe someone could write up a contract, get you to sign it, and then legally change the contract to say you give up everything you own to that individual while keeping the contract valid. Besides legal loopholes I don't see how something like this can be done. A change to the license agreement after I've agreed to it, without prompting me if I've agreed to those changes means that they should not be able to inforce it on me. Of course this is where you tell me there was some clause in the last license or EULA where MS made provisions for this right?
Gotta love companies who engineer everything so they can screw you over, when does MS change the license to something like "As the user you hearby agree to give Microsoft the sum of 10 000$ a year for the rest of your life, you agree that you will address Bill Gates as 'Your Highness' and you will obey everything he tells you to do, and you will sign over all rights to any marketable content you create as well as your first born child to Microsoft".
I hope companies start making their games for Macintel systems too, because this copy of Windows I'm using right now will likely be my last.
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Member since:
2005-11-15
Also How do they know if a replacement due to a defective MB?