[snooker]

Hi ... I was viewing LiaoGoren post about change the product windows keys . Can you view this third party software website below which they say does just that . I believe and I couldn't be wrong but I think LiaoGoren was looking maybe for this type of program . Now if you say this is illegal that cool ?

http://www.keytech-s...s/Features.html

LiaoGoren post below

http://www.geekstogo...er-t196561.html

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Hello snooker...

• You don't need to buy an application to retrieve the product key. There are free ones available that work very well and it can also be found in the registry if you know where to look. There are free benchmarking tools that will retrieve the keys for any application that required one.
• The only legitimate way to change the product key is to purchase a new license for the software. This is particularly true if you are dealing with preinstalled operating systems as they are registered to the machine...not the machine owner. If there are legitimate problems with the registration key, a call to the machine vendor or to Microsoft will usually bring relief.
• To help with issues pertaining to changing product registration numbers for copyrighted software is forbidden by the Geeks to Go Terms of Use.

So...to answer your question. The software you linked to is legal...but why pay for something when you can get a free one that will do the same thing.

And...changing the key on an OEM machine in order to install an operating system from another OEM machine is considered piracy according to the EULA supplied by the machine vendor... and it's illegal. A preinstalled OEM operating system lives and dies with the machine it was originally installed on.

wannabe1

[wannabe1]

Hello snooker...

• You don't need to buy an application to retrieve the product key. There are free ones available that work very well and it can also be found in the registry if you know where to look. There are free benchmarking tools that will retrieve the keys for any application that required one.
• The only legitimate way to change the product key is to purchase a new license for the software. This is particularly true if you are dealing with preinstalled operating systems as they are registered to the machine...not the machine owner. If there are legitimate problems with the registration key, a call to the machine vendor or to Microsoft will usually bring relief.
• To help with issues pertaining to changing product registration numbers for copyrighted software is forbidden by the Geeks to Go Terms of Use.

So...to answer your question. The software you linked to is legal...but why pay for something when you can get a free one that will do the same thing.

And...changing the key on an OEM machine in order to install an operating system from another OEM machine is considered piracy according to the EULA supplied by the machine vendor... and it's illegal. A preinstalled OEM operating system lives and dies with the machine it was originally installed on.

wannabe1

[snooker]

Hi , I wasn't referring to retrieving the keys . I was talking about changing the keys . I believe LiaoGoren was asking if there a way to change the keys which that software does . They also state its legal . I might be wrong but this is how I read part of his question . Look at post # 3

Again if this site find it illegal ? That cool then ...

Snooker

Edited by snooker, 30 April 2008 - 07:22 PM.

[wannabe1]

I don't find the site OR the software to be illegal in and of itself, but I DO think it could be used with illegal intent they way that they describe it.

Excerpt from a discussion on the OEM EULA:

Quoted from Microsoft's OEM Builder FAQs:

"Q. Can my customers transfer or sell their OEM software licenses?

A. After an OEM software license has been installed on a PC, the license may not be installed on or transferred to another PC. However, the entire PC may be transferred to another end user along with the software license rights. When transferring the PC to the new end user the software media, manuals (if applicable) and certificate of authenticity label must be included. It is also advisable to include the original purchase invoice or receipt. The original end user cannot keep any copies of the software.

The end user license agreement (EULA) is granted to the end user by the System Builder and relates to the license on the PC with which it was originally distributed. Because the System Builder is required to support the license on that original PC, a System Builder can not support a license that has been moved from a PC they manufactured to one that they did not. This is one of the key reasons why an OEM System Builder license can’t be transferred."

Quoted from Microsoft's OEM Builder FAQs:

"Q. My customer bought a new PC and wants to move their OEM software from the old PC to the new one. Can't they do whatever they want with the software?

A. The software is licensed with the computer system on which it was originally installed and is tied to that original machine. OEM licenses are single-use licenses that cannot be installed on more than one computer system even if the original machine is no longer in use. The end user license agreement (EULA) accepted by the customer before they use the software, states that the license may not be shared, transferred to or used concurrently on different computers. The System Builder is required to provide end-user support for the Windows license. A System Builder can not support a license that has been moved from a PC they manufactured to one that they did not — this is a fundamental reason why OEM System Builder licenses can't be transferred."

Product Activation and OEM software

Recently Microsoft has changed their policies in regards to product activation for their OEM Operating Systems. Remember the FAQ about COAs? This is probably the major reason why Microsoft has changed their policies. COAs that normally should have been used on new PCs by OEMs were being sold on the internet.

This change only affects the top 20 OEMs who provide “BIOs locked” CDs with new computer systems. You will not be asked to call Microsoft if you use your recovery disks properly and with the machine it is intended for.

However, if you attempt to use the keycode on the name brand computer’s COA with an OEM disk, then you *will* be asked to activate by telephone to answer a few key questions before the Microsoft representative issues a new activation code.

From all information I have gathered so far, Microsoft will eventually extend this policy to all OEMs who provide “bios locked” recovery disks. This policy will not affect smaller OEMs who provide the original OEM disks to the customer and the customer will be able to activate as over the internet as normal.

[Major Payne]

A preinstalled OEM operating system lives and dies with the machine it was originally installed on.

wannabe1

Not sure I would agree with that statement. I have a pre-installed Dell and there wouldn't be any problem either upgrading to Vista which is not the original OEM operating system. Nor, if it crashes or I put in a new hard drive will it preclude me from installing a new Win Xp using the Product Key stuck to the top of the machine. The main thing is having a legal Product Code and an install disk which asks for the Product key. Gonna be problems if using one that has a fixed Product Key that's embedded in the disk. That would mean the disk is for another machine and probably not an install disk, but an OEM disk.

You just can't use one OEM disk on a different OEM machine, nor will it always work between the same OEM on the same make/model machines as there may be checks like SNs, etc.

Ron

[wannabe1]

The software is licensed with the computer system on which it was originally installed and is tied to that original machine. OEM licenses are single-use licenses that cannot be installed on more than one computer system even if the original machine is no longer in use. The end user license agreement (EULA) accepted by the customer before they use the software, states that the license may not be shared, transferred to or used concurrently on different computers. The System Builder is required to provide end-user support for the Windows license. A System Builder can not support a license that has been moved from a PC they manufactured to one that they did not — this is a fundamental reason why OEM System Builder licenses can't be transferred."

This does not mean you can not reinstall the operating system on the original machine using the supplied recovery disk, nor does it mean that you can't upgrade, or even install a retail version of the same or subsequent operating systems on an OEM machine. It means that the operating system supplied (preinstalled) on the machine can not be legally transfered from one machine to another. This was the issue at hand and was the issue being addressed.

That said, you would be unable to install a retail version of Windows using an OEM product key...nor would there be a reason to, as the retail version will come with its own key. You would, however, be able to use an OEM version of the software with the original key, but you would likely be asked to activate by phone...not a big deal. The OEM software will come with its own key, too, if purchased new...so it's really a moot argument.