Calling all Geeks: Is it legal to deploy an "image" of a Windows XP machine? (VANITY)

Me | 9/18/2008 | Me

[ROTB]

To avoid having to spend 11 hours deploying each Windows machine with all the requisite software, I have taken a finished Windows XP machine, made a bit perfect copy of it's hard drive, and copied it to the hard drive of a hardware-identical machine.

Both machines have OEM licenses of Windows XP.

Total time of deployment of subsequent machines: 60 minutes.

Time saved: 10 hours per machine

[ROTB]

Is this legal?

[MississippiMan]

As long as you have a license for each machine it’s running on, yes. This is exactly how the IT departments of large companies do it; they create a standard build for each type/role of computer, image it, then blow that image onto the target machines.

MM

[CE2949BB]

As long as you have all the licenses, it should be. However, I'm not a lawyer.

[eyedigress]

Ask Microsoft. Probably not unless you have a MSDN account that covers multiple machines.

[Billthedrill]

No. The way around this is to create an image and remove the license key with SYSPREP. Then when you deploy it, it prompts you for a separate license key in each case. That's the legal way to do it. Check this out - Sysprep.

[Billthedrill]

I should amplify that - you’re entitled to a separate deployment per license key. But in practice you’ll find that if you intend to use Windows Update to stay current with security patches (HIGHLY recommended) it’ll only allow one machine to be registered per license key. SYSPREP is the way around that. Hope that helps.

[Billthedrill]

Argh - you don’t remove the license key with SYSPREP, you remove the SID, but it amounts to the same thing. I’m leaving now... ;-)

[eyedigress]

We cover 10 machines per subscription to MSDN but it’s expensive. The same disk can be used up to 10 different MAC addresses.

[danamco]

I am new to Vista Home Premium on my wife's new laptop. When sending e-mails with XP the e-mail addresses would automatic show up in the e-mail's address window, when typing the first couple of letters of an e-mail address!!!

This does not happens with Vista's Windows Mail, Can any Freepers solve this mystery???

[Roses0508]

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA011394511033.aspx

Files are usually hidden, so turn on view hidden files. Copy them from your wife’s XP computer to the Vista computer per these instructions.

This always makes me a hero with my clients.

[ClearCase_guy]

I appreciate your participation in the Talk like a Pirate Day phenomenon.

Matey.

[js1138]

You can, as long as you change the CD key to a licensed key and re-activate. There are programs like keyfinder.exe that enable changing the CD key.

[TexasRepublic]

Screw Microsnot! I’m loving Linux more each day.

[Cyber Liberty]

I don’t have a Vista machine handy, but I suspect you’ll get the low-down if you search the email “Help” for “autocomplete”.

[bigdcaldavis]

If your Windows license is an OEM license, then it’s illegal to deploy your Windows installation CD in a virtualized environment (VirtualBox, VMWare, Win4Lin, Parallels, etc.). If your Windows license is from a copy of Windows that you purchased in a store, then it’s technically legal as long as you are not running another computer using Windows installed from that CD.

[bigdcaldavis]

Golden Eagle (God rest his soul.....just kidding, GE) would be calling you a “left-wing Linux loon”. lol

Xubuntu 8.04.1 FTW

(Actually, that should be XXCE 8.04.1 FTW. I’m running my customized version of Xubuntu which has Free Republic as an actual application in the XFCE4 Applications menu. I click on Free Republic, and it opens Free Republic in Firefox.)