activation windows xp pro

[Mjölnir]

Anyone got a price range of what Vista is gonna cost us? Also which version will be best for home computing. I don't really feel like upgrading OS right now. XP is doing fine and Ubuntu is great.

Ballpark estimates - give or take $20 to $30 on each product. Prices haven't been finalised yet, AFAIK.
Home Basic - USD$300
Home Premium - USD$350
Business - USD$400
Ultimate - USD$550

[Rickikaye69]

But buying XP now will give us an update to Vista. Ultimate upgrade with XP Pro. Save a few hundred $$$.

[Rickikaye69]

This method only works for non hardware changes?

so if you were to upgrade some piece of hardware forcing reactivation it would not work?

Unfortunately not. The file records what hardware you have in your system.

[urbeg]

But buying XP now will give us an update to Vista. Ultimate upgrade with XP Pro. Save a few hundred $$$.

Do you not have to be a verified system builder to benefit from those upgrade vouchers?

[Mjölnir]

Do you not have to be a verified system builder to benefit from those upgrade vouchers?

A "System Builder" according to MS's current interpretation is simply the person who builds the PC.

[urbeg]

A "System Builder" according to MS's current interpretation is simply the person who builds the PC.

Yes thats what i thought until i considered buying XP MCE, which comes with upgrade voucher. So i checked out ebuyer and found this question. There are other question and answers if you click on the link but i'm just abit iffy about this upgrade thing now. Also lists what version of Vista you will receive according to which XP you purchase.

Q. Is this a "Cheap" way of obtaining Microsoft Vista.
A. No ... This product must be pre-install by the System Builder onto the fully assembled PC before the unit ships to the end user. The end user must use the reciept of his fully assembled pre installed PC to claim the upgrade and only original forms supplied by an authorised system builder will be accepted.

What do you think??

[Rickikaye69]

Thats okay. I have a few friends in shops.

[Mjölnir]

Vista Terms and Conditions are still not finalised, AFAIK, and MS are going by the current OEM licensing terms, which are largely unknown to retailers.

System Builder
If a distributor sells MS products to a shop, the shop legally accepts the terms and conditions of relevant MS' system builder licenses. I suppose you could call that a transfer of power. The shop then becomes an "Authorised System Builder". A shop can also transfer "System Builder" rights to end-users on the pretense that they also accepts MS' terms and conditions of relevant MS' system builder licenses. They are then considered to be "Authorised System Builders". Typically MS defines a System Builder as someone capable of building a PC. You can contact MS to clarify this.

This product must be pre-install by the System Builder onto the fully assembled PC before the unit ships to the end user. The end user must use the reciept of his fully assembled pre installed PC to claim the upgrade and only original forms supplied by an authorised system builder will be accepted.

This stems from Section 4.1 of the OEM System Builder license you see on XP or Office. It's only part of the full terms and conditions, however many shops will religiously stand by this policy (usually because they haven't seen the complete version of the license). The full policy states that it must be preinstalled if the pack is opened. If the pack is unopened, it can be distributed by itself, without any other hardware.
http://oem.microsoft.com/downloads/l...newLicense.swf
(See the new changes)
The catch here is that if it is sold to an end-user, the end-user must accept the terms and conditions of the license - which is pretty much what you have to do anyway if you're installing/reinstalling XP yourself anyway. You can also clarify this with MS.

[urbeg]

Thanks Mjölnir for all the info. So to shorten it all. I would be perfectly safe purchasing XP MCE now with the upgrade coupon and not have to worry about them not sending me Vista when it is released?

I have built a couple of PC's if that counts at all, but only for me and a friend.

Basically i was thinking about purchasing XP MCE for this PC and then when Vista comes out and i received it, Just replacing XP with it. It seems to work out cheaper doing it via the upgrade coupon instead of paying for the full version when it is released.

[Mjölnir]

Thanks Mjölnir for all the info. So to shorten it all. I would be perfectly safe purchasing XP MCE now with the upgrade coupon and not have to worry about them not sending me Vista when it is released?

I have built a couple of PC's if that counts at all, but only for me and a friend.

Basically i was thinking about purchasing XP MCE for this PC and then when Vista comes out and i received it, Just replacing XP with it. It seems to work out cheaper doing it via the upgrade coupon instead of paying for the full version when it is released.

Like I said, some shops will stick by their policy of preinstalling it on the system or selling it with specific hardware, and on top of that, each shop probably has different ideas about how they'll deal with the Vista coupons. Best to check with the store to find out what their policy is. It will probably be harder to persuade a larger organisation to provide the software without preinstalling or without having to buy some hardware (such as a motherboard) than it would be to persuade a small shop, plus it's difficult to tell what terms and conditions MS are going to put on Vista. I provided that info so you can see for yourself what the current info is based on. It's not final. Also gives you something to present to a retailer if you want to get Vista or XP without preinstallation. Phone MS to confirm their Vista terms and conditions before you go ahead. They may change from the XP OEM conditions.