Windows licence help.

bobjs

Well-Known Member
Hi Lads,

my oldest purchased win 7 for her own high spec laptop so she has the best things? for her art work for school etc.

Now me the div put it on a lap top i was going to sell on, since i done this i read the paperwork today and it states that the licence can only be used on 1 machine.

I have been on the windows help page and i can not for the life of me find a direct link of any kind to help me sort this out.

anyone have a clue what i can do, as i need to sort this or im sat here with a lap top thats about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

thanks

bob.
 
If you haven't yet sold on the other laptop, can you not just format it and then you should be back in correctly licensed state?
 
probably you will need to buy another licence number, should be available from Microsoft, or you can buy an OEM version from a computer maker, loads on Ebay etc
 
cheers lads,

i still have the lap top here, and i will check out the microsoft web site yet again,

lots of links to tell you about the licence etc,

but no link/contact details as to go about it, looks like a rather expensive phone call.

bob.
 
but no link/contact details as to go about it, looks like a rather expensive phone call.

If they are quoting a premium rate number try this site for a geographic equivalent:


But so long as your daughter's laptop is still working correctly without any licence warnings, you should be fine once you have formatted the laptop you are wanting to sell, so you shouldn't need to call MS.

As has been commented above though, there are some good prices for student licencing. Better than that though, some schools have a licence that allows their students to get free copies of some MS software:

 
Bob if you're selling the pc on get hold of an old Windows XP disc & install that - No license number cr*p on that. The PC will work fine on it.
This modern W7 etc is just a bag of worms - Some old software won't work on it! 32 bit &64 bit software blues!!!! Etc.

Ian
 
Bob if you're selling the pc on get hold of an old Windows XP disc & install that - No license number cr*p on that. The PC will work fine on it.
This modern W7 etc is just a bag of worms - Some old software won't work on it! 32 bit &64 bit software blues!!!! Etc.

Ian

ok Ian

Ill see what i can do mate : been a long time since i did this stuff,

bob.
 
If they are quoting a premium rate number try this site for a geographic equivalent:

But so long as your daughter's laptop is still working correctly without any licence warnings, you should be fine once you have formatted the laptop you are wanting to sell, so you shouldn't need to call MS.

As has been commented above though, there are some good prices for student licencing. Better than that though, some schools have a licence that allows their students to get free copies of some MS software:

cheers OH.

my daughters lap top is fine, it registered as per the norm etc.

i thought it would be good to load it onto my old but rather good Packard bell lap top as it was updating just about every second time i used it on line.

it was then and only then that i read on the documents with the new software, and it says this licence can only be used on one new machine,

having done so i expect it will up load and then be detected and thats when the problems will start.

I don't have any more winpacks just an old recovery disc for the PB laptop so im stuffed,

bob.
 
Bob,

What edition of Windows it is? If it is a standard retail edition and you haven't yet sold the laptop then just wipe it off. Your daughter can then install on her laptop (if she hasn't already) and activate. Microsoft usually allow a certain number of re-activations before they start asking questions. If the activation fails then you will need to ring Microsoft and tell them you have uninstalled it from one computer and reinstalled on another. They can then take you through activation manually.

The licence allows you to move it between computers. Do not have it installed on both at the same time as that is a breach of the licensing conditions. They will eventually pick up on it and disable your product key.

OEM editions cannot be moved between PC's. They are for PC makers and should be sold with a new PC. Buying an OEM edition to install on your own existing PC may also be against the licensing conditions.

Alex
 
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Bob,

What edition of Windows it is? If it is a standard retail edition and you haven't yet sold the laptop then just wipe it off. Your daughter can then install on her laptop (if she hasn't already) and activate. Microsoft usually allow a certain number of re-activations before they start asking questions. If the activation fails then you will need to ring Microsoft and tell them you have uninstalled it from one computer and reinstalled on another. They can then take you through activation manually.

The licence allows you to move it between computers. Do not have it installed on both at the same time as that is a breach of the licensing conditions. They will eventually pick up on it and disable your product key.

OEM editions cannot be moved between PC's. They are for PC makers and should be sold with a new PC. Buying an OEM edition to install on your own existing PC may also be against the licensing conditions.

Alex

Thank you Alex.

I wish you had popped up sooner,

your advice is spot on and thats what ill get on and do at some point tomorrow,

kind regards to all.

bob.
 
Microsoft licensing is a pain in the arse. We've been through two Microsoft software audits in the last 5 years at work. Both times they have come back telling us we need to buy more licences or that something is mis-licensed and both times I have successfully proven they were wrong. If they don't understand their own licensing I don't know how they expect the rest of us to. :evil:
 
I imagine they understand it perfectly, but hope that you don't so they can sell you more licences you don't need!

W7 on an older machine can cause all sorts of problems Bob. I have a Sony with it installed, and have to run half the hardware on Vista drivers because either there is no W7 driver, or the one they install doesn't work!
 
If you're selling the laptop, why not just download a free copy of Ubuntu Linux and burn it to a CD-R and install it. Linux is free. If you're worried it might not install properly, you can run the Linux Operating System directly from the CD without installing anything on the hard drive, that way you can check out if all the hardware is supported, and try the programmes that are all supplied with Linux for free, and if you don't like it, go back to Windows. If it works fine and the person buying it is happy, then it cost you nothing. You can then put the £59.95 towards your shooting.
 
if it is on two machines at some point the other person will activate it and you will get the "black screen saver of shame"
I just dod this yesterday on one of out machines that would not activate automatically

the easy way round this is to activate over the telephone

click "Start" (bottom left)
type "activate"
follow instructions for activation by telephone, its a pain and takes 5 mins of typing numbers they give you
when it asks how many machines this software i son you say "one"
 
if it is on two machines at some point the other person will activate it and you will get the "black screen saver of shame"
I just dod this yesterday on one of out machines that would not activate automatically

the easy way round this is to activate over the telephone

click "Start" (bottom left)
type "activate"
follow instructions for activation by telephone, its a pain and takes 5 mins of typing numbers they give you
when it asks how many machines this software i son you say "one"

Hi Ed

ill try this when i have time, running about like a mad thing trying to get a job,

bob.
 
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