Windows 7 Install and License Transfer

[DaveJ]

I just installed Windows 7 and have a couple questions about the license. I installed from a DVD at work but now it's asking for the license key in 3 days.

1) I put it on an old laptop and it runs great, so now I think I might buy a license. But later when I get a new computer, do you know if I can transfer the license to the other computer? I read somewhere the answer is Yes. But I wanted to see if this also applies to keys I get online. I apologize, I know the answer might be on MS's site somewhere but I have trouble wading through thousands of sentences for something like this.

2) The version I installed was Professional, but I can only afford to license to Home version. Do you know if I can get a license online for the Home version to get this working, or do I have to reinstall from scratch to downgrade to Home?

Thanks,
Dave

[struggle4progress]

1. It is my impression: (1) if you buy a retail license, and decide to uninstall the

software from one machine and then renstall it on another, you are allowed to do so but (2) Microsoft might make you jump through hoops: they might obtain some information on the machine with the first activation of the license and find conflicting info with the second activation, and you might end up spending time on the phone with Tech Support explaining the situation before the second activation is allowed

I myself simply wouldn't try to activate an installation off a CD borrowed from work. I don't know how Microsoft proceeds, but it's not at all impossible for a software vendor to sell product on R/W optical media that tries to track some information about the number and kind of installations, so your home installation might have some little file somewhere saying that the install disk has been used X times at Company Y -- and an attempt to activate could send such info to the vendor. And again, I'm not sure, but Microsoft might be pig-headed about stuff like this

If I were you, and wanted 7, I'd just buy a retail copy and install it

[DaveJ]

2. common sense just eludes me sometiems

Just wondering if it's worth buying a license. Looks like it is but I might as well go to the store, like you said, and then all should be well. Thing is I bought a new HD for this laptop and hope I can still use the upgrade. I'll figure it out. Thanks.

[struggle4progress]

3. if you don't absolutely need Windows, why not stall for a few days and try a free operating system

like Mint? You can down load a lot of Linux operating systems for free if you have a fast connection: otherwise, you can order them on CD or DVD from various vendors for around $5/disk + S/H -- and some of them seem really competitive to me

Put a Linux distro on your box temporarily, download unetbootin, and you can burn various distros onto thumbdrives and try them out -- or download Sun's virtual box and try out several distros in a virtual environment to compare features and see which are to your taste

[DaveJ]

4. I'm definitely a PC guy

I create websites and use all things Microsoft, Web Developer Express, .Net, SQL Server, IIS, etc. It costs more but development environment is easier when sites get more advanced. Not that I would know for sure that it's easier because it's all I've used. That's just what I've heard, and it makes sense to me. Linux developers use PHP and I doubt PHP tools are as interactive as the .Net tools.

[Statistical]

5. Yes and No.

1) Yes you can transfer license as long as you buy retail version (not OEM). OEM license is tied to the computer it is first installed on. Retail can be transfered to an unlimited number of machines.

2) No. If you have wrong version installed your key won't be accepted. You will need to reinstall proper version.