Win XP auth... really on just 1 machine, or just a PITA

[jardster]

all of this talk about authorizing Win XP got me thinking... if you install a copy, and then call Windows in India asking about getting a new auth because you are no longer using the 1st machine, put the XP on the 2nd machine, will the XP on the 1st stop working? Do they actually disable the old machine? Or, do they just want all of this to be a royal PITA so people will not do it?

[chas_m]

It's really just on one machine.

You are coming to a sad realisation. Cancel or allow?

[M A V I C]

It doesn't disable the previous machine, they just try to make it a PITA.

[Lux Interior]

[quote chas_m]
You are coming to a sad realisation. Cancel or allow?

[jardster]

chas_m vs. MAVIC -> are you guys saying the EXACT opposite?

[Tofer]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I would think Windows Genuine Advantage would be able to figure this out (i.e., if you run two computers simultaneously and they both call in to Microsoft regularly, it seems easy enough to assume you've got it on two computers). I don't know whether they do this or not, but the capability seems likely.

-Tofer

[rz]

There are *other* websites out there where you can get updates to Microsoft products without having to go through the verification of WGA. Or, another thing you can do is download the appropriate updaters on the "machine" that is registered and apply them on the other machine... the caveat being that the other machine shouldn't be connected to the Internet at the time, otherwise it WILL call home and refuse to install. But if you're not connected to the Internet, it will try for about a minute, then just go ahead and do it. Not that I've tried either of those methods...

[Jem]

I had to do this today. The call to india took about 15-20 minutes. I haven't checked to see if a second computer has ceased working (not a concern since it will be pulled out of service) but from what I understand the other computer won't cease to work. There may be issues with future updates as suggested by other posters above.

MY understanding from an article I recently read is that WPA has most impact at the time of install, and is less intrusive later on. The point is to be a PITA to make it *more* difficult to install on multiple computers.