Windows 7 licensing question

[Touring5]

When Windows 7 was released, I bought one of the Home Premium "Family Packs" 3x. I did one upgrade install on my desktop PC (it was a 64-bit install). I also did a 32-bit install on a different boot drive on the same PC, thinking I may need that if I encountered any compatibility problems.

So here are my questions:

1) Since both installs were on the same PC, does this count as one or two? Can this be checked online anywhere?

2) Any reason to believe that there is a time limit on using the remaining installs? I am looking at doing a new build and would like to use one of the remaining install(s) on it.

BTW, the pack came with two install discs (32-bit and 64-bit) and a single product key.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bepperb]

I would assume it counts as two, but it might only be one. You can view the license code each is using in the computer properties.

There isn't a hard one (or three) time limit. You can use the code quite a few times. MS knows you might buy a new nic or mainboard or a new pc and they accomodate this very well I think. At some point it won't activate and you can call into MS and explain your situation and they have, at least for me, opened it up again.

 

[Touring5]

Thanks, that was what I suspected.

I, too, have had to call microsoft. I bought a new laptop last year and it didn't come with install discs - only a method to recover. I just used one of the mentioned discs to do a fresh install on it (I replaced the OEM 5400 RPM drive with a new 7200 one) and used the product key that came with the laptop. It made me call MS, and after explaining what I was doing the CS gave me a string to enter and it registered fine.

 

[dparm]

It's two activations.

 

[greenaccord02]

Yeah, unfortunately that's two activations on the same license. You may need to call MS at activation time. For a home user, they really don't give you any trouble, contrary to their perception.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

It may be counted as one or two ... If the hardware was similar enough between the 32 and 64 bit install (IE - you didn't swap motherboards) it will most likely be counted as one.

 

[Touring5]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
It may be counted as one or two ... If the hardware was similar enough between the 32 and 64 bit install (IE - you didn't swap motherboards) it will most likely be counted as one.


That's why I'm unsure. The only thing different is which HDD I boot from - no hardware changes. Even if it counts as two, I would still have 1 remaining and that should work for a new build. I don't expect to do any further installs after that in the near future.

Thanks to all that replied.

 

[Rand]

its 2 installs however if you delete one.. since those arent oem editions you can legally reinstall it on something else.


Also if you want to fresh install with an upgrade disc its really easy to do.

I legally have 3 non-oem copies of vista but didnt want to spend an hour installing it then updating to win 7.

what I did was not illegal just bypassing some work.

a 30sec google search reveals how to.