Legal Or Not??

[Poseidon]

This is a good question.

I am not sure about OS, a volume license for MS Office XP is backwards compatible – as long as you completely remove the latest version. I had to obtain a different key from Microsoft to install the 2000 version though.

[techs]

This raises the question of which cdkey you would use if you installed 98 on an me machine. If its legal where do you get the key?

[Sunshine]

[quote]<strong>A question I just sent to our MS rep:

"If I have a license for the latest OS, is it backward compatible? Meaning… If I have a license for Windows ME, it’s wiped off the drive, and 98SE is installed, am I licensed?"</strong><hr></blockquote>

The answer:

"Hi Margo,

No, the only OS that you are legally allowed to downgrade is Win XP Pro. And if the OS was lost or erased you would have to purchase full new OS for which ever one you want to run."

Well, there we have it ladies and gentlemen.

[Poseidon]

Interesting. .only the XP versions of both OS Professional and Office Professional are legally down gradable.

[quote]Originally posted by techs:
<strong>This raises the question of which cdkey you would use if you installed 98 on an me machine. If its legal where do you get the key?</strong><hr></blockquote>


When I downgraded from Office XP to 2000, Microsoft gave me the new key.

[silencio]

[quote]Originally posted by SuNsHiNe:
<strong>And if the OS was lost or erased you would have to purchase full new OS for which ever one you want to run</strong><hr></blockquote>

I'm assuming that you mean KEY and not OS. If I erase the OS from my machine but I've lost my installation media I'm not buying a new copy.

As for losing the key I stick mine to the power supply inside the machine.

[Kenny P.]

In the case presented, it is illegal.

Only Corporations, or in my case, our University of Wisconsin (behind the cheddar curtain!) license allows for ANY MS OS to go on ANY machine, as long as 1 OS (98SE) is purchased.

For someone to just load an OS is piracy, plain and simple. This person should have the original CDs that came with the system. They should be able to do a reload back to ME from there and consider the case closed.

Hope this helps!

Kenny P.
Visualize Whirled Peas

[jeffbrown]

IF I am not mistaken, the only way that licenses are backwards compatible is if they are not OEM. Enterprise licensing and stuff like that are for sure, but I believe OEM is live or die on that machine, as MS explained to me one day at a licensing seminar for county governments.

[InsaneTech]

Completely ILLEGAL
there has never been backwards compatible licsenes from M$.
I do agree with one thing the shop did and that was get rid of WinME... but i'd have explained in detail the inherant problems with WinME and given the customer the option of buying a "better" version of windows... either win98se, or Win2k Pro

[Hippie_Tech]

Yes. I believe this is the case. If it's an OEM install of the OS, then it can only legally have the original OS reinstalled. If it is a retail boxed version of the OS then you have a little room for upgrading... err, downgrading. I personally think going to Win 98SE was an upgrade from Win ME. I loathe Millenium. It probably will turn out that the store was trying to do your friend a "favor" by upgrading to Win 98SE and not charging for the OS. I'm sure they were aware that what they did was slightly illegal. Of course, I think Micro$oft putting out such a crappy OS should be considered illegal as well. It doesn't serve as an excuse for doing what they did, but it might be a reason behind what they did. Go easy on them. They probably weren't intentionally trying to screw Micro$oft out of their hard earned cash. They were probably trying to help your friend with a better OS.

[jam]

As far as OEM's go, none are backwards compatable except for Windows XP Professional in which case you can load Win98SE, Win2k, or WinNT 4.0 in place of it until you are ready to use WinXP prof. The only catch is, you have to be able to get a copy of the software to use. And as always, OEM's are only legally usable on the machine they come with.