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#11
Sorry, honestly I know nothing about MSDN.. Around 5 machines, another one I confirmed being counterfeited. So what is your advice? Do I need to purchase new copy for them all? If yes how much will it be?
Bed time.. continue soon.
Sorry, honestly I know nothing about MSDN.. Around 5 machines, another one I confirmed being counterfeited. So what is your advice? Do I need to purchase new copy for them all? If yes how much will it be?
Bed time.. continue soon.
Not a problem Andy - unfortunately, there are an awful lot of Win7 installations using abused MSDN Keys out there in the wild.
Most come from accounts purchased with stolen credit cards, or otherwise fraudulently obtained - which are then attached to genuine-looking packs for whatever version of Windows the vendor wants to flog. For profit reasons they are mostly Ultimate, as the packs can't be that cheap by the time you take account of the disks, labels, paperwork, and packaging..
We've seen an awful lot of them in the WGA forums at MS.
For your information I used to repair computer before as part timer, know really little about Windows Activation..
I know that feeling, all too well!
Depending on the machines themselves, the cost may be limited.
First look ta the affected machines - do they have any COA sticker on them at all? If not, that limits your options, as you will need Retail licenses for them before you can think about Volume Licensing.
If they have COA stickers - even for another version or edition of WIndows, then you can consider Volume Licensing. You need to talk to a specialist about that, as the cost depend on the number of licenses involved, and the delivery mechanism.
If you're restricted to Retail licenses, it depends on the work environment.
Are you using peer-to-peer networking, or Domain-based networking?
With the former, you can use Home Premium or even Home Basic for most things.
With Domain networking you have to use Pro or Ultimate. There's no real benefit to Ultimate over Pro, unless you need BitLocker.
One case where you would be better-advised to use Pro over a Home Premium/Basic install would be if you needed to run XP Mode to enable use of software that doesn't run in Win 7.
As far as cost is concerend, check your local reputable stores (I know nothing about them on the Malay Peninsular, unsurprisingly) for details. DON'T be tempted to buy OEM to reduce costs - those licenses will die with the machine, even if it's only two seconds after activation. Retail licenses are transferable to new machines.
Hope that helps - if you need more, you should probably talk direct to MS Volume Sales people (the minimum number of comuters to be eligible for Volume licenses is 5), and discuss with them your needs now and in the future. If you tell me whereabouts you are, then I can probably find a local number for you to phone.
oops didnt read far enough down. Great advice Noel
Usually corperations use volumn licensing for multiple machines.these would be MSDN keys as well.so the previous admin might have set this up:
Microsoft Volume Licensing - Manage My Agreements (VLSC)
Microsoft should be able to help you with finding out whether or not your company has this or not.
Last edited by Thorsen; 17 Nov 2011 at 13:24. Reason: Retraction
My bad.
this is what i was thinking of.. but still my bad on tech termonology I was not thinking :)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subs.../aa948862.aspx
Easiy done - and not at all obvious until you look at a few MGADiag reports.
Wander over to Windows 7 Genuine Advantage Validation Issues (Windows 7) Forum sometime, and you'll see what I mean :)
Unfortunately, yes
Every now and then I try and take him down a peg or two - but it's like throwing marshmallows at an elephant :)
90% of his posts consist of little more than a sales pitch for the MS Store - which has the world's highest prices for MS software. I wonder if he gets commission?