Understanding key facts about software licensing will help you avoid costly mishaps. That way, you can get the benefits of the genuine licensed experience as cost effectively as possible.
Know the facts. And get the genuine licensed software you deserve.
Each PC needs its own full license. To be
properly licensed and receive technical support and updates,
you must have a full underlying license for all software
installed on each PC.
Volume License Agreements cover Windows software
upgrades only. Microsoft® Windows® upgrades are designed
to upgrade previously acquired qualifying licenses. This
means you must first have the full license for a qualifying
underlying operating system for each PC before you install
the upgrade. Windows software licensing is different from
other Microsoft software because Volume Licensing Agreements
do offer a full version of all Microsoft software except
Windows desktop operating systems.
There are two ways to legally acquire the initial
full version of Windows: preinstalled on a PC through a
PC manufacturer—this is the most cost-effective way to get a
genuine Windows license on a new PC—or as full packaged
retail product.
Commercial customers with a Volume License agreement
cannot upgrade to Windows XP Professional from Windows XP
Home because Windows XP Home Edition is not designed for
businesses and is not a qualifying license for Windows XP
Professional Edition in a commercial environment for VL
customers.
Upgrading to Windows Vista. Commercial customers
cannot purchase PCs with Windows Vista Home Premium, Home
Basic, or Starter edition, and then use their VL agreement
to upgrade to Windows Vista Business or Ultimate.
If you discover you have unlicensed or non-genuine
software Microsoft has a portfolio of legalization
solutions available to help you. Click
here to see what options are available to you.
