Licensing FAQs
Additional Resources
If you need support, your first port of call should be your retailer / manufacturer or one of our online support centres.
|
Microsoft Licensing Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the questions that we get asked regularly. You can actually answer most licensing questions by reading your Software Licence Terms.
If you’re a small business, not a home user, please visit this FAQ page.
| Q. | How do I find my Software Licence Terms? |
| A. | Your licence terms are available electronically whenever you buy or download software. Click here to look up licence terms for boxed software. To find licence terms for pre-installed software, run a search for “software licence terms” or “EULA” on your machine, or contact your retailer. |
| Q. | How do I know I'm paying a fair price for my software? |
| A. | We sell through retailers who sell at the price they choose. Legally, we can't influence them. However, you can now buy Microsoft Windows, Office and Expression software direct from us at Microsoft Store. To check you're getting a competitive quote, compare prices from different sources and get as much information as you can. Bear in mind that if a price sounds too good to be true, it probably is. |
| Q. | Can I transfer my pre-installed Windows Vista software to my new PC? |
| A. | No, pre-installed software is “married” to the PC that is installed on. |
| Q. | I have purchased Office 2007 pre-installed on a PC. Can I install a second copy on my laptop PC? |
| A. | No, pre-installed Office is tied to the original PC and does not have what we call “portable use rights”. These are only available with boxed software (or through Volume Licensing). |
| Q. | Can I install my pre-installed copy of Windows Vista on more than one PC? |
| A. | No, Windows Vista is licensed per device (or machine). This means you need one licence for each device that it is installed on. If you want to install Vista on a second machine, you would need to buy boxed software or buy a new machine with Windows Vista pre-installed. |
| Q. | How many times can I activate my software? |
| A. | You can activate your licence as often as you like, as long as you have a genuine reason for doing so. |
| Q. | What support does Microsoft offer me if I buy Vista or Office as boxed software as opposed to pre-installed? |
| A. | Please visit this page http://support.microsoft.com/gp/services for more information. |
| Q. | If my computer came with Windows Vista Home Premium Edition pre-installed, can I downgrade to Windows XP Professional? |
| A. | No, only pre-installed (OEM) versions of Windows Vista Business and Ultimate editions allow you to downgrade to previous versions of Windows. None of the other editions of Windows Vista, including the Home Premium edition, give you any downgrade rights. |
