Monsters and Critics: Windows install glitch could save hundreds of dollars

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: bobr () bobrosenberg phoenix az us
Date: February 5, 2007 12:34:35 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Monsters and Critics: Windows install glitch could save  
hundreds of dollars

Dave

Any IPer's considering Windows Vista?

Bob Rosenberg
P.O. Box 33023
Phoenix, AZ  85067-3023
Mobile:  602-206-2856
LandLine:  602-274-3012
bob () bobrosenberg phoenix az us


From Monsters and Critics.com
http://tech.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1255537.php/ 
Windows_install_glitch_could_save_hundreds_of_dollars

Tech News
Windows install glitch could save hundreds of dollars
By Steve Ragan
Feb 4, 2007, 19:46 GMT

The fact that you can install the Windows Vista Upgrade without  
having installed
Windows XP or Windows 2000 is one of the latest developments since  
the Windows Vista
release. It could save you money, but it might not be what it appears  
to be. Is this
a legitimate glitch in the OS or simply an overlooked and permitted  
exception to the
rules?

Some call this method proof that the security and piracy measures  
used by Microsoft
are invalid. Many members of several security mailing lists wonder  
where that
opinion comes from. The issue is not a lack of security; it is a lack  
of product
checks. The work around is simple. Proven by Daily Tech, and first  
announced by
Windows technology guru Paul Thurrott, the steps needed are drawn  
out, but easy to
follow. Boot with the Upgrade DVD version of Vista.  Click ‘Install  
Now’.  When
prompted for a Product Key, do not enter it yet.  This is the most  
important step;
leave the fields blank, and click ‘Next’ to move to the next screen.  
On the new
screen, select the version of Vista you bought. Install as normal (30  
Day Trial).
When finished, restart the DVD-based setup and install the software  
again, this time
as a legitimate, full version.  This will perform an ‘in-place’  
upgrade. It will ask
for the Product Key once more, and now you should enter it.  The  
upgrade, sans
Windows XP or 2000, is complete.

That information isn’t illegal per se: it comes from the  
documentation provided by
Microsoft in regards to how to perform a ‘clean install’ using an  
upgrade version.
While the software allows this, there are some things to consider. If  
you bought an
upgrade of Vista for the implicit reason of using this loophole, you  
might be in
violation of the EULA.  However, there is no clear wording on this,  
just as there is
no clear wording about several licensing issues.

Another point not mentioned in any news stories about this is an  
obvious one. If you
already have Windows XP or 2000 installed, then you qualify for the  
Vista Upgrade
Edition anyway. The complaint most have is that Vista deletes the  
other OS and, with
at best 50-50 results, migrates your information and other profiles.  
The odds of you
not keeping your profile and other information are so large that  
several experts
tell users to back everything up rather than leaving it up to Vista  
to keep that
information.

Some have also pointed out that this is a worthless workaround  
because you can get
the OEM or Student version more cheaply than the Upgrade version.  
Doing so does
violate the EULA, and you risk your Product Key becoming invalid  
because you have to
provide false pretenses to qualify for the Student version.  Also,  
you can no longer
just buy an IDE cable or other hardware to get an OEM product.

If this is in fact an unknown loophole, you can expect Microsoft to  
correct it
quickly, so this won’t work forever. If it is intended, then it makes  
the point of
buying anything other than the upgrade version moot. With the  
confusing wording of
the EULA, and the now widespread workaround based on data provided by  
Microsoft, is
anyone else confused? If so, you aren’t alone. Maybe Microsoft will  
explain it. Then
again, if they explain it in the same way they explained the license  
agreement . . .
well, you get the point.


© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.


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