[sopp]

i'm a mis in a computer base company ( 2000 computer)
http://www.winbeta.org/comments.php?catid=1&id=2692
after you read this... lets discuss what's the problem of new activation
after i check msdn and call ms product support
they said i have to install 2000 computer with different serial number for windows xp. our company are build computer by our self. we do have 2000 legal copy of ms windows xp. right now, we use vlk lincense to install on 1 of them. ghost it, and setup other computer. the new activation rule means i have to install iwndows 2000 time and active 2000 time .. and microsoft say it is not pain.... if i don't do it. in the eyes of law ( microsoft way), it is an illegal version......................wtf..........
so.. please email or call microsfot if you are MIS or tech support in middle size or large size company...

[Tipstaff]

With the VLK licenses your buying, are you using it with a Pro Corporate version of XP? If so, then this won't matter as there is no product activation with that version. I can see this being a pain with XP Home and Pro standard though as you would have to jump through hoops to get each machine activated. It would take a long time (phone activation takes almost 15mins) to get each and every machine you build setup and activated, and for a small to medium company.. time is money.

Microsoft would be shooting themselves in the foot if they screwed around like this with their Corporate clients. Those clients are Microsofts "golden cash cow", and something like this would get in the way massive machine/site deployment. They would eventually lose those clients in favour of a more 'open' licensing system (<cough> Linux <cough>). That said Microsoft knows full well that a medium to large company is not likely to commit mass theft as they are being watched closely (internal auditing, governments, and MS themselves). Not only that, but for those companies it's a business expenses, and a huge tax right off for them, so MS isn't as worried about the Corporate Edition users as much as the others.

It'll be interesting to see what they do though in regards to that. It is still a hole that Microsoft needs to deal with.

- Tip