Windows licensing rules explained
Microsoft’s licensing practices are so labyrinthine that sometimes it seems that you need a lawyer to figure them out. However, Ed Bott does a pretty good job in clarifying them for Windows XP and Office in a quiz followed by answers. One misconception that I hear a lot concerns OEM versions of Windows. Here is the misconception
To legally buy an OEM copy of Windows, you must purchase it with a piece of “qualifying hardware,†such as a hard drive, motherboard, or even a 50-cent power cable.
But Bott says the following is the actual situation
This used to be true, and some online retailers still haven’t corrected their websites. But in August 2005, Microsoft changed its OEM licensing rules, eliminating the silly requirement that you had to buy a trivial little piece of hardware along with an OEM operating system. Now, anyone can buy an OEM version of any Windows operating system, including Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, if they are a “system builder.†And the rules of the System Builder program specifically state that a hobbyist qualifies, without having to join any organization or pay any fees.
Note that Microsoft still can’t resist making the situation a little murky by tacking on the “system builder’ requirement.
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