A fourth means of distribution of Windows is an OEM(original equipment
manufacturer) copy that comes preinstalled on a new machine. This version
can be used to reinstall the operating system on that computer if necessary,
but will not properly install or will fail to register properly with Microsoft if
used with a different machine.If you have purchased an upgrade version of Windows XP, you start by booting
from the upgrade disk but soon into the process you are asked to remove the
Windows XP CD and insert the CD from your previous operating system for val-
idation purposes. Once Microsoft is satisfied that you are, in fact, upgrading
from a previous version, you are asked to remove the old CD and replace it with
the new one to continue. At the time this book went to press, Microsoft permit-
ted upgrades from the following older versions: Windows 98, Windows 98SE,
Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000 Professional.Your first task is to read and accept the EULA,which is not an Hawaiian dance
step, but legalese for the end-user license agreement. This is not open to
negotiation; you have to accept Microsoft’s terms as stated or you can use
the CD as a shiny coffee coaster.The first thing to understand is that Microsoft software is not sold; it is licensed
to you for use in certain specified situations. (Microsoft is not alone in making
this sort of distinction, but it is the one company that almost every computer
user has to deal with in one form or another.) The EULA is a contract between
you and Microsoft; if you really don’t want to accept its terms, you have to
take it up with the retailer or online site that sold you the package... err,
sold you the license. The EULA’s Grant of License section prohibits you from
attempting to reverse engineerthe software. (That means take apart the internal
code to figure out how it works and make your own version.) It also restricts
leasing or renting the software to someone else.If you purchase a fresh consumer copy of Windows XP for installation on a
new hard drive or computer, certain versions may include permission to
make a second copy of the operating system for the owner’s exclusive use on
a laptop. (The well-intentioned reason for this sort of exception was that a
single user would not be using his or her desktop machine at the same time
as a portable machine, and therefore only one copy of the operating system
would be in use at one time.) The original copy has to be on the local hard
drive of the desktop machine and not on a network server. Microsoft, though,
has been back pedaling away from this sort of additional use in recent years.
Be sure to read the EULA carefully. If the license does not include this right,
consult the http://www.microsoft.com web site and search for How to Order
Additional Licenses for Windows XP.If you have received a copy of Windows preinstalled by the OEM, in most cases
the EULA is very specific: The copy is attached to the machine and cannot be
additionally installed on another machine or transferred to another computer
or another user. Even if you remove the software from that computer or
decommission it to the landfill, OEM software is usually inextricably linked to
the original machine.262 Part V: The Software Side of Life