Ed Bott's Microsoft Report

November 15th, 2009

Is it OK to use OEM Windows on your own PC? Don't ask Microsoft

Posted by Ed Bott @ 3:00 pm

Categories: Windows 7

Tags: PC, OEM, Microsoft Corp., Bing, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Tools & Techniques, Operating Systems, Software, Management

If Microsoft expects its customers to take license agreements seriously, it has a responsibility to communicate the terms of those agreements to its customers clearly and unambiguously. As I noted earlier this month, Microsoft does a generally poor job of explaining its complicated rules for how Windows licensing works. But I deliberately left one type of Windows license off that list, because it deserves its own special place in the Corporate Communications Hall of Shame.

I’m talking about OEM System Builder licenses for Windows desktop editions. If you look at any online shopping site that caters to PC enthusiasts, you’ll find these copies displayed alongside the upgrade and full license packages that Microsoft says retail customers are supposed to buy. My friend and fellow Windows expert Paul Thurrott just posted a thorough look at the Windows 7 OEM System Builder package, complete with pictures. If you’re building your own PC or looking for installation media that won’t make you jump through hoops to install it, this product is extremely attractive, because it’s significantly less expensive than a full retail license. The installation media works almost exactly like a full retail copy of Windows, except that it can’t be used to perform upgrades, only a custom (clean) install. After installation, an OEM copy is essentially indistinguishable from a retail copy.

Many readers tell me they bought that software and installed it on their own new (or old) PC, happily saving a significant chunk of change in the process. According to Microsoft, they are violating the terms of the OEM System Builder license agreement, which says, in convoluted language, that you must install the software using the OEM Preinstallation Kit and then resell the PC to a third party. If you install that software on your own PC, you don’t have a “genuine” copy of Windows.

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November 12th, 2009

Your top Windows 7 questions, answered

Posted by Ed Bott @ 4:19 pm

Categories: Windows 7

Tags: 32-bit, 64-bit, PC, Product Key, Microsoft Windows 7 Compatibility Center, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Software, Ed Bott

I get mail. Whoa, do I get mail.

Since Windows 7 launched on October 22, my e-mail inbox has been deluged with questions, comments, and pleas for help. I can’t possibly reply to them all personally, so I thought I would answer some of the most common/interesting/provocative questions here. So, without further ado…

How do I know whether I can use the 64-bit version of Windows 7 on my PC? Should I even bother?

If you have 4 GB (or more) of RAM, or if you think you might want to use that much memory someday, then yes, you should consider a 64-bit version of Windows 7. The issues involved are the same as they were in August 2008, when I answered some similar questions about Windows Vista. If you’re interested in the technical background, go read that post.

With the exception of some very cheap PCs and netbooks, most PCs manufactured in the past three years or so will run a 64-bit version of Windows. The easiest way to check your system for compatibility is to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, which runs on XP and Vista. Click the 64-bit tab to see the full report.

I’m thinking of upgrading from a 32-bit version of Windows to 64-bit. What should I watch out for?

The biggest stumbling block for x64 upgraders is compatibility, either with a business-critical application or a favorite device. In my experience, printers, scanners, and multifunction devices are most likely to cause problems. Most 32-bit programs will run just fine under 64-bit Windows, but some don’t, and 16-bit Windows programs won’t run at all. You might be able to resolve some compatibility problems using Windows XP Mode, which allows you to connect USB devices to a 32-bit virtual machine.

Oh, and you must do a custom installation to move from 32-bit to 64-bit. An in-place upgrade isn’t supported.

My retail box includes 32-bit and 64-bit disks but only has a single product key. Will that key work for either edition?

Yes. The format of a product key identifies a specific edition of Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and so on) as well as whether it’s a full or upgrade product. But it doesn’t care at all about the 32/64-bit question. The key will work with either version.

There are two DVDs in the Windows 7 box. Does that mean I can install one on my desktop PC and the other on my notebook PC?

If you purchased the Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack upgrade, then the answer is yes. In fact, you can use the single product key in that box to upgrade three separate PCs in the same household from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7. But if you purchased a single full or upgrade copy of Windows 7, then you can install it on one and only one PC.

I bought a full copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and installed it on one PC that I own. But then I changed my mind and decided that I really want to use it on a different PC. How do I move it?

Under the terms of the license agreement, you are expected to remove the installation on your first computer and replace it with either the original operating system or another properly licensed upgrade copy. I assume you will do that, either before or after you complete your replacement installation.

Use the installation media to set up Windows on the second computer using the same product key you used on the first PC. When your new installation tries to activate over the Internet, the activation will fail (because you’ve already used that key). You will be given the option to use telephone activation. Dial the number for your region and follow the instructions to enter the codes you see on the screen. An automated voice or a live person will ask you how many computers this version is installed on. The correct answer is “1.” If they ask, explain that you installed it on the wrong computer and completely removed it. You will then get the code to activate the new installation.

Is the student upgrade version of Windows 7 the same as the retail version?

If you’re referring to the Windows 7 Academic Offer ($29.99 for an upgrade copy of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional), the answer is yes. You get a product key via e-mail, along with a link that allows you to download either a 32-bit or 64-bit copy of Windows 7. I’ve heard and read horror stories of long download times from Digital River, Microsoft’s fulfillment partner for this offer. Those might have been glitches caused by the crush of traffic right after launch; my download completed in an hour over a DSL line without any incidents.

The download also comes in an executable format that requires you to extract the setup files to a folder on your hard disk and then kick off the installation from your current version of Windows. But if you have a retail copy of Windows 7, you can skip the download. Use the installation DVD from the retail box (32-bit or 64-bit) and the product key from your confirmation e-mail. I tested this exact scenario, and it works perfectly.

Is there a site or list that identifies software and hardware that will work with Windows 7?

Yes. Microsoft’s Windows 7 Compatibility Center is organized by category and is fairly easy to use. It is most useful for identifying products that have been officially certified as compatible with Windows 7; you’ll find many products that are still listed as Unknown and might require further research.

After I did a clean install of Windows 7, some devices weren’t working, or worked incorrectly. Where do I find the right drivers?

Start by running Windows Update and pay special attention to the Optional Updates section. If devices are still missing, check the manufacturer’s website. In some (but not all) cases, a Windows Vista driver will work. If your portable or desktop computer has an Nvidia graphics adapter or chipset that isn’t working properly, go to the Nvidia drivers page and choose Option 2 to install an ActiveX control that scans your system and can provide the correct driver. This option succeeded for me on an HP notebook that stubbornly refused to install the older Vista driver and wouldn’t enable the full Aero interface without it.

That’s that for this week’s installment. Next week, I’ll look at a couple of questions that require more complex answers, including step-by-step instructions.

November 9th, 2009

Why I'm letting someone else run my Exchange 2010 server

Posted by Ed Bott @ 12:22 pm

Categories: Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Office

Tags: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Apptix, Intermedia, Microsoft Corp., Hosting Company, E-mail, Servers, Online Communications, Hardware, Ed Bott

Microsoft officially released Exchange Server 2010 today. As an MSDN and TechNet subscriber, I could go download the code for free and install it on my in-house Windows Server 2008 R2 box. But I have no plans to download those bits or install them.

Instead, I’m planning to let someone else handle the heavy lifting for me, and I suspect I have a lot of company. The biggest objection to a complex but powerful server product like Exchange is the hassle of managing it locally. Using a third-party hosting company eliminates those hassles and adds benefits like redundant data storage and simplified administration.

For the past few years, I’ve kept all my personal and business e-mail, calendar, and contact information in an Exchange account hosted by Mailstreet, a division of Apptix. (Previously, I used unmanaged POP/SMTP servers for e-mail and stored messages, contacts, and calendar information locally in Outlook PST files.) Mailstreet’s service has been first-rate, including a recent trouble-free upgrade from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007. For our collaborative work on recent book projects, my co-authors and I have also been using SharePoint and Exchange 2007 as part of the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite, which has also been easy to use and extremely reliable.

The first third-party hosting company to cross the Exchange 2010 finish line is Intermedia, which announced availability of its hosted Exchange 2010 product (a custom-developed solution) within a few seconds of Microsoft’s announcement. So far, neither Apptix nor Microsoft’s BPOS division have announced definitive plans to make the latest version of Exchange available as a hosted offering. According to an Apptix spokesperson, being first isn’t necessarily that big of a deal:

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November 6th, 2009

Seven perfectly legal ways to get Windows 7 cheap (or even free)

Posted by Ed Bott @ 6:21 am

Categories: Licensing, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Windows 7

Tags: Microsoft Developer Network, License, PC, Student, Microsoft Corp., Subscription, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems

Only suckers pay retail.

If you’ve read any reviews of Windows 7, you’ve seen references to its price list, which ranges from $120 for a Home Premium upgrade to $320 for a fully licensed copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.

Well, guess what? You don’t have to pay that much. Most people have much better options available, if you know where to look. As I’ve detailed here, the best deals go to PC manufacturers, which you benefit from if you buy a new PC.

But there are plenty of other discounts available as well. In this post, I’ve researched deals in three separate categories: upgrade offers available to anyone, special deals just for students, and subscriptions intended for technical professionals and developers.

Most of the details I include here apply to Windows customers in the United States, but some offers are also available in other countries. Where possible, I have tried to track down those details and include the names of countries where equivalent offers exist. If you live outside the U.S., follow these links to find prices and terms for your country.

My goal in this post is to point you to deals that customers legitimately qualify for. I am not trying to encourage attempts by anyone to get away with something you’re not entitled to. If there are restrictions for a specific offer, I’ve noted them here.

[Update 6-Nov 1:00PM PST: Several people in the comments have asked why I didn't iunclude the Microsoft Action Pack in this post. Two reasons: First, it is available only to bona fide system builders, and that's a fairly small group of people. Second, and more importantly, the licenses it includes expire and must be decommissioned if you fail to renew your MAP agreement each year. Every other example I have here includes Windows licenses that are good in perpetuity. I will cover System Builder pricing and licensing in more detail next week. Stay tuned.]

Ready to get started? Pick a category and go.

Page 2: Upgrade offers You can save as much as 58% off the regular cost of a Windows 7 upgrade if you know how to buy smart. I’ve found three options.

Page 3: Special deals for students If you’re enrolled in a college or university, even taking a single course at your local community college, you can get Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional for $30. Students in technical or design majors can get Windows 7 (and many other Microsoft programs) for free if their university or college is signed up for the right programs.

Page 4: Windows (and much more) by subscriptions Are you an IT pro, a Windows enthusiast, or a professional developer? For a surprisingly low annual fee, you can get access to a staggering amount of Microsoft software, including every version of Windows or Office. There are some restrictions, so be sure to read the details carefully.

Next page: Easy (and cheap) upgrades –>

November 3rd, 2009

What Microsoft won't tell you about Windows 7 licensing

Posted by Ed Bott @ 6:41 pm

Categories: Licensing, Windows 7

Tags: Volume-license, License Agreement, PC, Upgrade, OEM, Microsoft Corp., Copy, Edition, Windows Activation, Full Package Product Product

Microsoft offers many ways to buy Windows 7. You can buy the operating system preinstalled on a new PC, upgrade an existing PC using a shrink-wrapped retail package, purchase an upgrade online, or build a PC from scratch and install Windows yourself. In each of these cases, you can also take your pick of multiple Windows editions The price you pay will vary, depending on the edition and the sales channel. There are different license agreements associated with each such combination. Those license agreements are contracts that give you specific rights and also include specific limitations.

This might sound arbitrary. Indeed, a common complaint I hear is that Microsoft should simply sell one version of its OS at one price to every customer. That ignores the reality of multiple sales channels, and the fact that some people want the option to pay a lower price if they don’t plan to use some features and are willing to pay a higher price for features like BitLocker file encryption.

If you’re not a lawyer, the subject of Windows licensing can be overwhelmingly confusing. The good news is that for most circumstances you are likely to encounter as a consumer or small business buyer, the licensing rules are fairly simple and controversy never arises. But for IT pros, enthusiasts, and large enterprises knowing these rules can save a lot of money and prevent legal hassles.

I have been studying the topic of Windows licensing for many years. As I have discovered, Microsoft does not have all of this information organized in one convenient location. Much of it, in fact, is buried in long, dry license agreements and on sites that are available only to partners. I couldn’t find this information in one convenient place, so I decided to do the job myself. I gathered details from many public and private sources and summarized the various types of Windows 7 license agreements available to consumers and business customers. Note that this table and the accompanying descriptions deliberately exclude a small number of license types: for example, I have omitted academic and government licenses, as well as those provided as part of MSDN and TechNet subscriptions and those included with Action Pack subscriptions for Microsoft partners. With those exceptions, I believe this list includes every license situation that the overwhelming majority of Windows customers will encounter in the real world.

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November 2nd, 2009

Clean install with Windows 7 upgrade media? Get the facts!

Posted by Ed Bott @ 10:13 am

Categories: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Tags: License Agreement, License, PC, Clean Install, Microsoft Windows XP, Media, Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows 7 License Agreement, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows 7

Last week I complained about Microsoft’s shoddy documentation of how its upgrade procedures are supposed to work. I’m delighted to report that I got a tremendous and immediate response from within Microsoft, offering assistance in my testing and also promising to clean up and expand their documentation. I spent most of the weekend working on a table that I’ll publish later this week. I’m also testing various upgrade scenarios to see which ones work and which require a workaround.

Meanwhile, an argument that should have died ages ago has reared its head again. If you purchase a discounted upgrade edition of Windows 7, can you use it to perform a clean installation of the operating system on a PC that doesn’t currently have Windows installed?

The answer is really simple. If you qualify for an upgrade license, then yes, you can use any number of workarounds to install the operating system legally. If you don’t qualify for an upgrade license, then those same workarounds might technically succeed, but your license is not valid. Will you get away with it? Probably. But if you’re running a business, you run the risk that an employee will turn you in to the Business Software Alliance, which could lead to an audit, civil charges, and eventually some stiff penalties.

Let me see if I can help uncomplicate things.

The overwhelming majority of PCs are sold with Windows preinstalled by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The rules are in the license agreement that you see when you first turn on that PC. You can find any license agreement for Windows (retail or OEM) at the Microsoft Software License Terms page. If you read the retail and OEM license agreements, you will see that there is absolutely no requirement to install the software in a specific way. Here, for example, are the details from the OEM license agreement for Windows Vista Home Basic/Home Premium/Ultimate. I have used bold type to emphasize key terms.

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October 28th, 2009

Internet TV goes live on Windows 7 Media Center

Posted by Ed Bott @ 7:37 pm

Categories: Digital media, Windows 7

Tags: Media Center PC, Internet TV, Microsoft Windows, TVs, Tv & Home Theater, Microsoft Windows 7, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment, Ed Bott

One fascinating detail almost got lost in the shuffle of last week’s Windows 7 launch. Microsoft flipped the switch on some partner deals that turned its ho-hum Internet TV feature into something worth watching – in every sense of the word. (Full disclosure: One of Microsoft’s primary TV network partners is CBS, which also happens to own ZDNet’s parent, CBS Interactive.) [Update: As several readers have noted in both comments and private e-mails, this feature is currently available only in the United States. I will confirm with Microsoft whether they have plans to make similar features available in other markets.]

The Internet TV icon was present in pre-release versions of Windows 7, but mostly it delivered short clips and promos. With the final release, the Internet TV icon includes full episodes of a surprising number of classic and current series from CBS, PBS, and other partners.

How does it work? See my screenshot gallery for a visual walk-through

On the CBS page, for example, you’ll find full episodes of the current series CSI:Miami, NUMB3RS, Accidentally On Purpose, and How I Met Your Mother. I also found all three seasons of Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone, in glorious black and white. I think I saw MacGyver there, too, but didn’t have the strength to click that link. If you’re a PBS fan, you can gorge yourself on Nova episodes.

Setting up Internet TV was a very quick two-step process. The first step install the Media Center application that downloads and displays listings. The second component is a Flash viewer (not Silverlight?) that gets installed when you first try to view a program from the Internet TV pane.

In my limited testing, the streaming quality was pretty good, but not great. On a laptop screen, the picture was easy to watch, with no noticeable glitches. On a 24-inch 1080p screen, the degradation in quality was noticeable. I suspect only a diehard fan who missed an episode of their favorite series would bother trying to watch these low-res signals on a 50-inch-plus HDTV screen. There’s no charge for any of the content. Each full episode includes a handful of short ads - far fewer than those found in a network broadcast. I couldn’t find any obvious fast-forward capability to zap through those ads.

I was able to set up Internet TV on PCs running Windows 7 with and without regular TV tunes. The Internet TV feature was not available on a Media Center extender, however, which isn’t surprising given the Flash-based player that powers the feature. I also couldn’t save the episodes for offline watching, although I’m sure there are workarounds for that.

The gold rush is on for Internet-based TV, with Hulu and Tivo and Apple all experimenting with different ways of signing partnership deals, delivering content, and charging viewers for the privilege. If Microsoft is smart, it will iterate the Internet TV feature quickly, adding content partners, improving picture and audio quality, and figuring out how to make the content portable.

October 27th, 2009

Dear Microsoft: What's the deal with Windows 7 upgrades?

Posted by Ed Bott @ 10:55 am

Categories: Windows 7

Tags: Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Software, Ed Bott

Microsoft is doing almost everything right with Windows 7. Rock-solid engineering, energetic marketing, great outreach to hardware and software partners. Microsoft bloggers actively share information and take feedback. Collectively, the company does everything you would expect from a smart company nearly a full decade into the 21st Century.

Almost.

One group at Microsoft seems to be stuck in 1999. For some inexplicable reason, the technical team responsible for packaging and manufacturing and selling Windows 7 has decided to clam up about a product it is selling by the truckload.

Did you just get a retail upgrade copy of Windows 7? Do you have questions about how it works? Sorry, I probably don’t know the answers. And I can’t point you to anyone who does know how this product works.

It’s not for lack of trying. For three solid months, I have been pestering people at Microsoft and its PR agency for technical details on Windows 7 upgrade products. I got nothing but polite refusals. At the Windows 7 launch last week, I spent some quality time with fellow Windows expert Paul Thurrott, who told me his experience has been identical.

And now, a week later, still no comment.

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October 25th, 2009

Finally, some answers to Windows 7 upgrade questions

Posted by Ed Bott @ 6:00 pm

Categories: Windows 7

Tags: Product Key, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows 7, Operating Systems, Software, Ed Bott

[Update: In a previous post, I answered many upgrade question, including those dealing with upgrades from beta releases and "downgrades" from Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Professional. If your question isn't answered here, be sure to read The Ultimate Windows 7 upgrade FAQ.]

Every day for the past few months, I have received at least one question from readers wanting to know how the Windows 7 upgrade process will work. And in every case, my answer was consistent. I didn’t know. Paul Thurrott and I asked Microsoft repeatedly (and I mean every single damn week) for upgrade media, and the answer was always a polite no. I could have taken some educated guesses and hit the Publish button here, but that isn’t what I learned in journalism school.

My compatriots in the Windows blogosphere weren’t always so discriminating. I read a staggering number of rumors, many of them promulgated by people who should have known better.

So when I got home from the Windows 7 launch event and found four copies of Windows 7 upgrades waiting in my office (thanks, Amazon.com!), I got right to work. Here, at long last, are the answers you’ve been looking for.

If I buy a retail upgrade version, what’s in the box?

You get two DVDs, one 32-bit, one 64-bit. You get a single product key, which you can use to install either version. If you buy the Family Pack, you also get those two DVDs and a single product key, which can be used to activate three PCs in your household.

Is the upgrade DVD bootable?

Yes. In fact, as far as I can tell it is absolutely identical to the full version.

So what’s the difference between the full and upgrade versions?

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October 21st, 2009

Windows 7: An impressive upgrade

Posted by Ed Bott @ 1:00 pm

Categories: Windows 7

Tags: Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Software, Ed Bott

Windows 7 is impressive. That word is rarely used in the same sentence as “Microsoft” and “Windows” – certainly not in recent years. But it fits here.

Unlike its predecessors, this Windows version feels as if it were designed and built by a single, coordinated team instead of being assembled from interchangeable parts. In daily use, Windows 7 feels graceful and often (but not always) elegant. Although it builds on elements that debuted in Windows Vista, it fixes many usability sins and adds consistency and polish to an interface that had too many rough edges. And some very impressive new capabilities, especially the grossly underrated Libraries feature, offer rewards for digging deeper.

Windows 7 runs smoothly and efficiently on even modest hardware. Remarkably, it reverses the longstanding trend to make Windows bigger. From a standing start, Windows 7 uses less memory, runs fewer services, and consumes less disk space than its predecessor, Windows Vista, and in the 64-bit version it can address about five times more RAM than you can actually stuff onto a single motherboard. This year, anyway. Read the rest of this entry »