MS quitely Reduces Technet keys!

[nekrosoft13]

Originally Posted by crainger

Perhaps current subs keep their 10 keys for each product, but new and renewals after a certain date get the 2 keys per product.

2 keys is ok for me. I get 2 for each 32bit variant and two for each 64bit variant, that's a lot of OSes. I only run 5 PCs right now. One came with 7, one has 32bit Home 7, the others have 64 bit Ultimate 7.

32/64bit keys are shared. you don't get 2 Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit keys and 2 Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit keys. Is just 2 total Windows 7 Ultimate keys

Originally Posted by Sazar

You still essentially are getting 20 system activations with 2 keys x 10 systems each (IIRC, you get 10 per key).

Seriously, y'all signed up for a Technet account so you could get access to the entire library at minimal cost or because you wanted 100 systems to be simultaneously active?

I swear, people find the most ridiculous reasons to complain.

The limit per key isn't defined in the EULA, so that can be changed too. Factor in the multiple activation issue and we now have substantially less than what we paid for.

That said, this isn't really going to affect me as I don't plan on reinstalling over and over, but the basic principle behind selling certain usage rights to a product, and then without advance notice making such a drastic change to what one bought is not a precedent I like to see. At the very least current subscribers ought to be grandfathered in.

Originally Posted by grey_1

The limit per key isn't defined in the EULA, so that can be changed too. Factor in the multiple activation issue and we now have substantially less than what we paid for.

That said, this isn't really going to affect me as I don't plan on reinstalling over and over, but the basic principle behind selling certain usage rights to a product, and then without advance notice making such a drastic change to what one bought is not a precedent I like to see. At the very least current subscribers ought to be grandfathered in.

this.

Originally Posted by Sazar

You still essentially are getting 20 system activations with 2 keys x 10 systems each (IIRC, you get 10 per key).

Seriously, y'all signed up for a Technet account so you could get access to the entire library at minimal cost or because you wanted 100 systems to be simultaneously active?

I swear, people find the most ridiculous reasons to complain.

and this.

A mixture of both. While i think IT IS crappy for them to do what they did, point is, who has 100 machines, let alone 2 or 3.

[Bman212121]

Yea I don't think I've grabbed a 2nd key for most things anyway. One pc runs Server 03, one runs, Server 08, one runs W7, had another on Vista. There are different keys for each version too so you can technically use Vista Ultimate and Vista Home Premium if you really needed it for more than 2 pcs.

Even office there are several versions of it, so you can install that at least 4 times without using the same key again.

I could understand cutting it in half, but cutting out most of the keys seems to be a little crazy. Afaik MS is usually pretty good about giving you more keys/activations, so you can probably call them up and they will give you more keys.

Unfortunately though this isn't the first time they have changed things. We used to have keys for corporate installs. (Non activation) Those were silently taken away as well.


EDIT: Looks like I have 5 retails keys product now with Technet Direct. Also seeing 1 MAK key for Windows 7 Enterprise.

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by nekrosoft13

the only "mak" key for win7 is for Win7 Enterprise, not the Ultimate, Pro etc...

rest are retail keys(same as bought from store), and retail keys will activate multiple machines. Just like you can install retail Win7 on different hardware, but you only supposed to use it on ONE MACHINE. So when you will need re-activations because of hardware change/upgrades, you will be screwed.

I'm no pro on this stuff, and typically believe you'd know better than I... but I have to beg to differ.

Every retail copy of Windows I've ever owned will only activate on one machine at a time. I've got about 7 different computers running the same version of 7, all with the same key. All activated without issue. NO retail copy I've ever owned will do that. Not for XP, not for Vista, not for ME, not for 98, 95, etc.

Maybe I'm entirely misunderstanding you...

[nekrosoft13]

sorry redeemed, but you will run into issues.

Windows 7 retail can be activated multiple times on different machines, but you not supposed to do that, and in technet when you go to someting called your download and keys, windows 7 (all versions except enterprise) will have description next to them that say retail. Enterprise will have either MAK or volume next to it.

MAK keys are usually good up to 50 activations. MAK keys usually have to be used with Volume Activation Management Tool(VAMT).

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by nekrosoft13

sorry redeemed, but you will run into issues.

Windows 7 retail can be activated multiple times on different machines, but you not supposed to do that, and in technet when you go to someting called your download and keys, windows 7 (all versions except enterprise) will have description next to them that say retail. Enterprise will have either MAK or volume next to it.

MAK keys are usually good up to 50 activations. MAK keys usually have to be used with Volume Activation Management Tool(VAMT).

Really? So someday, randomly- one of my rigs will stop working? I'll have to re-install?

Enterprise... I have that- what's it closest to, 7HP or 7 Professional?

[nekrosoft13]

what version did you install?

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by nekrosoft13

what version did you install?

Home Premium x64. Same version on 7 computers, same key.

[Bman212121]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Really? So someday, randomly- one of my rigs will stop working? I'll have to re-install?

Enterprise... I have that- what's it closest to, 7HP or 7 Professional?

No. The only thing that will happen is when you try to do your 11th activation with that same key, you'll have to call MS to get it reset so you can activate it. Technically yes you probably should use different keys for different pcs, but even if you had that key on 5 pcs you would have to reinstall all of them twice before you would run out of activations. Given the lifecycle of products chances you will reinstall only once before a new OS comes out.

The only time that an activated computer would deactivate itself is if you had several major hardware changes. (Booting on a different motherboard might cause it to happen)

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Home Premium x64. Same version on 7 computers, same key.

Then you have 3 more activations on that key before you'd have to start calling each time you want to reinstall one.

[nekrosoft13]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Home Premium x64. Same version on 7 computers, same key.

just what Bman212121 said, Home Premium does not have any sort of Volume Licensing, be it MAK, KMS etc.. it doesn't support any of that stuff.

The only editions of Win7 that do have volume licensing (MAK (Multiple Activation Key) or KMS (Key Management Service)) is Pro (not all pro versions are VLK, and Enterprise only VLK.

3 more activations and then you will have to call MS every single time and they will ask is the OS installed on single machine, either way you answer you are screwed.

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by nekrosoft13

just what Bman212121 said, Home Premium does not have any sort of Volume Licensing, be it MAK, KMS etc.. it doesn't support any of that stuff.

The only editions of Win7 that do have volume licensing (MAK (Multiple Activation Key) or KMS (Key Management Service)) is Pro (not all pro versions are VLK, and Enterprise only VLK.

3 more activations and then you will have to call MS every single time and they will ask is the OS installed on single machine, either way you answer you are screwed.

Oh- so good thing I have 5 more keys I can get with 10 activations each.

Think I understand what you're saying.

If I bought a retail copy of 7 HP, and I installed it on one machine... but let's say I went through 10 motherboards in a 2 year time period and did a fresh install each time... it'd automatically activate.

But, if I bought a 11th motherboard it would not reactivate be it online or via phone... I'd have to purchase a new copy to get a new key.

Is this correct?