License for replacements

[SteveT]

Hmmm....

 

We had some Laptops nicked and the Insurance company has agreed to replace.

 

Query:

 

since the original software (OS, CALs, Office etc) was licensed to us I assume we do not have to buy new licenses?.......but XP is per machine so.....????

 

Any ideas?

[Geoff]

They stole the software but not the licenses. The thieves are the ones running about with a pirate copy of XP/Office/etc not you. You can reuse your licenses on the new machine.

[DMcCoy]

Hmmm....

 

We had some Laptops nicked and the Insurance company has agreed to replace.

 

Query:

 

since the original software (OS, CALs, Office etc) was licensed to us I assume we do not have to buy new licenses?.......but XP is per machine so.....????

 

Any ideas?

 

I'm not sure how this will work realy, the software is still on those machines I guess. If you had any upgrades from oem or oem licences, then they are probably still resticted to the machine. If you have full licenses of office and cal I would assume you can reuse them.

 

Windows is a little more difficult, the only way to own windows is via full packaged product or oem. So unless you have boxed versions of windows then you will require oem ones or fpp on the replacements.

 

There is no such thing as a windows license under any volume agreement. You can only get windows *upgrade* via volume agreements. If you upgrade an oem licence (say 2k or 98) then that upgrade becomes oem bound to that machine too. This is one reason I like my schools agreement, you can increase (clients) during the year for free so replacment machines get relicenced the next year, avoiding this problem.

 

The answer to the question is therefor going to be "It depends......"

[Geoff]

Windows isn't really an issue. When the new machines are bought they will come with an OEM copy anyway.

[kevinmcaleer]

According to Microsoft, if you have a PC stolen, you are legally entitled to install the software you purchased originally on the new replacement pc.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/buy/software/faq.mspx

 

If the software box and license itself was stolen, you need to put a new insurance claim in for that aswell.

 

-Kev