Winows XP Enterprise Edition

[breadandbubbles]

right, so i recently recieved a legit copy of Windows XP Professional but i was informed that the cd key it came with was special, and could only be used once, and i shouldnt tell the key to anybody. that doesnt make sense if i can only use the cd key once...

eventually i was told that it was an "enterprise edition". for big corporations?

i dont know. i also got a copy of microsoft office xp 2003 which is apparently also "enterprise"

is there really a difference between this edition and standard XP Professional? can i use the cd key more than once?

Alos, i have a new Asus motherboard (PWD52) and i heard something about ...ACPI? which i believe my motherboard probably supports. when i install this new edition of XP, would it be beneficial to me to configure ACPI? what does it actually do?

[InTheWayBoy]

You can use them wherever you want...but it's illegal. I'm sure you didn't pay for it, as you said you got it from a friend. They are sold to big companies who in turn report back how many clients they use it on.

And while they don't track them, you can get in trouble with them. Better to buy your own legit copy...keep you out of the wrong side of the law.

[Zxian]

As InTheWayBoy said, using the copy of XP that you have would be illegal. Companies sign contracts with Microsoft allowing for so many computers to use the key that is on that CD. If you are not part of that company, you shouldn't be using it.

If you're planning on keeping that computer and running XP on it for a while (i.e. not selling it), then you can buy an OEM copy of XP. That copy, once installed, cannot be transferred to another computer as a full version of XP can, but it costs considerably less.

As for ACPI, it stands for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. Almost all computers (I actually think all) nowadays have ACPI-capable hardware. It simply means that you are able to use features such as standby and hibernate, and for computers with speed-stepping processors it allows the operating system to control these settings. The greatest thing about it is that it's pretty much self-regulating. I have never configured anything ACPI based on any of my computers, and yet the speed-stepping in my laptop works just fine.

[breadandbubbles]

so, instead of buying 1000 copies of XP, this company made an agreement with microsoft to obtain a key that can be used 1000 times? or can it be used an unlimited number of times?

where can i get an OEM version?

and as for ACPI, i dont have to press F6 or some such during windows xp setup to enable it?

i read it was necessary here:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/clean_installa..._windows_xp.htm

thanks for your help!

[Zxian]

so, instead of buying 1000 copies of XP, this company made an agreement with microsoft to obtain a key that can be used 1000 times? or can it be used an unlimited number of times?

In theory, unlimited number of times, but it would only be legal for them to use it 1000 times.

where can i get an OEM version?

You can find online stores that sell OEM copies online. NCIX (www.ncix.com) is one of them. Look under their Operating Systems section (I see you're in Canada... that's why I suggest NCIX). To get an OEM licence, you need to buy a certain requirement of hardware, so they bundle it with a case fan and a mouse (I think). It's still a lot cheaper than the full version.

and as for ACPI, i dont have to press F6 or some such during windows xp setup to enable it?

i read it was necessary here:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/clean_installa..._windows_xp.htm

thanks for your help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you read through that carefully, it says that you're supposed to press F5, not F6 (that's for SATA and RAID drivers). I haven't heard of the XP install not recognizing ACPI systems made/sold in the past few years. It's mostly on computers that were sold just as ACPI was being released that may have this problem. I would be surprised if you have any.

[InTheWayBoy]

Basically M$ gives a company a CD that allows for unlimited use...but that company is responsible for telling M$ how many clients it's used on, and is charged accordingly. Personally, I think it's odd that M$ would put that much trust in an external company, but they probably audit them occassionally to make sure all is well. Know this, if for some reason you do get caught, they will probably take it back to the company you got it from and someone will get in trouble...not likely to happen, but if this guy is a friend I wouldn't put him in that position to begin with.

[Zxian]

Basically M$ gives a company a CD that allows for unlimited use...but that company is responsible for telling M$ how many clients it's used on, and is charged accordingly. Personally, I think it's odd that M$ would put that much trust in an external company, but they probably audit them occassionally to make sure all is well. Know this, if for some reason you do get caught, they will probably take it back to the company you got it from and someone will get in trouble...not likely to happen, but if this guy is a friend I wouldn't put him in that position to begin with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's actually not that strange for Microsoft to put trust in another company. The two companies sign an agreement that is bound by law. If the customer breaks that agreement, there are far more repercussions than there would be for an individual. Corporate lawsuits are over big-bucks and everything is documented... if you're caught, you're pretty much screwed.

And yes, most companies get checked every now and then to make sure that they're staying within their licence limits.

[breadandbubbles]

when you say they get "checked" does that mean they go to the coporation and count the number of keys in use there? or do they check in some ofrm of databse to see how many times that key has been used?

[Zxian]

Usually it would be an on-site visit. It may not necessarily be a person working for Microsoft, but it would be a company that was hired to perform the inspection.

They would take a count of the number of computers each running the VLK and see if the client company has stayed within their contract limits.

The whole point of the VLK is that there is no count on how many times its been used. It also allows for companies to easily transfer the licence from one computer to the other without having to call Microsoft for confirmation/permission.