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Do Volume license agreements first require OEMs?


Deman

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For all the licensing gurus out there I've got a question for you

We currently hold two license agreements with Microsoft (MSDNAA and a Volume licensing enterprise agreement *or something like that*) and am wondering whether or not we would be breaching license if we were to purchase PCs without any OEM Windows on them and instead use that money to say up the size of the monitor or something?

I see it as "we're paying twice for Windows" (well 3 times if you want to drag in MSDNAA) but another disagrees and that the volume license sits atop of OEM (which given Microsoft and licensing, anything is possible I suppose)

Does anybody know for sure? :)

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If your Volume License doesn't state the number of PC's you may install windows on, then you`re safe, no need to have OEM version installed. Taking that you have the media the volume licence key corresponds to, you may install that on your new pc's.

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For all the licensing gurus out there I've got a question for you

We currently hold two license agreements with Microsoft (MSDNAA and a Volume licensing enterprise agreement *or something like that*) and am wondering whether or not we would be breaching license if we were to purchase PCs without any OEM Windows on them and instead use that money to say up the size of the monitor or something?

I see it as "we're paying twice for Windows" (well 3 times if you want to drag in MSDNAA) but another disagrees and that the volume license sits atop of OEM (which given Microsoft and licensing, anything is possible I suppose)

Does anybody know for sure? :)

Yes, most volume licenses are upgrade-only. Meaning, your machine had to come with an OEM license for it to qualify for install of a VL copy of the same or newer version of Windows via SA. And technically, you're paying about 10% or so, depending on OEM, for that original OEM license to begin with, so I'm not sure you should be complaining too much :). Parf of the reason there are such deep discounts per copy of Windows is that it is assumed you've already paid a bit for the license from the OEM - don't think of it as paying twice, think of it as part of the cost of the license. You just pay part of it to two entities.

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Check with your Enterprise Rep. I can't say for sure with Enterprise agreement, but with Open License, and Select license Windows is available upgrade only. All other products in Open and Select are full licenses. I am willing to bet that the Enterprise Agreement falls in the same way.

Microsoft set up volume licensing as upgrade only because they expect Business customers to buy computers with OEM windows.

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