if you put hurdles in front of people they are going to jump them

Some people are athletes and some are not.

It strikes me that you may be competing.

OK I just spent a looong time reading this thread. I have one question. Or actually a few. Wolfey let me see if I am understanding you right. I buy a dell. I don't have any restore disks. My hard drive goes out. Are you saying that it is not right to download an OEM ISO from microsoft Technet and reinstall the OS?

What the hell is the reason for the COA?? By your logic the COA is completely worthless. Dell doesn't use that number when they install the OS. Use your magic jellybean to see the Key on any of your manufactured computers and you will see none of them have the key that is on the COA Sticker. The reason that microsoft has these to down load at the technet site is so techs can use these to install the OS on these computers. If this were not the case then there would never be a reason to have a COA sticker on your computer. They would be completely worthless.

I own this COA key. I shouldn't have to pay extra to get a disk to be able to re-install it if needed.

Popeye hit on something major. Just because it is in a writen agreement when you buy something, doesn't make it legal. Ask sony about this when they put rootkits on their CD.

They said that they didn't want you to make mp3 copies of CDs so they created a program, in what we call today a rootkit.

The software interferes with the normal way in which the Microsoft Windows operating system plays CDs by installing a rootkit which creates vulnerabilities for other malware to exploit.

Quite illegal but they had it writen on their CDs. Not to mention, it is perfectly legal for us to make back up copies of CDs for personal use only.

So you can say that Sony pretty much invented the rootkit and now innocent people have to pay big money to have rootkits removed, all because of sony.

Microsoft knows that some of the contracts they have are not legal. How many times has Microsoft gone to court for illegal practices? So worry more about the law than what Microsoft says you can and can't do with their OS. They will have to believe in anything that can put more money in their pocket.

Are you saying that it is not right to download an OEM ISO from microsoft Technet and reinstall the OS?

Nope, Microsoft is.

I own this COA key. I shouldn't have to pay extra to get a disk to be able to re-install it if needed.

Blame the mainstream OEM suppliers Adam, but I agree that they should provide re-installation disks.

It's very bad customer relations if you ask me considering what it costs to knock a couple of disks out.

it is perfectly legal for us to make back up copies of CDs for personal use only.

I am aware that in the states it is acceptable to make back up copies and this aspect is not in dispute.

do you not agree microsoft is at least partly to blame for the number of pirated copies of windows, like i say if people need to reinstall their os regardless of the legality or morallity of it, the only place many can find them is via torrents, and if you find yourself downloading an os why bother with xp when you can have windows7, might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

I will say that if people lose or damage their retail or dedicated OEM disks, that we don't get any more, then more fool them and it's reasonable that they are charged for replacements.

I've already said what I think with the aspect of not supplying OEM re-install disks in part 2 of my reply above.

do you not agree microsoft is at least partly to blame for the number of pirated copies of windows

Oh definitely,

You know a recent estimate puts 9/10 Chinese copies of windows as pirated, they physically cannot afford a Windows License for their pcs.

Now, MS could charge the Chinese market 10$ a license(thats about what they charge for people to put it on netbooks until recently) but then theyd have to let everyone buy it for 10$, they'd rather not have to offer tech support to pirated copies and keep their profit margins by charging everyone else the amounts the currently do even if it might have brought them a similar revenue stream.

Originally Posted by William

they physically cannot afford a Windows License for their pcs.

me neither