Microsoft halves number of available TechNet keys

[Shayla]

From Microsoft :

?Microsoft is committed to helping prevent software piracy, which often results in end users being the victims of software counterfeiters. Counterfeiters abuse product keys to create fake software packages and distribute these to the public. These packages are not licensed, do not have support, and can also include malware and spyware.

?Therefore, Microsoft has decided to limit the number of product keys available through TechNet Subscriptions, for all products, to five for TechNet Professional and two for TechNet Standard. TechNet Subscriptions is intended to support software trial and evaluation, versus a production environment. We offer other programs for volume purchasing and installation. We believe this change maintains a sufficient number of product keys for the majority of our customers based on usage data, while greatly reducing the overall risk of piracy and counterfeiting. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this action may have caused our subscribers.?

Source

[DanLeto]

Windows 7 is worth a maximum of ?40.

[+Neowin User 007 Subscriber²]

Really? You still have keys left to test with. If you're needing ten keys you should be on MSDN not TechNet in my opinion.

[Subject Delta]

Windows 7 is worth a maximum of ?40.

That is a pretty pointless post that adds nothing to this thread.

As for most of the users... Very few people would ever need legitimate uses for more than 50 activations per SKU, especially considering you get unlimited activations on the same machine. This limit is not really as bad as people make out

[Travesty]

Uhh you guys do realize that in the event you need more keys for a particular product you can just call and get more keys right? I mean it does suck that they halved the number of keys, but it's just to prevent people from running wild with them. If you have a legitimate need for additional keys they will give you more without any issue.

Shhh nerd arguments are funny :)

[Phenom II]

Windows 7 is worth a maximum of £40.

I would say £50-60

I buy the OS that I use everyday for 3-4 years or so until a new OS is released

I also buy a 1TB HDD that I use for approximately the same length of time, and also use everyday - but I don't need a licence for it, or have to question my legal rights to put it in a different PC

[freedonX]

Retail price not the same for TechNet price(s), in case someone isn't aware

[Mr aldo]

I found the article Paul wrote: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/totw/technet2.asp

It's for non-commercial use only. While TechNet Standard is aimed at IT pros for testing purposes only, it's only real legal limitation is that these products cannot be used in production environments for commercial purposes. So you can't run your company's web site on a version of Windows Server you got from TechNet. But there's no reason you can't run them on your home computers. In fact, Microsoft specifically says in its TechNet Subscriptions FAQ that "the TechNet Subscription license terms grant one user the right to install the program software on any devices, including those located at his or her home ... one user may install and use the evaluation software, only to evaluate it. You may not use it in a live operating environment, a staging or production environment..."

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

So you can't run your company's web site on a version of Windows Server you got from TechNet.

Ho hum, I can name a company that does (as we probably all can) ;)

[Mr aldo]

Well one could simply purchase an actual license, and replace it in the Windows Control Panel :p

Yeah, let's just say that's what they did :whistle:

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Yeah, let's just say that's what they did

LOL, wasn't me - just a particularly "cowboy" head of IT I once knew!

[Mr aldo]

Really? TechNet? You do realize TechNet IS Microsoft, right? Lol.

:p

[Subject Delta]

I said "Technet deserves to be taken for everything they got considering the pricing of retail MS products"

And what right do you have to tell Microsoft how they can and cannot price their products? The fact that you disagree with their prices doesn't give you the authoritative right to say they deserve to have their products pirated, in fact it is because of people with attitudes like yours that the prices of their products does keep going up.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Technet is a part of Microsoft. It is not a "business" within it's own right, so by proxy you are referencing Microsoft.

Arguing over such a trivial point only serves to backup my ascertation that you clearly cannot justify your original point.

I dont need to backup anything or explain myself to anyone, why would I?

Silly man says silly words - people ask why - he cannot say. Silly man looks silly!

[treemonster]

I thought a person was allowed to do that. Just need to phone it to Microsoft and get re-activated. I could be wrong. I often times am. :yes:

yeah you can bypass automatic online windows installation when it fails by calling in. i had to do that on this pc, and i found this method on ms's help forums themselves, so it's legit.

what i wantt though is some kind of uninstall process fo rwindows, instead of uninstalling the old hdd from my old pc, putting it into the new pc and formatting it;

as well as some kind of manual activiation process where you can mange which hardware your license is tied to. such as being able to delete an old pc from their records/your key, and tying it to a new set of hardware. instead i have to call in every single time i want to reinstall windows using this license and go through the phone activation process, which is a real PITA.

i don't want to break my license or rip ms off, i just want some more flexibility in how i use the license i paid full retail cost for.

You cannot make illegal copies of a hard disk, so that analogy is kind of blunt. If Microsoft went back to the old Windows 98/me/2000 system, with no activation limits, people could just casually copy and install on as many machines as they want at a large loss to Microsoft. Ultimately, with a retail copy, you can activate on up to 3 computers, and get unlimited activations on the same computer, and usually if you call up and ask for a reactivation even once you have passed your 3 computer limit, more often than not it will be granted to you. The terms of licensing may be a bit restrictive, but Retail and OEM licenses are not intended for use on large amounts of computers, that is what they sell volume licensing for, and it is their right to do so. If you don't like it, you are welcome to use Linux, OSX, or switch back to a version of Windows released before Activation was mandatory.

naw you can really only activate a full retail license of win 7 on a single pc, using the automatic activation process. if you change hardware to a significant degree, or want to transfer the license to a new pc and uninstall from your old pc for example, you need to phone in and go through ms's phone activation process, a method which is detailed on ms's own helpdesk forums.

you can buy a family pack of win 7 licenses, i think they come in 3's, but as my dad told me, if you screw up and put the same key on 2 pc's in your home or so on, it will give you headaches.

otherwise i agree.

[ManMountain]

Would have been nice had Microsoft sent out a little email of the intended change to it's subscribers.

[Phenom II]

Would have been nice had Microsoft sent out a little email of the intended change to it's subscribers.

You think Technet subscription numbers will drop because of this change ?

[ManMountain]

I shouldn't think so no. The provision of 5 keys is still a generous amount, I just think it would have shown a bit of courtesy by Microsoft to inform those who pay a subscription fee for the service, of the change to their subscription package.

[Travesty]

You think Technet subscription numbers will drop because of this change ?

Nah

[Mr. Gibs]

You think Technet subscription numbers will drop because of this change ?

Why should they? You're still getting like 50 licenses, and if you want more just phone them up.

Honestly, the whole package pays for itself just when you install Win 7 or Office and you people are still bitching?

Either you have like way more than 50 computers using technet licenses or you're selling your keys.

[still1]

How many activations does each key allow? I thought one key can be used 10 times?

Although it does suck to have the activation amounts lowered from 100 to 50...

It depends on the key. if its retail(OS like win 7 vista) key you can use 1 key in 10 PC's and any number of activation on that 10 PC.

you wont be able to install on the 11 PC with that same key.

Office keys are different and each key can be activated only 10 times and after that its gone.

Lucky that i got all my 10 keys.

[ManMountain]

Whilst I love Neowin, it should have been Microsoft that informed me of the change to my subscription and not this website.

[Phenom II]

I shouldn't think so no. The provision of 5 keys is still a generous amount, I just think it would have shown a bit of courtesy by Microsoft to inform those who pay a subscription fee for the service, of the change to their subscription package.

Nah

I agree.

People who have signed up for their accounts under a certain agreement, does did it not state in that agreement the amount of keys that would be made available to them ?

Is MS not in breach of this agreement if that is the case ?

[Travesty]

I agree.

People who have signed up for their accounts under a certain agreement, does did it not state in that agreement the amount of keys that would be made available to them ?

Is MS not in breach of this agreement if that is the case ?

I'm curious to see the agreement, can anybody post it?

[Phenom II]

I'm curious to see the agreement, can anybody post it?

It will have changed since the 5 keys thing.

Unless anyone actually saved the old one

I don't know if it did ever say the amount of keys available though