Microsoft halves number of available TechNet keys

[qdave]

Luckily i had pregenerated 10 of everything so i didnt loose anything :D

[Phenom II]

Luckily i had pregenerated 10 of everything so i didnt loose anything :D

(Y) Yup ;)

[Travesty]

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

I'm more curious to see if there's a part of it stating they can do what they please when they please... If that's the case the only people TechNet subscribers can be mad at is themselves...

[Phenom II]

I'm more curious to see if there's a part of it stating they can do what they please when they please... If that's the case the only people TechNet subscribers can be mad at is themselves...

Hmm yea... more than likely it will say something along the lines of "MS Reserve the right to change this agreement...... etc etc "

[Travesty]

Hmm yea... more than likely it will say something along the lines of "MS Reserve the right to change this agreement...... etc etc "

Would be a leason in making sure to read the fine print I suppose

[hdood]

Oh, yeah... And to those saying these are for evaluation purposes only, if you ever watched (or listened to) Windows Weekly, you would know that Paul Thurrott contacted Microsoft and asked about whether or not you could use this stuff for home purposes... Guess what? You can! Why do you think they made another subscription option? One is for the home user, another is for IT.

None of the subscriptions are for "the home users" and none of them allow what you're saying. TechNet is not a cheap way to buy software in bulk, it's a service designed to provide you with tools to evaluate and test Microsoft solutions. That is why the cost is low. Can you please show exactly where in the license it says what you're claiming? I am asking because the Microsoft site explicitly states the exact opposite of what you are claiming.

[ManMountain]

Can I use evaluation software received in my TechNet Subscription on my devices in my home?

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, but the user must fully comply with all the license terms no matter where the device is located. In other words, 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, or with data that has not been sufficiently backed up. You may not use the evaluation software for software development or in an application development environment.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/subscriptions/ms772427.aspx

Licensing Terms

LICENSE TERMS FOR MICROSOFT SOFTWARE

MICROSOFT TECHNET PLUS AND TECHNET DIRECT SUBSCRIPTIONS

THESE LICENSE TERMS ARE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN MICROSOFT CORPORATION (OR, IF APPLICABLE BASED ON WHERE YOU ACQUIRED THE SOFTWARE, ONE OF ITS AFFILIATES) AND YOU. PLEASE READ THEM. THEY APPLY TO THE SOFTWARE NAMED ABOVE WHICH INCLUDES THE MEDIA ON WHICH YOU RECEIVED IT, IF ANY. THE TERMS ALSO APPLY TO THE MICROSOFT:

• UPDATES,

• SUPPLEMENTS,

• INTERNET-BASED SERVICES, AND

• SUPPORT SERVICES,

FOR THIS SOFTWARE UNLESS OTHER TERMS ACCOMPANY THOSE ITEMS. IF SO, THOSE TERMS APPLY.

BY USING THE SOFTWARE, YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THEM, DO NOT USE THE SOFTWARE. INSTEAD, RETURN IT TO THE RETAILER FOR A REFUND OR CREDIT. IF YOU CANNOT OBTAIN A REFUND THERE, CONTACT MICROSOFT AT (800) MICROSOFT, OR THE MICROSOFT AFFILIATE SERVING YOUR COUNTRY SEE WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/WORLDWIDE), FOR INFORMATION ABOUT MICROSOFT'S REFUND POLICIES.

MICROSOFT DOES NOT COLLECT ANY INFORMATION FROM YOU OR YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY YOU OR CONTACT YOU WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT. AS DESCRIBED BELOW, THIS AGREEMENT OPERATES AS YOUR CONSENT TO THE COLLECTION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION FOR INTERNET-BASED SERVICES.

1. OVERVIEW.

a. Software. The software is a suite of software programs and documentation.

b. License Models. The software is licensed based on:

• the number of users that use the software; or

• the number of servers on which you install the software.

2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS. If you comply with this agreement, for each license you acquire, you have the rights below.

a. General.

• Single User License. If you acquire a single user license, one user may install and use copies of the software on any of your devices.

• Server License. If you acquire a server license, you may install copies of the software on one server. Any person that has access to that server may install and use the software on any of your devices.

b. Certain Components.

• Evaluation Software. One user may install and use copies of the evaluation software listed in the COMPONENTS.TXT file, even if you obtained a server license. You may use the evaluation software only to evaluate it. You may not use it in a live operating, in a staging environment or with data that has not been sufficiently backed up. If the evaluation software comes with its own license agreement, this agreement will control. If that other license agreement gives you additional rights that do not conflict with express limitations in this agreement, you also have those rights.

• Windows Server. The 32-bit version of Windows Server includes data storage technology called Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine for Windows. Components of the server software use this technology to store data. You may not otherwise use or access this technology under this agreement.

c. Other Terms Provided With Software.

• Pre-Release Code. The software may include pre-release code. The terms that appear with pre-release code apply to your use of it.

• Third Party Software. The software may include programs licensed by third parties. The terms that appear with those programs apply to your use of them.

• Other Executables. The software includes tools, utilities, resource kits, patches, updates, and training materials. The terms that appear with those other executables apply to your use of them.

3. ADDITIONAL LICENSING REQUIREMENTS AND/OR USE RIGHTS.

a. Documentation. Any person that has access to your internal network may copy and use the documentation for your internal purposes. Any such person may also:

• modify it for your internal purposes;

• use it (modified or not) to provide support services to your customer;

• distribute it without modification to your customers, as part of your support services, for their internal use.

4. NOTICES.

a. CONSENT TO COLLECTION OF INFORMATION FOR INTERNET-BASED SERVICES. The software contains features that connect to Microsoft computer systems if you use the features while accessing the Internet. In some cases, you will not receive a separate notice when they connect. You may switch off these features or not use them. These features and the information they send to Microsoft (including your Internet protocol address) are described below. See the software documentation for more information about these features. Microsoft uses this information only to make the Internet-based services available to you. By using these features, you consent to Microsoft's collection of this information. Microsoft reserves the right to discontinue the Internet-based services at any time.

i. Windows Update Feature. Your device may not have the drivers needed to communicate with additional hardware. If so, the update feature of the software can obtain the correct driver from Microsoft and install it on your device. You can switch off this update feature.

ii. Web Content Features. Features in the software can retrieve related content from Microsoft and provide it to you. To provide the content, these features send to Microsoft the type of operating system, name and version of the software you are using, type of browser and language code of the device where you installed the software. Examples of these features are clip art, templates, online training, online assistance and Appshelp. You may choose to not use these web content features.

iii. Digital Certificates. The software uses digital certificates. These digital certificates confirm the identity of Internet users sending X.509 standard encrypted information. The software retrieves certificates from Microsoft or other digital certificate authorities and updates certificate revocation lists. These security features operate only when you use the Internet.

iv. Auto Root Update. The Auto Root Update feature updates the list of trusted certificate authorities. You can switch off the Auto Root Update feature.

v. Windows Media Digital Rights Management. The software contains digital rights management technology for Windows Media. Content providers use this feature to protect their digital content. It can control access to their content. When your device tries to access protected content, the technology retrieves a list of unauthorized devices from the provider or Microsoft. It checks the list to see if the provider permits your device to access the content. If so, the technology will give you access to the content. You may need to upgrade the technology to access some content. If so, you will receive notice and a request for permission to download the upgrade. If you switch off the technology, you may still access protected content if the technology already permitted your device to access it.

vi. Windows Media Player. When you use Windows Media Player, it will check with Microsoft for new versions of the player. It will provide new versions to install on your device. If you try to play content but do not have the correct decoder, the player will check with Microsoft for new decoders. It will provide the correct decoder if available. You may switch off this decoder retrieval feature.

b. Mandatory Activation. Some programs included in the software are designed to prevent their unlicensed use. If you do not activate the software as described in the set-up sequence within the allowed number of days or launches after you first install it, you will not be able to use it. You can activate the software by Internet or telephone. Internet and telephone service charges may apply. You may also need to reactivate the software if you alter your computer or the software. The software will remind you to activate it.

c. Notice About the MPEG-4 Visual Standard. This software includes MPEG-4 visual decoding technology. This technology is a format for data compression of video information. MPEG LA, L.L.C. requires this notice:

USE OF THIS PRODUCT IN ANY MANNER THAT COMPLIES WITH THE MPEG 4 VISUAL STANDARD IS PROHIBITED, EXCEPT FOR USE DIRECTLY RELATED TO (A) DATA OR INFORMATION (i) GENERATED BY AND OBTAINED WITHOUT CHARGE FROM A CONSUMER NOT THEREBY ENGAGED IN A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE, AND (ii) FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY; AND (B) OTHER USES SPECIFICALLY AND SEPARATELY LICENSED BY MPEG LA, L.L.C.

If you have questions, please contact MPEG LA, L.L.C., 250 Steele Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80206; Telephone (303) 331-1880; FAX (303) 331-1879; www.mpegla.com.

5. SCOPE OF LICENSE. The software is licensed, not sold. This agreement only gives you some rights to use the software. Microsoft reserves all other rights. Unless applicable law gives you more rights despite this limitation, you may use the software only as expressly permitted in this agreement. The software may be engineered to allow you to use it in certain ways. You must comply with these technical limitations. For more information about them, see the software packaging or documentation. In addition, you may not:

• work around the technical limitations in the software,

• reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the software, except and only to the extent that applicable law expressly permits, despite this limitation,

• make more copies of the software than specified in this agreement or allowed by applicable law, despite this limitation,

• publish the software for others to copy,

• rent, lease or lend it,

• use it for commercial software hosting services, or

• disclose the results of any benchmark tests of the software to any third party without Microsoft's prior written approval.

6. TRANSFER TO A THIRD PARTY. The first user of the software may transfer it and this agreement directly to a third party. Before the transfer, that party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software. The first user must uninstall the software before transferring it separately from the device. The first user may not retain any copies.

7. BACKUP COPY. You may make one backup copy of the software. You may use it only to reinstall the software.

8. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS. The software is subject to U. S. export laws and regulations. You must comply with all domestic and international export laws and regulations that apply to the software. These laws include restrictions on destinations, end users and end use. For additional information, see www.microsoft.com/exporting.

9. SUPPORT SERVICES. Microsoft provides support services for the software as described at www.support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx. You may also contact Microsoft at:

• (800) MICROSOFT,

• Microsoft Customer Service and Sales, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, or

• the Microsoft affiliate serving your country (see www.microsoft.com/worldwide).

10. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This agreement (including the warranty below) and any amendments to it, and the terms for supplements, updates, Internet-based services and support services, are the entire agreement for the software and support services.

11. APPLICABLE LAW.

a. United States. If you acquired the software in the United States, Washington state law governs the interpretation of this agreement and applies to claims for breach of it, regardless of conflict of laws principles. The laws of the state where you live govern all other claims, including claims under state consumer protection laws, unfair competition laws, and in tort.

b. Outside the United States. If you acquired the software in any other country, the laws of the country where you live apply.

12. LEGAL EFFECT. This agreement describes certain legal rights. You may have other rights under the laws of your state or country. You may also have rights with respect to the party from whom you acquired the software. This agreement does not change your rights under the laws of your state or country if the laws of your state or country do not permit it to do so.

13. LIMITATIONS ON AND EXCLUSIONS OF DAMAGES. You can recover from Microsoft and its suppliers only direct damages up to the amount you actually paid for the software. You cannot recover any other damages, including consequential, lost profits, special, indirect or incidental damages.

This limitation applies to

• any matter related to the software, services, content (including code) on third party Internet sites, third party programs, and

• claims for breach of contract, breach of warranty, guarantee or condition, strict liability, negligence, or other tort to the extent permitted by applicable law.

It also applies even if

• repair, replacement or a refund for the software does not fully compensate you for any losses, or

• Microsoft knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages.

Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. They also may not apply to you because your country may not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental, consequential or other damages.

LIMITED WARRANTY

A. LIMITED WARRANTY. If you follow the instructions, the software will perform substantially as described in the Microsoft materials that you receive in or with the software.

B. TERM OF WARRANTY; WARRANTY RECIPIENT; LENGTH OF ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES. The limited warranty covers the software for one year after acquired by the first user. If you receive supplements, updates, or replacement software during that year, they will be covered for the remainder of the warranty or 30 days, whichever is longer. If the first user transfers the software, the remainder of the warranty will apply to the recipient.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, any implied warranties, guarantees or conditions that you have last only during the term of the limited warranty. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitations may not apply to you. They also may not apply to you because some countries may not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty, guarantee or condition lasts.

C. EXCLUSIONS FROM WARRANTY. This warranty does not cover problems caused by your acts (or failures to act), the acts of others, or events beyond Microsoft's reasonable control.

D. REMEDY FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY. We will repair or replace the software at no charge. If we cannot repair or replace it, we will refund the amount shown on your receipt for the software. We will repair or replace supplements, updates and replacement software at no charge. If we cannot repair or replace them, we will refund the amount you paid for them, if any. You must uninstall the software and return it to Microsoft with proof of purchase to obtain a refund. These are your only remedies for breach of the limited warranty.

E. CONSUMER RIGHTS NOT AFFECTED. You may have additional consumer rights under your local laws, which this agreement cannot change.

F. WARRANTY PROCEDURES. You need proof of purchase for warranty service.

1. United States and Canada. For warranty service or information about how to obtain a refund for software acquired in the United States and Canada, contact Microsoft at:

• (800) MICROSOFT,

• Microsoft Customer Service and Sales, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399

2. Europe, Middle East and Africa. If you acquired the software in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited makes this limited warranty. To make a claim under this warranty, you should contact either:

• Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, Customer Care Centre, Atrium Building Block B, Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18, Ireland, or

• the Microsoft affiliate serving your country (see www.microsoft.com/worldwide).

3. Outside United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa. If you acquired the software outside the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, contact the Microsoft affiliate serving your country (see www.microsoft.com/worldwide).

G. NO OTHER WARRANTIES. The limited warranty is the only direct warranty from Microsoft. We give no other express warranties, guarantees or conditions. To the extent permitted under your local laws, we exclude the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. If your local laws give you any implied warranties, guarantees or conditions, despite this exclusion, your remedies are described in the Remedy for Breach of Warranty clause above, to the extent permitted by your local laws.

H. LIMITATIONS ON AND EXCLUSIONS OF DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY. The Limitations on and Exclusions of Damages clause above applies to breaches of this limited warranty.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. You may also have other rights which vary from country to country.

[Mr. Gibs]

In other words, one user may install and use the evaluation software, only to evaluate it

[treemonster]

None of the subscriptions are for "the home users" and none of them allow what you're saying. TechNet is not a cheap way to buy software in bulk, it's a service designed to provide you with tools to evaluate and test Microsoft solutions. That is why the cost is low. Can you please show exactly where in the license it says what you're claiming? I am asking because the Microsoft site explicitly states the exact opposite of what you are claiming.

there are a few quotes in this article that say there is a technet sub for home use, but it says near the end of one of them that it is for evaluation of software and no for umm i think i twas put "production" use and something else.

if you are using technet to install software on all your home pc's such as win 7 and office and so on, you are actually in violation of the EULA and TOS according to those quotes. no i'm not going to read and decipher the EULA for myself to make sure of this, but chances are you aren't going to either.

it's basically an unlimited trial on teh trust system. so ofc it's going to be abused.

[Mr aldo]

Once again, though, I will direct you here: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/totw/technet2.asp

Paul Thurrott already asked Microsoft about this, and you are allowed to use the software for home purposes ONLY, you cannot use it for commercial purposes...

[Mr. Gibs]

Once again, though, I will direct you here: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/totw/technet2.asp

Paul Thurrott already asked Microsoft about this, and you are allowed to use the software for home purposes ONLY, you cannot use it for commercial purposes...

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

ONLY TO EVALUATE IT.

Of course, MS knows that a lot of people who buy technet subs aren't doing it to evaluate their software. It's more like to get a copy of Windows to last them forever.

Sure you can claim that you've been evaluating Windows 7 for the past year, and still haven't finished..but thats not exactly true now is it ;)

[Phenom II]

ONLY TO EVALUATE IT.

Of course, MS knows that a lot of people who buy technet subs aren't doing it to evaluate their software. It's more like to get a copy of Windows to last them forever.

Does the agreement state how long the evaluation can last for ?

[Mr. Gibs]

Does the agreement state how long the evaluation can last for ?

Nope, and like I said MS knows people will abuse it in that way. But they don't care, well so to say. They would much rather have some people (since not everyone knows about this) pay less for their software but still pay for it, rather than just go and download pirated copies.

But as per the agreement you can only use it for evaluation, regardless of where its at. But how long you require to evaluate said product, is upto you.

Also, I could be wrong, but wasn't Technet like $500-600 at one point of time? And now the cheapest one, which still gives you everything but enterprise software, is like $200. So you're still getting an excellent deal.

[Mr aldo]

I am currently browsing Neowin on Google Chrome, I am just evaluating how well Windows 7 and Google Chrome get along, so far, I still haven't come up with a conclusion, hehe.

But Microsoft would have to know people are doing that, and that could be why they lowered the amount of keys. Microsoft wouldn't have made another subscription option (TechNet Standard, more affordable) if they didn't want people using it at home.

@Razorfold

Well, it is $199 for TechNet Standard, however, you do not get access to Enterprise stuff (like Windows 7 Enterprise Edition), for $349, you do get Enterprise stuff, and for $599, you can get all that, AND media (so you can get DVD's instead of download only).

Here is the page, if anyone is interested: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/default.aspx

[Mr. Gibs]

I am currently browsing Neowin on Google Chrome, I am just evaluating how well Windows 7 and Google Chrome get along, so far, I still haven't come up with a conclusion, hehe.

But Microsoft would have to know people are doing that, and that could be why they lowered the amount of keys. Microsoft wouldn't have made another subscription option (TechNet Standard, more affordable) if they didn't want people using it at home.

Exactly ;) If you're a home user they won't do anything, not worth the costs. However if you use Technet in a production environment (ie servers etc) and MS finds out, you might be in serious trouble.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if half the keys on eBay and stuff are just technet licenses being resold. And this is probably what MS is trying to avoid. I mean if they're giving you 10 keys+ for like $200, and then you go and sell 9 of them for like $100 each..

[Rigby]

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.

I agree but there's no point talking to him. He made an ignorant comment and now he's not man enough to face up to it.

[Mr aldo]

Exactly ;) If you're a home user they won't do anything, not worth the costs. However if you use Technet in a production environment (ie servers etc) and MS finds out, you might be in serious trouble.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if half the keys on eBay and stuff are just technet licenses being resold. And this is probably what MS is trying to avoid. I mean if they're giving you 10 keys+ for like $200, and then you go and sell 9 of them for like $100 each..

Indeed (updated my post btw, added some stuff ;-), just extra stuff)...

Though I have heard of people buying a computer with Windows on it, and the people find out it is a pirated version of Windows, and if you contact Microsoft and explain the situation, they will actually get you a legal license for the version of Windows on your computer... Of course I would think you would need to prove it, and give Microsoft information about where you got the computer from so they can see if it happens a lot, and then pursue legal actions.

[AgentGray]

But Microsoft would have to know people are doing that, and that could be why they lowered the amount of keys. Microsoft wouldn't have made another subscription option (TechNet Standard, more affordable) if they didn't want people using it at home.

Yes, there's no legitmate reason for anyone to own technet standard except for abusing the license. Oh wait, we got it for our mid-sized company that dosn't need enterprise solutions, just the ability to evaluate new software on various OSes before we roll it to the whole company. *gasp*

[Mr. Gibs]

Indeed (updated my post btw, added some stuff ;-), just extra stuff)...

Though I have heard of people buying a computer with Windows on it, and the people find out it is a pirated version of Windows, and if you contact Microsoft and explain the situation, they will actually get you a legal license for the version of Windows on your computer... Of course I would think you would need to prove it, and give Microsoft information about where you got the computer from so they can see if it happens a lot, and then pursue legal actions.

Yeh I know they added the standard edition now, but before I think it was like $600 for the cheapest. Sure the standard doesn't give you enterprise stuff, but then really you don't need those anyways lol. Also if you google a very obvious search term, you can find 25%-30% off coupon codes ;)

But like I said. Don't pull the license stuff when you're also not exactly following the agreement you signed lol, its lame.

I haven't heard about them giving you a free copy of windows if you were a victim of software counterfeiting but in a way it does make sense. If you do use pirated copies, you're only a small fish in a much bigger pond. MS doesn't want you, they won't get much back, they want the people who sell the counterfeited copies.

[Mr aldo]

Yeh I know they added the standard edition now, but before I think it was like $600 for the cheapest. Sure the standard doesn't give you enterprise stuff, but then really you don't need those anyways lol. Also if you google a very obvious search term, you can find 25%-30% off coupon codes ;)

But like I said. Don't pull the license stuff when you're also not exactly following the agreement you signed lol, its lame.

I haven't heard about them giving you a free copy of windows if you were a victim of software counterfeiting but in a way it does make sense. If you do use pirated copies, you're only a small fish in a much bigger pond. MS doesn't want you, they won't get much back, they want the people who sell the counterfeited copies.

Bet that was awhile ago, I remember they used to only have like CD/DVD options, so every once in awhile they would send people a big binder full or CD's/DVD's, lol. That must have been fun!

I don't remember where I heard that about getting a valid license if you purchased a pirated copy, it was awhile ago, and maybe I am just imagining things.

[hdood]

there are a few quotes in this article that say there is a technet sub for home use, but it says near the end of one of them that it is for evaluation of software and no for umm i think i twas put "production" use and something else.

Production use means a system that is actually in real world use, instead of just being used to evaluate and test. This applies even for a single installation. You cannot use it in the way most people are.

And no, there is no "for home use" subscription. The available subscriptions are:

Microsoft? TechNet Subscription Standard: Tailored to help IT Professionals evaluate, test, and troubleshoot Microsoft software for desktop environments. TechNet Standard does not include some enterprise editions of Microsoft software.

Microsoft? TechNet Subscription Professional: Geared towards IT Professionals who need a more comprehensive subscription and are primarily focused on supporting enterprise wide environments such as the following scenarios: server consolidation, interoperability, network management and more.

Microsoft? TechNet Subscription Professional with Media: Offers the same benefits as TechNet Professional, but is geared towards those organizations with bandwidth constraints and/or prefer a DVD copy of software.

no i'm not going to read and decipher the EULA for myself to make sure of this, but chances are you aren't going to either.

I have read it.

Paul Thurrott already asked Microsoft about this, and you are allowed to use the software for home purposes ONLY, you cannot use it for commercial purposes...

No. Anyone can use it for evaluation and test purposes, not "home purposes." Again, TechNet subscriptions are not a bulk discount system. That is what the family packs, student editions, and so on are. It is a service provided to aid "IT professionals" in evaluating and testing Microsoft solutions, nothing else.

[sbauer]

No. Anyone can use it for evaluation and test purposes, not "home purposes." Again, TechNet subscriptions are not a bulk discount system. That is what the family packs, student editions, and so on are. It is a service provided to aid "IT professionals" in evaluating and testing Microsoft solutions, nothing else.

To clarify, the location doesn't matter as long as you are using the software accordingly. You may use it at home if you're using it for evaluating purposes only.

Can I use evaluation software received in my TechNet Subscription on my devices in my home?

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, but the user must fully comply with all the license terms no matter where the device is located. In other words, 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, or with data that has not been sufficiently backed up. You may not use the evaluation software for software development or in an application development environment.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/ms772427.aspx

That last sentence is the reason why I have never purchased a TechNet subscription. MSDN is where I have to live. I did, however, purchase a retail copy of Windows 7.

[treemonster]

@hdood there was a guy quoting a ms employee saying it was fine of r home use with iirc a link. that's what i referring to. but i agree with you.

and who ever actually reads EULAs? lolz :p

[hdood]

@hdood there was a guy quoting a ms employee saying it was fine of r home use with iirc a link. that's what i referring to. but i agree with you.

and who ever actually reads EULAs? lolz :p

No, he linked to a Paul Thurrott site with incorrect information. Thurrott adds "commercial use," even though Microsoft does not say that. If the Microsoft site and Paul Thurrot's site disagree, Microsoft's site is always right.

[Prince Charming]

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

Eh, no you don't. You BUY a 1TB HDD. You LICENSE your OS (in the case of Windows). Hence you need a LICENSE for it, and don't have automatically transferrable rights. Because you don't own it. You never did - just because you paid for something doesn't mean you own it.