I have just comeback online after suffering a
Windows failure (was generating various error messages(above my understanding )
Ok it meant that I had to reload Windows XP after reformatting the hard drive (Lost lots of work )
I used the same copy of XP-Pro as before yet it did not load .My friend who is more conversant with the internals of Computers Dropped by and had a go with the same result
Then he checked the RAM chips One was hot yet the other was cold...Dead chip?Pulled the cold chip out. Tried reloading again..Still no Joy..
Then My Mate said Try another copy?..
And.....It went On (after several hours)
OK Now IT Gets Really weird.We have used This Copy of XP-Pro (Genuine ) Between To my Knowledge on perhaps 6 computers?(Thrifty ) Yet In the past 2-3 weeks all the Machines
had the same failure. BSODs RAM chip failure ect and ALL could only be restored by a different reload Of XP-Pro (BTW :They all were different Setups)
Any Ideas Gang?
Is this a sly trick Microsoft does if it detects too many copies registered to 1 number? Puts a "Logic bomb" of some desciption against that number (is It ethical?)
I "might" agree if it was a pirate copy and several hundred copies But
Against Several users and a Genuine copy
Jury is out on this!

It stands to reason, to me, that if the software is licensed for limited use, that it would be designed to report itself during registration to MicroSoft, and I would think Microsoft would be able to detect multiple instances of the same software being loaded simultaniously. I use XP but not XP pro. What user number does it say it allows? Mine allows one instance of the software to be used on only one machine and it reports my machines electronic serial number when I register it.

Unless you have a corporate license, the EULA allows one license per machine. The Windows Product Activation (WPA) takes note of certain components of the computer on which the original was installed, namely the following:

Display Adapter
SCSI Adapter
IDE Adapter
Network Adapter MAC Address
RAM Amount Range (i.e. 0-64MB, 64-128MB, etc)
Processor Type
Processor Serial Number
Hard Drive Device
Hard Drive Volume Serial Number
CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM

Windows XP checks to see that it is running on the same or similar hardware that it was activated on. Reactivation is required if Windows XP detects that the hardware has changed "substantially". Substantially changed usually means a change of 6 or more of the items above

Therefore if you install it on a number of computers which are different from the original activation, it will require re-activation. Usually this requires a call to the Micro$oft call centre. A genuine alteration such as a change of equipment because of a failure is treated sympathetically

The database on which WPAs are kept is overwritten after 120 days