Home PCs?

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danny9894

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You should be able to no problem, my Dad's work will be allowing employees to purchase Windows Vista Enterprise so I am guessing it will install just fine on home computers.
 

pkellmey

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Enterprise is just the edition for places that have the MS contract and licensing support. A lot of universities are using this edition on campus, per my local U.
 

shadowflit

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As long as you don't want the media center functionality, the Enterprise version works just fine for a home computer. So if your business or university is handing 'em out, by all means go ahead and use it (s'what I'm using, seeing as it was free from university). Just don't go out to a store looking to buy Enterprise edition.
 

sfraider24

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Yes, Windows Vista Enterprise will run on a home PC, but I'm not sure I see the point. Also, if you have a valid license it is definetely okay. However, you can only get a license for Windows Vista Enterprise through a volume license agreement with Software Assurance. This isn't cost effective for most home users, and you might as well run a different version of Vista based as the features aren't what most home users are looking for.
 

riser

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If you work for a company that has a license agreement with Microsoft, any Microsoft software your company uses, Microsoft will allow the employees to use - You get access to their VLK.

Say you work for ABC company who uses Vista and Office 2k7. If your IT department wants to deal with all the annoying end-users, they can hand out Vista and Office 2k7 to everyone to use.

Now, if you hand it out and pass it around, the company isn't responsible. Microsoft may request user information or people who have left that may be using the software and then they can go after you.

You're entitled to use it for free as long as you work for said company and they are using it.
 

sfraider24

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If you work for a company that has a license agreement with Microsoft, any Microsoft software your company uses, Microsoft will allow the employees to use - You get access to their VLK."

The program mentioned is the "Home Use Program" and is typically only available to Microsoft volume license customers who also purchase Software Assurance. Not all volume license customers get this benefit automatically, and even then it usually only covers desktop applications, not Windows Vista:

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/sa/benefits/home_use_rights.mspx

and

http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/wah.doc

Let us know if you have any other volume license questions:

http://www.wasatchsoftware.com/contact.htm

Thanks!
 

pkellmey

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You're entitled to use it for free as long as you work for said company and they are using it.
Actually, your copy is valid for as long as that contract lasts for that product, whether you work for the company or not. That's why most companies request their software/hardware returned when you leave and why MS changed the length that most contracts last. After I left one company, MS continued to support my license knowing full well that I was not with the company any more because the contract license support was still valid on the old companies contract. Too bad it only lasted 1 year.
 

riser

Illustrious
You should double check.

I just had that confirmed a couple months ago. Once you leave the company they want you to remove it.

But, as I've always said, Microsoft isn't big into stopping home users from pirating their software. If you know how to use it at home, companies are more inclined to purchase the software their users know.
 

pkellmey

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They directly told me that this is one of those situations where MS is saying the company is the one responsible for how they want to use their licenses. They support any licensed software - I should just consider my company to be offering an interesting departure "gift".
 

riser

Illustrious
Yeah, its the company's choice to hand it out if they want. Its not a law saying they have to.

Personally, I say companies shouldn't hand it out because that's an unnecessary load on IT to create CDs and provide their information.

I'd only give it out to power users or as a gift to select workers.
 
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