Thanks Murray!! That was the answer I was looking for. I'd love to hear it from an ACES representative, but since I don't think that will happen, your explaination will have to suffice :-)Bottom line, I don't like the thought of paying for something only to be limited to how many times I can use it. I'm glad to hear that won't be the case.

Having personally re-installed FSX eleven times in my attempts to get the SDK to fire up (which it now has thanks to assistance from forum members here) I can assure you that this is probably not going to be a problem!

>Thanks Murray!! >>That was the answer I was looking for. I'd love to hear it>from an ACES representative, but since I don't think that will>happen, your explaination will have to suffice :-)>>Bottom line, I don't like the thought of paying for something>only to be limited to how many times I can use it. I'm glad to>hear that won't be the case.You are welcome Sir! Just in case someone tells you that I'm "full of it"... all I can tell you is that I'm not. I'm telling you the truth as I know it and would not be so cruel as to tell you a lie. That would be unthinkable!

You mean you are pretty sure that is what will happen with Vista, because it's not released yet. I hope you are right. As I've read Vista will be different. I can't see MS denying us, but then again, stranger things have happened. I'd like to hear it from ACES also. It just sounds like a silly waste of time to limit it to 2 and clog up phone lines for them to just give it to us anyways.

>You are allowed to install FSX on two PCs. When you activate>your copy the software looks at your hardware configuration.>If it ever detects a drastic change it will prompt you to>reactivate. (Note that common tasks like swapping video cards>or adding memory should not cause a re-activation.) If an>activation attempt is unsuccessful you can all a support>number and explain your situation and they may grant you a new>activation.MAY GRANT YOU A NEW ACTIVATION....With all honesty that is the rub.No one defines drastic change by specific component....hard Drive.....Vid Card.....MOBO....Same MOBO, newer Processor, think Socket 939.....I see FSX Much like WInXP... Pain in the backside but a necessary step when upgrading to call them and re-activate. I feel sorry for the pour soul on the other end if they ever deny me if I upgrade hardware, cause they will get an earful. ;-)I think the real concerns will be in a few months when Vista hits the street. I know that is beyond the relm of what you can comment on, but if you can get someone from Vista Team to comment on the Hnagar Chat Thread about Vista, it may belay some concerns others like me have with regards to buyiong FSX, and then upgrading our system to Vista, and then DX10 card, New Hard drive, etc.....To be honest, as I read somewhere else, my advice would be to tell the MS Activation guy you had a hardware failure every time you upgraded. Heck if they can't seem to discern an exact definition of "DEVICE" as it relates to a license scheme, I have no problem considering any upgrade I do a Hardware Failure every time.And if a component of my system fails to run a program to my satisfaction, I will reocncile that in my head as a hardware failure.In other words, I'm not worried about FSX at all, but Vista.... Thoughts,JoeHangar Chat Vista Thread: http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho..._id=28765&page=zdNet Blog, real concerns here: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=156http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/index.php?p=158And allegedly, a Vista Team Blogger will write something on the license scheme as pointed out here:http://www.windows-now.com/blogs/robert/ar...ng-Shortly.aspx

>You are allowed to install FSX on two PCs. When you activate>your copy the software looks at your hardware configuration.>If it ever detects a drastic change it will prompt you to>reactivate. (Note that common tasks like swapping video cards>or adding memory should not cause a re-activation.) If an>activation attempt is unsuccessful you can all a support>number and explain your situation and they may grant you a new>activation.I'm all for doing away with this song and dance routine we have to go through to get our purchased software running, and I'm in total agreement with the "This madness has to stop!" crowd. Galactic Civilizations 2 was bragged on by its developer as having no DRM whatsoever, and the gaming community rejoiced. I've read it sold very well. Now, having said all this, I think there may have been a misreading of Tdragger's post. Look at his first sentence above. I take this to mean you can have two installs at the same time, for those of you doing the whole multimonitor thing. Someone, Tdragger included, please correct me if I'm wrong.

>You mean you are pretty sure that is what will happen with>Vista, because it's not released yet. Nope... I am not saying that at all. I did not mention Vista because I do not have Vista. I would be speculating if I did... so, I did not.Having made that clear... I will now speculate and say I can't see anything changing. That, would be stupid. But, again, I am simply speculating now!

I would not assume FSX License is even close to Vista. They are a totally different licensing scheme.Vista will basically shut down with an invalid validation, and only allow web browsing for about an hour from what I have read.Read that again, Vista will only allow limited use with an invalidation, and it even says from time to time it will call home, and validate on its own.This thing is going to blow up huge unless MSFT addresses it and soon.With 6 different versions of Vista, and multiple licensing schemes, one really has to read them to understand they have us over a barell..Big Time.....

Murray, there is a huge change and that change is gaining huge momentum over the last few days since MSFT released their Vista Licensing Scheme. I encourage you to read up on it in the Hangar Chat Thread here:http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho..._id=28765&page=So no need to speculate, go read the license scheme. It will shut you down.

I'd love to hear it from an ACES representativeThis part of FSX has nothing to do with ACES or FlightSim.It's Microsoft and a completely different division.ACES was given either code to include or instructions on what to code and no choice about including or not including the activation requirement.First - we asked for this - with all the "No CD" cracks out there.Second - every piece of software you buy from Microsoft will have this in the future.And yes Vista has an even more stringent system - which looks to be a huge pain for the company I work for when we get our enterprise release version of Vista next month.

Nevermind.

>Hi Randall,>>Yes, I can reinstall 100 times (just pulling that number out>of the air) on my current machine. Then I can upgrade my>computer and install 100 more times on that machine. Then I>upgrade my CPU and motherboard. That counts as a third machine>and the install will prevent you from activating again. I>think? That is the answer I'm waiting for. I'm hoping I'm>wrong. I wouldn't like the idea of having to re-purchase>another key at full price to go though the process again.NO ONE WILL BE CHARGED TO CALL AND GET A NEW ACTIVATION KEY!It's a TOLL-FREE call... At the MOST it will 'cost you' a five minutes of your life... ;)I simply don't understand WHY there's so much confusion?

Well, the way I see it. They just set themselves up for double the calls, if we have to reactivate Vista and FSX. If they deny, it's class action time. Enough said.Jim

Do you think that maybe we should wait until people actually have trouble re-activating before we start threatening legal action?What is wrong with people?

>Well, the way I see it. They just set themselves up for>double the calls, if we have to reactivate Vista and FSX. If>they deny, it's class action time. Enough said.What does a computerized answering system care? ;)