Hmmmm! - it is my personal opinion that if IF you read this corectly - then perhaps you should contact your local Congessman, Senator or whatever political "so called leader" and complain BITTERLY The quicker this thing is brought to a head the better - unless "we" want to be "controlled" by Major$haft for thr rest of our lives

Well I just got my fingers burnt! INstalled FSX once on my XP system.... Too slow, so downloaded RC1 of Vista, Installed, driver problems and did not run well. Went back to XP... Poof! No more FSX for me!!!!! Wish I had read the EULA! Wish I seen this thread! Wish Microsoft would give us enthusiastic simmers a break!Oh Well! Cest la vie!

Can you just confirm this for the record?That you bought FSX, was not happy with it's performance under XP, moved to Vista ans still unhappy, and back to XP where FSX has failed to activate? There was NO hardware change at all?Pls elabourate, has FSX failed to activate? Is your copy now limited to being a paperweight? This will help A LOT of other people out if this is in fact verified.I'll tell you why. When Paul Thorrott brought about an 'unnofficial' response to the communities asking for clartification of the Vista agreement, he had said that Vista's activation system will be more relaxed than WinXP was. If FSX activation is any indication of what Vista's activation will be like, I am deeply concerned. Personally I think Paul Thorrott's answer to the community was a poor and almost embarrasing statement. He claims that, "...only a tiny percentage of users have ever tried to even transfer a Windows license once. The only people that really need to do this regularly are hardcore PC enthusiasts who change their machine configurations regularly. In short, this new restriction isn't all that new and it won't affect any mainstream users."Where in #### is Microsoft pulling out those numbers? A 'small' percentage? Do they really know how many people out there upgrade their machines? Do they really know just how enveloping the words, "PC enthusiasts", are? His marginalization of this so called 'small' group of people shows that both he and Microsoft could care less about us people, even so much as to make a reasonably accurate guestimate as to how large the group is. Maybe they should realise one single fact. That although most people who do go out and buy a pre-built system at their local mainstream store will never be enthusiastic enough to open the box and add to it, that they will usually KNOW someone who CAN do the work for them when their machine no longer seems to be able to do what they want it to do.For one, I have built over 200 systems in this city alone... for friends, for their friends. Family, small businesses, and the likes. I am but ONE enthusiast, and every other I know of does these favors for many people.... this is but ONE city. How can Microsoft ever justify telling us that the group is marginal. Not everybody blindy goes out and buys a $799 prebuilt machine every two-three years.... most people are smart enough and know someone who can help them upgrade.

I love those new keys. A family member owns a Mercedes SL500 with a key that doesn't even use tumblers. Just stick it into a shallow slot, and your good to go. You don't even need to use a tradional key for a door. I love it.Off topic, but I love everything automotive. haha

>The small minority are those of us who frequently change hardware and/or reinstall the OS. And we really are a very small percentage of the total users.

A video card upgrade would not constitute a new device. Neither would the other upgrades on an individual basis. At some point, all of your upgrading will constitute a new device. this is no change from XP, although the Vista algorthim for determining this is supposed to be less stringent than XP's.

Ed Bott in response to P.Thurott: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=158Another take on the Vista EULA at the Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/29/mi..._eula_analysis/

Just one thing to add...Staying with XP is valid in the short term, but eventually we will be forced to upgrade. One day, MS will pull support for XP, and that means no more security patches. That is a long time off, but you can't ignore it forever. Also, how long before 3rd party software developers stop supporting XP? A few years off at least, but that day will come. This is truly bad news for anyone who builds their own system. Hopefully more routine changes like video cards will not be considered a new "device" (as Joe says, we need a clear definition). I'm sticking with FS9 and WinXP for as long as I can, but I can only hide my head in the sand for so long...This is where MS's monopoly power takes over. There is no viable alternative for many of us, including sticking with their older products!

There is a limit to how long M$ will allow us to breathe sand - thats almost a guarantee like the Sun risingIf you read the following very carefully - I think that you will start to get the same very BAD feeling that I have about all this Vista Garbagehttp://www.techweb.com/wire/software/193104509;Unless I am mistaken - there is an inference built in there "somewhere" THAT YOU MUST BE CONNECTED to the internet - otherwise how else is this wonderful little timebomb going to get its instructions - I DO NOT WANT my Flying machine connected to the internet - I will soon have a separate machine based on FREE Linux to do anything I want to on the "net" and my precious Flying Experience will be kept well away from damageHere are some other equaly compelling reasons for anyone to consider getting in touch with their legislators and/or Law Enforcers to clarify just what the **** is the truth that M$ cannot even seem to get strait in its own organisationhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/a...do_you_nee.htmlhttp://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/10/24/0456/5625http://www.computerworld.com/action/articl...ticleId=9001872http://billpstudios.blogspot.com/2006/07/w...-im-stupid.htmlThis one really tickles me - read the answer M$ gives as their reply to the question of WGA being SPYWAREhttp://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?page_id=3174Do a google and link the name of the company with such things as EULA's, WGA, Defender, DRM - and then see what you thinkI love FS but I somehow think that FS9 is my last

If this article is accurate, I guess all the #### and whining has actually done some good.http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6131900.html

I work in IT and I'm constantly building new PC's for myself, or at least upgrading individual components. I have a 3-PC LAN set up at home for a variety of purposes (multiplayer gaming with some friends, having a testing environment available for work projects, etc).I will only be running Vista on my primary PC, but even that machine has hardware swapped out at least every couple of months. If I purchase Vista and the license only allows me 2 installs, and if I get to a point where repeated calls to Microsoft won't allow me to make further installs, I'm definitely going either join an existing class action suit, or seriously consider beginning one myself. There's no way Microsoft is going to tell me what I can and cannot buy or use after I've just paid them hundreds of dollars for a single user license.Their software piracy problems are not the average paying consumer's problems.

Good to see that the outcry had an effect, and now it looks like a more realistic retail license."You may uninstall the software and install it on another device for your use. You may not do so to share this license between devices."scott s..

>If this article is accurate, I guess all the #### and whining>has actually done some good.>>http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6131900.htmlNo, the voicing of very legitimate and well-founded objection did some good. It is not necessary to use derogatory and inflammatory language to describe same and I, for one, am tired of seeing the voicing of legitimate complaints constantly referred to as "whining" and whatever other censored word you used. Having said that, there's still a ways to go before the Vista license agreement is acceptable.

Right on, Charlie. The outcome will be interesting. I guess the hardware industry also pushed hard... :-) If memory isn't failing, were able to have your say. If correct, thanks for doing so. Good luck and kind regards Jaap

Thanks and kind regards to you, sir!It is always good to hear from folks who understand this issue and care enough to join the battle.