# Sharing Windows 7?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 27, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395 "2011-05-27T03:50:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395/1 "2011-05-27T03:50:20Z")

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D is upgrading her system and will be buying a new computer built to her specs from DELL.

She now has XP and I have VISTA, and our two computers are “networked” together with her network interface card and she is getting the net through my router which has the wireless signal.

I hope I wrote all of that correctly, but anyway, we were wondering if MS would let us use the W7 for both computers as long as we let them know that’s what we want to do, and if we can just purchase a key from them at less than what W7costs?

Thanks

Q

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**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395/2 "2011-05-27T03:58:29Z")

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Sharing a license key like that isn’t legal under the terms of the EULA, though it is possible. Barring piracy, you’ll need two license keys.[This](http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Premium-Upgrade-Family/dp/B002MV2MG0) is probably what you want. It’s only a bit more expensive than buying a single copy, and you’ll even have a spare copy for… something.

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**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395/3 "2011-05-27T04:14:49Z")

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MS isn’t going to allow you to use it on a second machine or sell you a key for anything less than full price.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395/4 "2011-05-27T11:45:33Z")

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Most likely you won;t get a Win 7 DVD from Dell, but a recovery DVD, or recovery partition that only works with that computer, so the issue may be moot.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395/5 "2011-05-27T12:28:35Z")

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> [@yoyodyne](#):
>
> MS isn’t going to allow you to use it on a second machine or sell you a key for anything less than full price.

For Win XP they did allow you to install on a second machine, but you had to activate window something like 6 months after you activated the first computer. I don’t know if they still allow it for 7.

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-windows-7/583395/6 "2011-05-29T07:06:28Z")

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Problem fixed.

In addition to her computer already having 7 installed when it gets here, DELL is sending an additional box containing the new set-up that I can install on mine.

Thanks

Q