I upgraded my computer and had to call in to get the new key. He ask me if I had a laptop and a desktop. If I had both I could install the same copy on the laptop and desktop. Since I have 2 pcs I am not allowed to. If I call MS they should be liable on what they inform the cosumer. Now If I called Best Buy thats a different story. I called the Horse and it came from the Horse's mouth...
This doesn't apply to OEM. Just Retail.
Yes. You can install Office on your laptop as long as you are the exclusive user of the laptop. This means that you can install it on your laptop, but not your wife's laptop. It is important to understand that the EULA allows you to install the second copy of Office on a portable device like a laptop, not just some any other PC. In summary, you can install a retail copy on your desktop PC and your laptop. It does not mean that you can install it on two desktop PCs. You don't have the right to install it on two PCs. You have the right to install it on one desktop PC and one of your own laptops. Any other combination is not allowed.
I dont know how legit this one is
http://www.tech-forums.net/computer/topic/3729.html
this is from MS website
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[ln];302878
"The underlying principles of Microsoft's product licenses have not changed. Microsoft's EULAs have always stipulated the number of computers on which the product can be installed. MPA does not change that.
For Office XP, primary users can also install one copy of the product on a portable computer for their exclusive use. To install Office XP on more than these two devices, another license of the product must be acquired. Licenses for copies of Office XP that are preinstalled on new computers are single-computer licenses that cannot be transferred or installed a second time on another computer. The licensing terms have not been changed because of MPA"
"Consumers should use the terms of the product's EULA to determine if this is permitted.
In some cases, the Microsoft EULA permits customers who are the primary users of Microsoft programs, such as Office and Word, to install one additional copy on their portable computers for their exclusive use. This does not apply to product licenses that are acquired with the purchase of a computer. These OEM licenses are single-use licenses that cannot be transferred to another computer. Windows XP can only be installed on a single computer. A new license is required if you install and activate the product on a different computer."
"Installing the product on more computers than the EULA permits is a violation of the EULA. Technically, MPA does not limit the number of computers on which the product can be installed. For example, it is possible to install the Windows XP on 100 computers, but activation would not be successful on 99 of those computers. If you installed Office XP on 100 computers, activation would not be successful on 98 of those computers. This limits the usefulness of the installations that are in violation of the EULA. Outside MPA, Microsoft does not know how many computers have Windows XP or Office XP family products installed.
So you see MS has allowed for more then one copy to be installed on a desktop and a laptop. There goes your "never" Theory Un4gIven. It wasn't ignorance but the EULA that states that you are "allow" to install on a desktop and a laptop.