2 retail Keys. 2 computers. 3 Big questions...

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  Hello Dave,

  1) I'm not 100% sure but I think you cannot enter the second key until 90 days before your subscription is due to expire.

  2) Product keys do not expire.

  3) The product key is not linked to a specific build of One Care. The CD does not contain any One Care bits, it launches a browser and downloads the most current build of One Care. Older CDs such as the ones you have most likely won't work with Vista x64 so if you add other computers or need to reinstall, use the One Care download site - http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/install/addcomputerinstall.htm

  To activate the trial version currently installed - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943781/en-us

  Wednesday, October 29, 2008 11:54 PM

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  You can use a key to renew your subscription at any time as long as your subscription has less than 12 months remaining. There may be a period of days or so after initial activation before you can "renew" to extend the subscription period, though.

  -steve

   

   

  Thursday, October 30, 2008 6:59 PM

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  Jim,

   

  An FYI.   ...and another question.

   

  Thank you for your reply.  I entered the first key and verified my subscription expiration moved a year out at 11-01-2009.

  I then went back and entered the second key and verified my subscription expiration moved 2 years out at 11-01-2010.

   

  It all worked seemlessly and immediately.  It would seem one does not have to hold on to a key until 90 days of expiration and risk losing it all the while. The keys can be entered back to back.

   

  I noticed moderators in these forumns often point out that OneCare can be purchased for less than the Online Microsoft Renewal rate.  Boy don't I know it.  With some smart purchases of old retail "boxed" versions on ebay that apparently people are not interested in, I was able to apparently get 9 (NINE!) years of subsription service for less than the single year Online Microsoft renewal rate.  I only entered 2 of my keys to verify the keys I purchased were really valid and to see if they would be recognized and extend out the subscription expiration.

   

  I guess I should enter the other keys (rather than sit on them) so no one has an opportunity to claim them as the years go by.  Do you think I can get in trouble for this somehow?  Won't a OneCare account with 9 years of subscription service paid-up cause a few eyebrows to be raised internally at Microsoft? 

   

  I hope Microsoft and OneCare lasts for the next decade or so.        

   

  I feel kind of dirty.    )

   

  Dave

   

  Thursday, October 30, 2008 7:36 PM
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  Hi Steve and Jim,

   

  Thankyou for the replies.  I erroneously replied in my last message that:

   

  "I entered the first key and verified my subscription expiration moved a year out at 11-01-2009.

  I then went back and entered the second key and verified my subscription expiration moved 2 years out at 11-01-2010.

   

  It all worked seemlessly and immediately."

   

  Actually, I was logging into my Live account under Microsoft billing to verify the expiration date.

   

  It reads:

   

  Windows Live OneCare

  Status Enabled

  Purchased 10/30/08

  End date: 11/1/2010

   

  So that location was immediately reflecting the entered keys.

   

  But...

   

  I just realized when I started the Windows Live OneCare program itself, it reports:

  Subscription status:

  Your Subscription ends 11/1/2009 (in the bottom left corner).

   

  So I guess the OneCare program itself is only recognizing the first key while the Microsoft Billing Live OneCare account is recognizing both keys instantly.

   

  Do you suppose the program will catch up with and match the Microsoft Live billing account sooner or later?

   

  Thanks,

  Dave

  Friday, October 31, 2008 5:56 AM
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  The updated expiration will eventually appear within OneCare on the PC. The credentials are refreshed periodically. In your case, I believe it will be up to 5 days before you see the new expiration date in OneCare since you "renewed" outside of 30 days of expiration.

  -steve

   

  Friday, October 31, 2008 5:40 PM

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  I added OneCare to a second computer after entering 2 retail keys and OneCare immediately reported ...

   

  Subscription Status:

  Your subscripion ends

  10/31/2010

   

  ...on the second computer.

   

  But the first computer still reports

  11/1/2009

   

  Huh,  ...I'll wait a week though.  Hopefully it will update by then on the first computer and decide if it wants to expire in October or November.

   

  When you add OneCare to a second computer, the subscription on the second computer expires when the original subscription expires, right?

   

  Surely you can't wait till the last week of your original subscription, add it to a second computer and expect a one year subscription on that one while the original subscription on the first computer is expired.  Right?

   

  Dave

  Sunday, November 2, 2008 1:01 AM
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  DaveHasQuestions wrote:

  When you add OneCare to a second computer, the subscription on the second computer expires when the original subscription expires, right?

  Yes, that's correct

  DaveHasQuestions wrote:

  Surely you can't wait till the last week of your original subscription, add it to a second computer and expect a one year subscription on that one while the original subscription on the first computer is expired.  Right?   Dave

  Yes, that's correct, too. Adding a PC to an existing subscription does not mean that the added PC now has 12 months, it inherits the remainder of the active subscription. The clock starts ticking when OneCare is initially activated on the first PC or online at purchase in some cases. You can then add and remove computers at any time during the length of the subscription until it expires and it will then expire on all active PCs.

  -steve

  Monday, November 3, 2008 2:57 PM

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