Richard -

If you read the EULA that came with your OS, you will find that you DO NOT OWN the software. You paid a license fee to use it under specific terms and conditions, and those terms and conditions to which you agreed when you installed the software for the first time do not permit you to move it to another machine (assuming you're talking WinXP). The USE for which it was licensed ENDS when you quit using the original machine.

That language has been common in "enterprise" software such as Server OS licensing for at least 30 or 40 years, so it isn't really surprising that it's crossed down into PC licenses.

It's been true for PCs at least since WinXP first hit the street. So how long does it take to read your EULA, or do you sign contracts without reading them? (Rhetorical question: I know, we all do.)

John