From: robin_listas@es.invalid   
      
   On 2025-12-20 17:28, Paul wrote:   
   > On Sat, 12/20/2025 8:15 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:   
   >> On 2025-12-20 03:54, Paul wrote:   
   >>> On Fri, 12/19/2025 6:35 PM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:   
   >>>> On 2025/12/19 21:47:49, Hank Rogers wrote:   
   >>>>> Graham J wrote on 12/19/2025 2:45 PM:   
   >>>>>> Steve wrote:   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>> The advantage of the Macrium clone, is it generates new unique GUID for   
   >>> the blkid, then it fixes the boot menu to point to the new value,   
   >>> and what this does, is make the HDD and SSD "independent" of one another.   
   >>> The SSD boots whether the HDD is plugged in or not, when done that way.   
   >>   
   >> This might backfire.   
   >>   
   >> Widows 7, and probably W8, looked at the disk identifier to know Windows   
   was legal and not pirated over to another computer.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> Telcontar:~ # fdisk -l /dev/sda   
   >> Disk /dev/sda: 1.82 TiB, 2000398934016 bytes, 3907029168 sectors   
   >> Disk model: ST2000DM001-1CH1   
   >> Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes   
   >> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes   
   >> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes   
   >> Disklabel type: gpt   
   >> Disk identifier: 9020FF2C-... <====================   
   >> ...   
   >>   
   >> The disk identifier is not the blkid, but I'd guess it will also look at it.   
   >   
   > The license validation is a multi-factor thing. While the disk identifier   
   > may factor into the determination, the motherboard serial number (NIC MAC   
   > address) factors a lot higher. One of the reasons motherboards have   
   > captive (onboard) Ethernet and Firewire, is they have MAC addresses that   
   > help identify the motherboard.   
   >   
   > The CPU is not supposed to have a serial number. Maybe only one generation   
   > of Pentium III had a serial number. The temptation to put a serial number   
   > in the CPU, must be an overpowering one... :-)   
      
   I remember, there was a huge brawl about it.   
      
   >   
   > Not a lot of identifiers on a computer, positively identify an attempt   
   > to duplicate a licensed setup. If the hard drive dies, the user has the   
   > right to use a new hard drive (with a different serial number). That   
   > factor alone should not tip over the license.   
      
   But it did! With W7 it happened to me. I updated the machine to an SSD   
   and I had to clone the ID or got a black background.   
      
   > It usually takes   
   > two or three offenses (an obvious offense, and some suggestive   
   > but not conclusive evidence collected from the sum total of hardware).   
   >   
   > Much of this is supposition collected during the WinXP era.   
      
   Maybe installing Grub2 counted. No other changes in that machine.   
      
   --   
   Cheers, Carlos.   
   ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)