Hello, and let me introduce you to our Microsoft Anti-Piracy task force member,,, Microsoftne, oh wait thats me....
Without getting into any legal troubles you can install it onto 2 systems both of which you own. Do you know the fine for sharing pirated materials? Example: 1 song=10yrs in jail & $10,000.00 fine. You don't own the software you own the right to use it in accordance with the EULA (end user liscense agreement) that when you opened the package you agreed to. It just isn't us that do this. There are many companies that value there Intellectual Property.
When you activate your copy do you know what it does?
It compares your key to the database to make sure you haven't pirated the software, and that is all. The only thing we ask is for the key and the Country you are activating from.
"Mandatory Activation. The license rights granted under the EULA may be limited to the first fourteen (14) days after Recipient first boots the Software Product unless Recipient activates Recipient's copy of the Software Product in the manner described during the setup sequence of the Software Product and, as a result of such activation, Recipient receives a final confirmation number for the Software Product."
That, I think, is the important bit. Activation itself is a paper tiger, but by not activating, you are in breach of your licence agreement. Hence, you do not have a legal installation.
Finally, there's the status of cracks to consider. It's possible that Microsoft could interpret the use of cracks as a breach of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). At the moment it's difficult to see how deleting the odd .exe and twiddling with the registry (isn't that what the registry's for?) could be an offence, but it wouldn't be hard for Microsoft to build in something that required a little light reverse-engineering, and that would be an offence.
The bottome line is, Microsoft really doesn't want to burdon users every time they
upgrade or buy a new computer. This is simply a way to eliminate mass pirating. If
you don't violate the EULA, you won't have to worry about your copy of Windows not
activating.
So in the long of it, there are ways to try to go around the activation. But sooner or later it will catch up to you. With all the trouble you have gone thru it would have been easier to just activate it.
I hope you have taken no offense to what i have said.