The Windows Registry is an integral part of the operating system of all versions of Windows. All operating systems use the registry to store all of a computer’s configuration and information. This information consists of settings such as which programs to load when the computer starts up, what programs should be running at start up, and what hardware drivers need to be installed. This information is crucial to the proper operation of all hardware and software on a computer. Any change to this data needs to be registered using a Windows Registry key. All changes made to the Registry must be recorded in its registry keys.
Windows provides two methods for volume licensing. There is a standard “owner” model that applies to all users on a single PC. In this case each user licenses the physical disk of the computer. When a new user is added, their account is activated, and they are given a volume key that allows them to make copies of all of the stored volume Licenses on their hard drive. These keys can be changed at any time by using a Windows Registry key or by using another method defined by the software manufacturer.
A different method is available for volume licensing. One of the features of Windows is the facility for creating multiple user accounts. Each user can have their own license key that is uniquely assigned to their account. Each user also has the ability to “orphanize” their license keys and remove them from the system. This allows a computer to be functional for a long period without having to boot up.
The problem with this type of volume licensing is that multiple users can have different licensing keys that will cause conflicts. The changes that will need to be made to this system are likely going to be very large. It is probably not a great idea to try and develop these modifications without assistance. That being said, there are software programs available that are specifically designed to handle this process. They are quite expensive, but are usually worthwhile.
There are several additional benefits associated with license keys. The ability to use a program that has been specially designed for working with license keys makes it possible for end-users to share their copies with other people. That means that a company doesn’t necessarily need to invest in developing the necessary software in order to properly utilize the licensing mechanism. They could instead purchase a license key from a third party developer and use it themselves. This would obviously be less expensive.
How does volume licensing work? By using a volume licensing solution, a company is able to increase the amount of licenses that they issue. When an application is initially installed on a computer it will have a limited number of license keys. These keys represent the rights to use the application.
As more applications are installed, more license keys are assigned to each user and the number of users increases. With a larger pool of license keys, it becomes more difficult for a single user to hold all of the licenses. When the user does manage to obtain all of the licenses for every user on the system it becomes more difficult for that single user to reproduce the software. Instead, all users must use the same license keys.
As new updates are developed for software, older versions of the software may need to be updated too. When this happens, the original version needs to be pulled from the users hard drive and reinstalled. With volume licensing, it is easy to do this without disrupting the user’s computer. As previously stated, the best way to get a license to work for your business is to implement volume licensing through a CRM solution. This will allow you to control user permissions and automatically renew your licenses.
