Requires a license for each target machine?

Someone from the sales department told me that I need to purchase a license for each machine that I use my image on. They said it doesn't matter if I'm using true image or snap deploy. Each target machine requires a license.

This seems ridiculous considering I will never see the PC again. I just need to load the image and send it on it's way (resell it). Does anyone know of any other software that would be a better solution for my problem?

My plan was to install True Image Echo onto a workstation. Use it to copy a master hard drive to a bootable DVD. Then use this dvd to load the image onto each target machine that I sell. I can't afford to purchase a license for each unit. Currently I'm using a hardware solution to copy the hard drives but I would rather not take the pc apart to get at the drive.

Thanks,
Kurt

 

Why not use a Seagate or Maxtor drive and use their included utility. It is a free and is a reduced version of Acronis True Image.

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=181389#3

 

GroverH has an excellent solution. Alternatively, just be a pirate and live with it.

 

That's a good suggestion, I may do that.

I looked at norton ghost. The license agreement says the same thing:

"You may not use the Software commercially or non-commercially for the purpose of creating an image on multiple Devices or hard drives, except for multiple hard drives installed in or attached directly to the original Device."

So the question remains: Who makes software specifically designed for that purpose?

 

Maybe I will use R-Drive Image. http://www.drive-image.com/

On their site it says: "You can also use R-Drive Image for mass system deployment when you need to setup many identical computers." I don't see anything that says you need a license for each deployment.

Which is exactly what I need to do. Sorry Acronis... I would rather buy your product but your license discourages me from doing so.

 

I think Acronis should have licensing specifically for system builders. I wouldn't mind paying 200$ or something per license. The license would allow me to make an image of one pc and then use that image on multiple machines with similar hardware.

The fact that they want customers to buy a license per each machine they use the image on seems crazy. Someone can just go out and buy a hardware solution to copy drives instead.

 

You spoke to them so you presumably got the correct story. However, I thought that TI had better pricing for a situation like yours. Do you think the person you spoke to understood what you are trying to do and was aware of the Acronis pricing possibilities?

 

look here for OEM versions http://eu.acronis.com/oem/
also if you are planning to clone you will need to use sysprep or do you think you can just send all your machines out with same windows serial number ?

 

Acronis True Image OEM for PC vendors sounds nice. It is more than I need though. I don't need to distribute the software with each PC. I don't need a hidden recovery partition. I just need to duplicate an image.

 

Just call Acronis Support. They told me once that you could "transfer" (only when acronis is not installed) your license to another computer when the original computer gets out of your hands. For me it sounds a little like a mix of snapdeploy and the oem version....

They will find a solution for you..

Volker

 

I suspect that there's Linux software that lets you do the deed.

Ubuntu 8.04 is due out next week.
Download a Live CD and try it out.