Not really, you could buy an OEM Copy of windows and install it on any computer. Microsoft specifies that its is for a "new" computer, but most places that sell you OEM copies anyways. It is a grey area the in EULA but when push comes to shove and you can support it yourself, buy an OEM copy.
In a former life I managed compliance for the IS dept of a Hospital in Seattle, so I'd go with... no, OEM is not a legitimate upgrade path. But I get that it works, and for the small guys it's not really an issue. I think the only thing grey about it is that MS doesn't really audit folks to my knowledge. Here is the OEM builders license if you're curious.
LinkWhat are the specs of the workstations?
The workstation I've been testing on primarily is an i7 920 with 3GB ram (max for its 32bit Win Xp Pro) and a couple of aging 7200rpm hard drives. The other affected station is a E5300 w/ 2GB ram and another aging 7200rpm hdd.
@Bert - good reminder.
@stylnchris - We've been holding off on upgrading AC versions since up until now, we haven't had any issues with 6.0.9 and we figured we'd rather not trade up and gain issues.
Upgrading to 6.1.0 or 6.1.2 is probably one of the next things we'll try, and we'll cross our fingers that a non-beta version 6 comes out soon.
For now I'm thinking the fastest way to appease the userbase is to swap Win 7 machines onto the desks that matter most while trying to determine the root cause.
