"I work at a small 'mom and pop' computer shop in Maryland," the reader wrote. "We survive mainly by doing repairs. A customer came in with an E-Machine with a bad motherboard. E-Machines wanted a ridiculous price for a new motherboard, so we installed a cheaper non-E-Machines motherboard, saving the customer money."

Because of the new motherboard, of course, Windows XP activation was triggered. "During the requisite call to Microsoft for an activation number, we were told that Microsoft could NOT give us the activation for this particular copy of XP since it was sold through a 'special licensing agreement' with E-Machines. Even though we had the 25-digit license number, Microsoft insisted we would have to contact the manufacturer for the activation number. Two separate calls to E-Machines elicited the same response. NO activation number would be given since we did not install an 'official' and expensive E-Machines motherboard. So the customer is forced into purchasing another copy of Windows XP even though they already paid for the original license when they first bought the computer and have all the required proof."

In other words, the reader's customer -- who has done nothing wrong other than have a motherboard fail on him -- has the choice of paying ransom to E-Machines or to Microsoft to have a functioning OS again. Which led the reader to wonder just what would constitute piracy in such a situation. "We all know there are plenty of copies of XP that work fine without the product activation scheme," the reader wrote. "Usually these are copies of corporate or academic versions of XP originally sold by Microsoft with broad licenses covering many computers. Is this customer justified in installing such a 'pirated' copy of XP on this system? Or should the customer have to buy yet another copy of XP, and presumably throw his old copy in the trash, just because his motherboard failed?"

Those are interesting questions. I know what Microsoft would say: the XP EULA doesn't allow you to transfer a license from one machine to another, so it's totally up to the OEM to decide if it's the same machine or not. And we know what E-Machines (which is now a Gateway brand) or most other OEMs are going to say to that: buy the replacement parts from us at our price or else. And we know one other thing. As Microsoft continues to tighten the screws on its "Genuine Windows" validation process and other campaigns supposedly intended to fight piracy, more and more customers are going to find themselves in similar circumstances to the reader's customer. After all, not only can these tactics produce more revenue for Microsoft, it obviously gives the PC manufacturer leverage on the customer as well.

So how would you answer the reader's questions? And who bears the most responsibility for this situation -- Microsoft, the OEMs, or the customers who keep buying into it? Post your comments below or write me at Foster@gripe2ed.com.