"according to the article above..."

What article? The first article Martin mentions is about Windows XP and the next one has to do with the fact that the German version of Poser Pro won't include this device. According to Steve Cooper, you only have to connect to the internet ONE TIME to get your auth code an you are set.

Hardware dongles can break and in office settings they get stollen. Replacing a Hardware dongle requires the company is still in business, and it often costs you money to get the replacement. Plus downtime waiting for them to ship you the new one.

I'm not sure how it will work with your swappable hard drive, but I'm sure there's some solution.