Re: lost activation key help!

Thanks, bruce. One more question of y'all if you
would: re: can we buy an upgrade and not full retail?

If we buy a Windows XP Home Edition UPGRADE package (from a brick and
mortar store this time!), can that be installed over the existing
installed OEM XP that
has an invalid (illegal) Product Key, or would we have to buy a FULL
retail version and remove everything and install the Home Edition full
retail on a blank hard drive, and reinstall applications etc. (Can we
save a little $ and alot of work?)


bell-lady wrote:
bell-lady wrote:> Thanks, bruce. One more question of y'all if you
would:

If we buy a Windows XP Upgrade (from a brick and mortar store this
time!), can that be installed over the existing installed OEM XP that
has
an invalid (illegal?) Product Key, or would we have to buy a full
retail version and remove everything and install it on a blank hard
drive, and reinstall applications etc.

Ann


Bruce Chambers wrote:
bell-lady wrote:
I guess my confusion is how to know if the software is activatable
before you buy it. If I want a copy for use on a new PC (PC I own, and
am willing to remove all software from), I buy one with OEM key, yet I
have found often these copies still are unable to be activated even if
they are real, unopened and have a key. How can I find out ahead of
time, before buying, that the activation will go through when buying
from an individual, not a big company like MS or Staples etc.


By buying only from someone that you personally know and trust to sell
only legitimate licenses.


I got
stung myself once buying Office from the amazon website, which switched
me to a 'storefront' and I bought Office for a reasonable $300 or so, I
thought. Couldn't activate as the OEM had already done it, and
apparently guy thought he could resell it since he didn't 'install' it
personally. He didn't know any better either. Lots of people
(especially us old folks) don't know enough to know what's installed
and what isn't on a new PC.

This time, my friend is just stuck unless the person she bought it from
knows the key, right?


Pretty much, yes. And, even then, there's no guarantee that your
friend had purchased a legitimate license, anyway. Was it purchased via
eBay or other on-line auction site? Getting a legitimate license of any
kind from eBay is something of a crap shoot. One should be very careful
buying any software on eBay, as eBay makes no prior effort to ensure
that such sales are legitimate. The problems stem from two completely
different sources, but have the same results: the buyer gets ripped off.
A great many people don't fully understand the terms of the license they
own, and don't understand that they cannot legitimately resell it, and -
worse still - there are a great many sellers who do know that they're
selling bogus licenses. eBay reacts only when someone files a complaint,
and then all that really happens, especially in the case of the many
deliberate fraudsters, is the seller of the pirated software returns
using a different alias, to continue selling illegitimate licenses.


I thought I remembered a place on MS to buy a
key for an existing CD (already in my hands) when you've not yet
registered the original key for that CD yet. Any idea where?


If it was a retail license, yes. I've already provided the link. If
it was an OEM license, no.


It was
like $99 or something?


No, it should be free.


--

Bruce Chambers

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Valid Windows XP Home copy license key?
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