Re: Valid Windows XP Home copy license key?

What`s the ebay item #

"sctahoe" <sctahoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:50F4AD23-098D-4EED-A05E-8F8EAEE75773@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks - but this is a bit confusing....

The person said they called Msoft and they said it was unregistered and
yes,
the CD does say what you mentioned and yes, it is likely an OEM version -
but
the person installed Vista on the PC that had this version of XP on it and
it
is not installed on any other PC's , so why would I not be able to use it
and
register it under my name since it is not being used elsewhere?
I have not had anyone give these type of restrictions on using the
software
- all other posts just say to install it and try it....I'm just trying to
prevent a surprise if/when I go to install it. In fact, I will likely call
Msoft myself to verify I can use it before I do install it.

Thanks for the reply!

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

sctahoe wrote:
I bought a retail copy of Windows XP home from Ebay - the CD and case
are
valid - the key came separately on a piece of paper and I want to
verify it
is legal before I install - how can I do that?
Thanks!


Try to install it and see if it activates?

To be brutally frank, getting a legitimate software license of any kind
from eBay is more than a little bit of a crap shoot.

Odds are, if the Product Key didn't come on a bright orange sticker
that says "Do not lose this number" affixed to the CD packaging, it's
not a legitimate license. Do the words "For distribution with a new PC
only. For product support, contact the manufacturer of your PC." appear
on the CD? If so, you've been sent an OEM installation disk, whose
license has already been used on the original computer with which that
disk left the factory. OEM licenses are *not* transferable under any
circumstances, so you don't have a legitimate license.

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 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.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand
Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot



.

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