Re: No OS disk with purch refurb laptop

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Jeremy wrote:
The product key you have is an OEM product key. It is a legit
key, but I am not sure if the license is transferrable. Ring your
county's MS licensing centre to find out. If it is transferrable
then you will need an OEM Windows distribution to install from.
This is probably readily downloadable on the Internet.

Keep in mind that OEM licenses die when the computer does, you
aren't allowed to use it on another computer.

tmd0309 wrote:
I don't think this is correct. The COA does not say "OEM
Product." Using the screens that Microsoft uses to help me
determine if my copy of Windows is legal, the questions ask
whether the COA says "OEM Product", and which information those
screens feed back to me depends on my answer, from which I
conclude that the fact that my COA does not say "OEM Product"
means that my copy of windows is not an OEM version.

What would a guy who runs a computer service and resale shop, who
wipes lots of hard-drives and reinstalls windows on them, buy to
install? What would he buy, and what would they require him to
do?

tmd0309 wrote:
My Computer > Properties > General (tab) says:

Microsoft Windows XP
Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 2

So...It's not an OEM license what does that mean? It can't be that
he just bought a straight-up retail license -- then he'd have
given me the disk. What other ways to these guys have of putting
OSs on PCs? I mean, legally. I'm still not sure he's ripped me
off - Microsoft's "is my software legal" thing says I'm ok.

Shenan Stanley wrote:
- Right Click on my Computer.
- Choose Properties
- Under Registered to there is a 20 digit PID
- The three digit sequence ( the second set of numbers)
- If they are OEM that is OEM media
- It that is 640 that is Volume\Select\Open

Most resellers would likely buy and sell OEM copies - because they
are less expensive and more likely to sell because of that one
fact. Most of the other rules of such a license are more
restrictive than their retail cousins.

If your product key is on a sticker on the machine itself -
there's a VERY GOOD (closing in on 100%) chance it *is* for an OEM
license. However - that does not mean what is currently installed
is OEM and/or that it even matches the product key stuck to it...

Use Belarc Advisor or Magic JellyBean KeyFinder to get the product
key extracted from the currently installed OS and compare it to
the sticker - do they match?

tmd0309 wrote:
Shenan: Thank you!

It's 640, not OEM. "Volume/Select/Open" are kinds of licenses?
I'll google around and see what I can read about those. Maybe I
should call MSoft sales tomorrow, and see if they can help me
understand what kind of licences someone in this guy's business
might legitimately be buying and reselling.

And I'll see if I can find the softwre you recommended for
determining what the product key is that's installed on my PC -
whether that matches the one on the sticker.

Each step of the way through this mess, I'm trying to incorporate
new knowlege and re-frame my questions/issues. At this point, I
still don't understand what he sold me or what his obligations to
me are, nor what features I'd have to find in a borrowed CD if I
wanted to use someone else's media to reinstall or repair my
machine using this product key.

By the way: since the MS.com legal-checking process asked whether
the sticker says "OEM Product" underneath where it says "Windows XP
Professional" (which it doesn't), I'll volunteer this further info
in case it means anything: *after* "Windows XP Professional" it
says "1-2CPU", and below "Windows XP Professional" it says "HPQ"

What a lot of larger OEMs do is actually install (from the factory) their
volume license. Most of the time this is not a problem - but means the key
stuck to the computer and the actual license being used do not match.

You said this was a refurbished laptop? Refurbished by the original
manufacturer and sold by this reseller you got it from or? Because if they
SOLD it to you with an OEM license sticker - the reseller sold it to you
with an OEM license (whether or not that is the type of license that is
installed currently) and they are your support for getting a new
CD/technical help with Windows XP. It;s part of their agreement with
Microsoft by selling you such a license. They also HAVE to provide you with
a method to restore the computer to its 'as sold' state.

"HPQ" <-- Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ)

OEM license sticker. It is POSSIBLE a generic OEM CD would function fine
with it - although it is equally possible it might not. :-(

Generic OEM - one sold *not* with a third-tier vendor system - like you can
get from NewEgg, etc. Not modified to work with a specific system, etc.

Belarc Advisor
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


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