I bought a copy of XP Home a few years ago but never ended up using it, so
it's still in the wrapper. I'm buying a laptop and want to change it from
Vista to XP, but I'm wary of wiping off Vista and then finding that the
registration key on my copy of XP is no longer valid. The reason I'm worried
is that the key is clearly visible through the wrapper, and I suspect it's
an
'OEM version'? I've been told that it's possible that the shop I bought it
off will have already registered that copy of XP on another PC? Can anybody
advise how I can check the XP key before removing Vista?
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Your main problem may be that the laptop internal components you are
considering buying are not compatible with XP. It may only have drivers
available for Vista and may not have XP drivers available. This I would
check first. You can usually do this by checking out the website of the
brand with the model number and have a look under support for driver
downloads and see if they list both XP and Vista drivers for that model or
ring and speak to the company.
As far as the XP licence is concerned, you can do a manual check over the
phone with MS to check whether the key is valid, but you or they won't know
if the key is already in use on another machine until you try and activate
the key after install because they won't have the ability on the phone to
check whether it is in use yet until the computer does a physical check
during the online activation process.
Activation
You must activate your Microsoft product to confirm that each copy of the
product is not installed on more than the limited number of computers that
is indicated in the software end user license agreement (EULA). The
activation process can be performed by using the telephone, a modem, or the
Internet. None of the information that is collected during activation will
be used to personally identify you.
To activate your product over the telephone, use one of the following
numbers: [It says Volume Licensing but it's the same for single licences.]
a.. Office activation (U.S. only): (888) 652-2342
b.. Windows activation: (888) 571-2048
c.. TTY number: (800) 718-1599
d.. If you are an International customer, visit the following Microsoft
Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/numbers.mspx
When you get through just tell them your concerns and ask if they can check
the validity of the key for you.