Honest Opinion Please!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Debi
  • Start date Start date
D

Debi

Hi!

I'm building a computer from second hand parts.

I don't have much money but after saying that, I don't want to go down the
illegal software channel.

eBay is full of XP software, like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WINDOWS-X...246005923QQcategoryZ41888QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Am I taking a risk? Price is good (I've seen some even cheaper!) and the guy
appears to have good feedback.... I just can't afford to buy a copy at my
local store at the moment.

Are ofers like this too good to be true?

Any advice before I take the plunge would be appreciated!

Many thanks,


Debi :-)
 
Any time you purchase anything on an auction site, the risk
rests with you, the buyer. If it turns out the seller is not offering
a "genuine" version of Windows XP, then you'll have to deal
strictly with the seller for any recourse. As the saying goes,
"Buyer Beware"!

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| Hi!
|
| I'm building a computer from second hand parts.
|
| I don't have much money but after saying that, I don't want to go down the
| illegal software channel.
|
| eBay is full of XP software, like this:
|
| http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WINDOWS-X...246005923QQcategoryZ41888QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
|
| Am I taking a risk? Price is good (I've seen some even cheaper!) and the guy
| appears to have good feedback.... I just can't afford to buy a copy at my
| local store at the moment.
|
| Are ofers like this too good to be true?
|
| Any advice before I take the plunge would be appreciated!
|
| Many thanks,
|
|
| Debi :-)
|
|
 
Look for a combo deal (some part you need for your PC plus Windows XP) at
NewEgg.com or a reliable site in the UK. I don't think they would risk there
reputation by selling a bogus Windows product.

JS
 
Debi said:
I'm building a computer from second hand parts.

I don't have much money but after saying that, I don't want to go down
the illegal software channel.

eBay is full of XP software, like this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WINDOWS-X...246005923QQcategoryZ41888QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Am I taking a risk? Price is good (I've seen some even cheaper!) and
the guy appears to have good feedback.... I just can't afford to buy a
copy at my local store at the moment.
Yes.

Are ofers like this too good to be true?
Yes.

Any advice before I take the plunge would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

I would never purchase a current Microsoft operating system from eBay.
If you get stung, you will lose your money and therefore will not have
saved anything by trying to cut corners. Buy XP from a reputable source
such as known-good online stores or brick-and-mortar stores. Expect to
pay close to retail price for it.

Your alternative is to install a free operating system such as Linux, or
have someone install it for you.

Malke
 
I've been hearing a lot about the 419 Nigerian scams. This is big biz for
that country. They often hijack defunct eBay users with good feedback and use
European credentials. (Who would buy from Nigeria?)

Be afraid. Be very afraid! Especially when the seller takes cheques or bank
drafts! Do you really want to release your banking information to a stranger?
 
Debi said:
Hi!

I'm building a computer from second hand parts.

I don't have much money but after saying that, I don't want to go down the
illegal software channel.

eBay is full of XP software, like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WINDOWS-X...246005923QQcategoryZ41888QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Am I taking a risk? Price is good (I've seen some even cheaper!) and the guy
appears to have good feedback.... I just can't afford to buy a copy at my
local store at the moment.

Are ofers like this too good to be true?

Any advice before I take the plunge would be appreciated!

Many thanks,


Debi :-)
Click to expand...

There are two kinds of XPs available to the public. One is OEM and the
other Retail. The difference is that with Retail you can do an upgrade
installation from, say, Windows 98 and with OEM you can't. With retail,
you are allowed to uninstall it from one computer and reinstall it on
another. With OEM you are not. The other difference is that Retail is
much more expensive than OEM. If money is a factor, go for the OEM from
a reputable on line or bricks and mortar store, NOT eBay.

Alias
 
I see no problem with the link you supplied, I do not know
what XP costs in the UK but it looks a bit expensive.

Different countries have different laws related to the sale
or re sale of OEM software, the bundling of a piece of
hardware with that sale may be quite valid in the UK (I
don't know)

I appreciate your $$ concern but my advice would be to buy a
retail copy of whatever OS you are after, this allows future
transfers to new machines as many times as you like. (I have
a retail copy of win2K and this is about the 7th pc it has
been on)

Ask any questions before buying and keep a copy of the
replies (until you are happy with the buy)

If you did go with the link you provided I would definitely
pay using paypal to take advantage of their protection
programme and "if" the XP is not genuine report and use that
protection programme.

If the dseller is legit there is nothing illegal about
selling this way

Geoff
 
Debi said:
Hi!

I'm building a computer from second hand parts.

I don't have much money but after saying that, I don't want to go down the
illegal software channel.

eBay is full of XP software, like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WINDOWS-X...246005923QQcategoryZ41888QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Am I taking a risk? Price is good (I've seen some even cheaper!) and the guy
appears to have good feedback.... I just can't afford to buy a copy at my
local store at the moment.
Click to expand...


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.

Especially if it's an OEM license, as stated in the eBay notice, be
sure to get a guarantee, in writing, from the seller that it's an
unbranded, generic OEM CD, and that it has never been installed on any
other computer. Get this guarantee *before* parting with any money.

Are ofers like this too good to be true?
Click to expand...

Usually. This specific one is particularly suspicious because the item
pictured is a "Retail" license, but the text specifically describes the
conditions for the sale of OEM licenses. I can't help wondering why the
seller is deliberately using deceptive pictures.

Any advice before I take the plunge would be appreciated!
Click to expand...


Caveat emptor!

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
Yep. You are putting yourself at risk.

Have been using XP generic OEM install CDs from mwave.com since 2002. Built
4 PCs since then. Each have their own.
 
Debi said:
Hi!

I'm building a computer from second hand parts.

I don't have much money but after saying that, I don't want to go
down the illegal software channel.

eBay is full of XP software, like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WINDOWS-X...246005923QQcategoryZ41888QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Am I taking a risk?

Definitely.


Price is good (I've seen some even cheaper!) and
the guy appears to have good feedback....
Click to expand...


When the price of something is substantially lower than it is everywhere
else, the chances are excellent that you will either get nothing, or get a
pirated copy.

It's up to you, of course, but I wouldn't risk it.

I just can't afford to buy
a copy at my local store at the moment.

Are ofers like this too good to be true?
Click to expand...


I can't speak to *every* such offer, but in general, when an offer appears
to be too good to be true, it's not true.
 
For what it's worth - when I got XP Pro several years back, all the
local stores were priced within a nickel of each other, which I felt
was ridiculous with the typical retail markup. I looked online and
found a substantial discount at one of the better known online stores.
Full retail box version, almost a 3rd less than local stores. Not a
huge discount, but certainly respectable.

I see that eBay seller is offering an "OEM" version. Also known as
"white box", Original Equipment Manufacturer versions of software are
intended for sale to computer makers and they come in a different box
than retail versions. Typically priced rather less too, with the same
functionality as retail but generally with less documentation (the
assumption being that the computer maker already knows how to install
it). Since XP's docs are minimal anyway, that shouldnt really matter.
Having said that, OEM is OEM, so you might be able to find an OEM
version from a more respectable online store without the eBay risk
(dont bother asking retail stores about them, they aren't permitted to
sell it generally).
 
McTrack said:
For what it's worth - when I got XP Pro several years back, all the
local stores were priced within a nickel of each other, which I felt
was ridiculous with the typical retail markup. I looked online and
found a substantial discount at one of the better known online stores.
Full retail box version, almost a 3rd less than local stores. Not a
huge discount, but certainly respectable.

I see that eBay seller is offering an "OEM" version. Also known as
"white box", Original Equipment Manufacturer versions of software are
intended for sale to computer makers and they come in a different box
than retail versions. Typically priced rather less too, with the same
functionality as retail but generally with less documentation (the
assumption being that the computer maker already knows how to install
it). Since XP's docs are minimal anyway, that shouldnt really matter.
Having said that, OEM is OEM, so you might be able to find an OEM
version from a more respectable online store without the eBay risk
(dont bother asking retail stores about them, they aren't permitted to
sell it generally).
Click to expand...

Depends what country you're in. In Spain, for example, the retail stores
only sell OEMs and don't carry retail.

Alias
 
McTrack said:
For what it's worth - when I got XP Pro several years back, all the
local stores were priced within a nickel of each other, which I felt
was ridiculous with the typical retail markup. I looked online and
found a substantial discount at one of the better known online stores.
Full retail box version, almost a 3rd less than local stores. Not a
huge discount, but certainly respectable.

I see that eBay seller is offering an "OEM" version. Also known as
"white box", Original Equipment Manufacturer versions of software are
intended for sale to computer makers and they come in a different box
than retail versions. Typically priced rather less too, with the same
functionality as retail but generally with less documentation (the
assumption being that the computer maker already knows how to install
it). Since XP's docs are minimal anyway, that shouldnt really matter.
Having said that, OEM is OEM, so you might be able to find an OEM
version from a more respectable online store without the eBay risk
(dont bother asking retail stores about them, they aren't permitted to
sell it generally).
Click to expand...

Its OK if they sell it with a piece of 'hardware' i.e. mouse/cable - nothing
too expensive - some offer such an item free. Do a Google
Antioch
 
McTrack said:
For what it's worth - when I got XP Pro several years back, all the
local stores were priced within a nickel of each other, which I felt
was ridiculous with the typical retail markup. I looked online and
found a substantial discount at one of the better known online stores.
Full retail box version, almost a 3rd less than local stores. Not a
huge discount, but certainly respectable.

I see that eBay seller is offering an "OEM" version. Also known as
"white box", Original Equipment Manufacturer versions of software are
intended for sale to computer makers and they come in a different box
than retail versions. Typically priced rather less too, with the same
functionality as retail but generally with less documentation (the
assumption being that the computer maker already knows how to install
it). Since XP's docs are minimal anyway, that shouldnt really matter.
Having said that, OEM is OEM, so you might be able to find an OEM
version from a more respectable online store without the eBay risk
(dont bother asking retail stores about them, they aren't permitted to
sell it generally).
Click to expand...


The main problem with OEM versions, as far as I'm concerned, is that their
license restricts them to the first computer they are installed on and they
can never be transferred to another. If your computer dies, the license to
use Windows dies with it.

For that reason, I recommend Upgrade versions instead. The upgrade usually
costs only slightly more than an OEM version, and despite what many people
think, *can* be used to perform a clean installation, as long as you own a
CD of a previous qualifying version. If you don't have one, you can usually
find a very cheap used copy of Windows 98 for sale.
 
The main problem with OEM versions, as far as I'm concerned, is that their
license restricts them to the first computer they are installed on and they
can never be transferred to another. If your computer dies, the license to
use Windows dies with it.
Click to expand...

Technically, that's not true. If it's been over 120 days since
activation and no new hardware has been installed, you can install a
generic OEM on another machine. Now whether you can have it running on
two separate machines simultaneously, I don't know what would happen
when you go to get updates.

Alias
 
Alias said:
Ken Blake, MVP wrote:

Technically, that's not true. If it's been over 120 days since
activation and no new hardware has been installed, you can install a
generic OEM on another machine.
Click to expand...


It is true. The point I was making is that the license doesn't permit doing
that, whether or not the 120 days have passed. What you can get away with is
another matter entirely. That's between you and your conscience.
 
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