Is it legal to sell the OEM Version of Windows XP Home Edition?

[Guest]

Grüezi NGUs

Few days ago I bought a copy of "Windows XP Home Edition Update". Now I
realized that they gave me a OEM version of Windows XP Home.

Now my question

Is it legal to sell only the unbundled OEM copy, if I explicity asked for
Windows XP Home Update?. The reseller told me that nothing is illegal by
selling unbundled OEM versions of Windows XP.

Does anybody know if this deal was legal.

Best Regards from the sunny Switzerland
Roger Rigert

 

[wayne]

no it is not legal to sell it without hardware. Not quite sure what you
mean by Windows XP Home Edition Update do you mean the Upgrade version?
THis would mean you had either Win98 or ME installed and wanted to
upgrade to Xp Home?

It is also possible that you paid more than you needed to? I am not
sure how pricing is where you are?

Wayne

 

[Kerry Brown]

Grüezi NGUs

Few days ago I bought a copy of "Windows XP Home Edition Update". Now I
realized that they gave me a OEM version of Windows XP Home.

Now my question

Is it legal to sell only the unbundled OEM copy, if I explicity asked for
Windows XP Home Update?. The reseller told me that nothing is illegal by
selling unbundled OEM versions of Windows XP.

Does anybody know if this deal was legal.

Best Regards from the sunny Switzerland
Roger Rigert

Not sure about Microsoft's policy in Switzerland. In Canada it is OK to sell
an OEM version of XP with a qualifying piece of hardware. I asked a MS rep
what qualified. Her response was anything integral to the pc so Windows
would run, eg. motherboard, mouse, keyboard, ram chip. Things she explicitly
excluded were a monitor or printer. An OEM version cannot be used for an in
place upgrade from an older version of Windows. You have to format the hard
drive before it will install. An OEM version is typically about half the
price of a retail upgrade.

Kerry

 

[Donald McDaniel]

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 05:31:02 -0700, Roger Rigert <Roger

Grüezi NGUs

Few days ago I bought a copy of "Windows XP Home Edition Update". Now I
realized that they gave me a OEM version of Windows XP Home.

Now my question

Is it legal to sell only the unbundled OEM copy, if I explicity asked for
Windows XP Home Update?. The reseller told me that nothing is illegal by
selling unbundled OEM versions of Windows XP.

Does anybody know if this deal was legal.

Best Regards from the sunny Switzerland
Roger Rigert

It is legal, and well within the OEM Windows XP Home Edition EULA, to
purchase and install the OEM Edition with an item of "hardware". This
"hardware" could be as simple and cheap as a power chord or mouse.

However, you must know several things about OEM software:
1) All support for your software must come from the OEM who sold you
the software. Microsoft will not provide any support.
2) OEM software cannot be used to perform an "Upgrade" of another
operating system. It MUST be installed "cleanly", onto a
freshly-formatted hard drive. It is possible to save your disk
structure, however. Just do a "Repair" install instead of a "New"
Install.
3) You will not be guaranteed an Internet activation, since Microsoft
has tightened its Internet activations to exclude possible pirated
keys. You might wind up on the phone with a hostile Activation
Support person who can barely speak or understand English. They will
ask you all sorts of invasive questions, such as the address of the
store where you bought the software.


Donald L McDaniel
Please reply to the original thread
so that others may be instructed or informed
============================================

 

[Pete]

Not sure about Microsoft's policy in Switzerland. In Canada it is OK to sell

an OEM version of XP with a qualifying piece of hardware. I asked a MS rep
what qualified. Her response was anything integral to the pc so Windows
would run, eg. motherboard, mouse, keyboard, ram chip. Things she explicitly
excluded were a monitor or printer.

I emailed Microsoft here in Australia about a year ago to clarify this
issue, and here is part of their email reply:

OEM versions of Microsoft Windows may be sold with a
non-peripheral piece of computer hardware. A non-peripheral
hardware component is essential to running a PC, and
includes components such as memory, internal drives,
mice, keyboards, power supplies/cords, and internal
devices. Examples of components that are not considered
essential are scanners, printers, cameras, and external
modems/networking devices.

Note that according to Microsoft Australia, a power cord is an allowable
hardware item for an OEM sale!

Peter

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I emailed Microsoft here in Australia about a year ago to clarify this
issue, and here is part of their email reply:


Note that according to Microsoft Australia, a power cord is an allowable
hardware item for an OEM sale!

Peter

Well, yes. Computers just don't work very well when there's no
electricity. What I find curious,though, is the inclusion of the mouse.
One would have to be fairly new to computers to think that a mouse is
"essential" to the running of a computer. Granted, it makes it much
more convenient when using a graphical shell or OS, but it's hardly
essential.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Kerry Brown]

Well, yes. Computers just don't work very well when there's no
electricity. What I find curious,though, is the inclusion of the mouse.
One would have to be fairly new to computers to think that a mouse is
"essential" to the running of a computer. Granted, it makes it much more
convenient when using a graphical shell or OS, but it's hardly essential.

What I found very odd was the MS rep I talked to said a mouse was OK but a
monitor was not. I can use Windows without a mouse, albeit very awkwardly,
but a monitor is required

Kerry