Purchase Windows XP advice

[T. Duprex]

I need a little guidence here on puchasing a copy of Windows XP.

I recently acquired an Intel Macbook laptop and want to also run XP (using
Parallels). In looking through Ebay listings I see a lot of Window XP home
versions selling for around $80 and a few XP pros listed for $100 + but
they invariably are "OEM" versions that the sellers say will include some
piece of hardware to comply with Microsoft and Ebay rules. They also state
that these XPs will certify over the internet etc.

Are these versions of XP okay to buy? What's the catch, if any? Is it okay
legally for me to buy one of these XPs and install it on my intel macbook?

TIA

 

[Rock]

I need a little guidence here on puchasing a copy of Windows XP.

I recently acquired an Intel Macbook laptop and want to also run XP (using
Parallels). In looking through Ebay listings I see a lot of Window XP home
versions selling for around $80 and a few XP pros listed for $100 + but
they invariably are "OEM" versions that the sellers say will include some
piece of hardware to comply with Microsoft and Ebay rules. They also state
that these XPs will certify over the internet etc.

Are these versions of XP okay to buy? What's the catch, if any? Is it
okay
legally for me to buy one of these XPs and install it on my intel macbook?

It's always a risk buy XP through Ebay. An OEM, by the license, is tied to
the first computer on which it was installed. So if an OEM copy has been
installed it can't be sold. How are you going to determine if a particular
copy you buy on Ebay has not been installed before?

Also some folks offer branded OEM CDs for sale, which are only to be
installed on the computer brand they came with such as Dell, etc.

I would suggest you don't purchase XP off Ebay to save a few dollars.

Caveat Emptor

 

[T. Duprex]

Thank you for the reply.

How are these folks getting these copies of Windows XP oems? Most appear to
have several copies for sale. Microsoft must be aware of these EBay sales,
if so what are they doing about it or there a legal loophole that permits
this?

What is a fair price for a legal xp home? xp pro? now that Vista is coming
on line. I don't really need to go to Vista for what I need XP for.

 

[Eric]

I once bought MS Office software on EBAY. only the first CD worked... I
think
it was a bootleg copy... ya get what ya pay for... and if that license
number
was already used, well you could have someone knocking at your door...

I suggest Linux, it's much more effective and you actually have companies
who WANT TO make their software work. Microsoft is a monopoly and they
could
care less if their software works.

I've been dealing with disappearing Icons in the system tray for years
now,
and still to this day, no fixes posted by microsoft.

I've been dealing with MS Word formatting bugs for years and each new
version has the same defects... do yourself a favor and stay away from
microsft...

If you buy any software on ebay, make sure it specifies "unopened", or is
something like a game that does not have an install code that you might not
care if it's been opened. If you buy Windows on ebay, make sure it
specifies that it is not OEM.

When I get some spare time I will set up a Linux PC. I want to see just how
easy it is to use these days, how well it works with Windows (sharing
Word/Excel/PDF/etc documents), and if my games will run on it. Most games
say they require MS OS, and say nothing about 'nix.

 

[Rock]

Thank you for the reply.

How are these folks getting these copies of Windows XP oems? Most appear
to
have several copies for sale. Microsoft must be aware of these EBay
sales,
if so what are they doing about it or there a legal loophole that permits
this?

What is a fair price for a legal xp home? xp pro? now that Vista is coming
on line. I don't really need to go to Vista for what I need XP for.

It's not that there is a legal loophole. Many of these sales are in
violation of the EULA. MS doesn't go around policing individual sales on
eBay. Do some searching of online retailers with Google.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I need a little guidence here on puchasing a copy of Windows XP.

I recently acquired an Intel Macbook laptop and want to also run XP
(using Parallels). In looking through Ebay listings I see a lot of
Window XP home versions selling for around $80 and a few XP pros
listed for $100 + but they invariably are "OEM" versions that the
sellers say will include some piece of hardware to comply with
Microsoft and Ebay rules. They also state that these XPs will certify
over the internet etc.

Are these versions of XP okay to buy? What's the catch, if any? Is
it okay legally for me to buy one of these XPs and install it on my
intel macbook?

I always recommend *against* buying an OEM version, which is only slightly
less expensive than the Upgrade version, but comes with significant
restrictions. The most severe of those restrictions is that the license is
tied permanently to the first computeri it's installed on and it can never
be transferred to another. If that computer dies, the license to use Windows
dies with it.

I always recommend the Upgrade version. It's only slightly more expensive
than the OEM version, but is considerably less expensive than the Full
Retail version. If you don't own a qualifying previous version, you can buy
a used copy of Windows 98 very cheaper someplace like eBay. The combination
of the XP Upgrade and
Windows 98 will still be considerably cheaper than the Full Retail version.
And, contrary to what many people think, the Upgrade version *can* be used
for a clean installation if you have that previous qualifying version.