WIndows XP home OEM, 2 part question --License related

[Guest]

sorry , this ones kinda long winded. I received a computer that was Going to
be chucked, the computer was given to me with NO HD and NO CD's. motherboard
and all other components are original to my belief, can't remember where i
got it though (does that make a difference) I.E if from a Educational,
GOvernement OR other user). it has a OEM sticker with (appears GENUINE),
GMWDK-*****-*****-XK**Y-3Y3Q6 as the code ( A MICROSOFT admin may email me
for the full key if needed to answer my question). in reading another post
about OEM EULAs, i have come to the belief that this computer regardless of
who owned it, owns the license and not the previous user, so who ever has the
PC now can legally (re)install OEM XP home on it.
I would like to go about LEGALLY installing a copy of windows on it
for free(gratis), (that should be legal). how would i go about legally
installing the OS on to the computer. i see three possible options of
obtaining a way to install the SOFTWARE. WHich of these are possible and
LEGAL!!

1. finding a friend who has a OEM XP home disc, ( does it have to be OEM or
can it be ANY XP HOME disc?)

2. downloading from a torrent, since while the ACT of the person uploading
it may/WOULD be morally/legally wrong, i would not be since i would not be
violating copyright laws? (because i am simply obtaining a way to install
software i rightfully own.?)

3. would Microsoft be able to send me a disc to install the os for free.
with me only having to pay for postage.

Sorry its so long, just wondering what i can do to be able to LEGALLY have a
version of XP running on the PC. my email is (e-mail address removed)
p.s i looked on your site and could not find a XP home edition OEM EULA.
THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

 

[Ron Badour]

1. The product key is tied to the type of disk. For example, an OEM key
will not work with a retail disk. Many OEM disks are tied to a particular
brand or model of a computer and may not install on your PC. The only thing
you can do is try one and see if it works.

2. Why would you trust a download of any sort (let alone an operating
system) that you know nothing about?

3. MS does not supply OEM disks--the OEM that manufactured the PC supplies
replacement disks. If it is a generic PC (not a HP, Dell, etc.) then you
are probably out of luck on a replacement disk unless you buy one on EBay or
from some other source.

You appear to be under the mistaken impression that you are posting your
questions to MS employees. It is extremely rare when one of them answers
questions in newsgroups. Nearly everyone answering here is a peer volunteer
and while some have been recognized for the help they provide with an MVP
designation, we do not work for MS.

 

[Daave]

sorry , this ones kinda long winded. I received a computer that was
Going to
be chucked, the computer was given to me with NO HD and NO CD's.
motherboard
and all other components are original to my belief, can't remember
where i
got it though (does that make a difference) I.E if from a Educational,
GOvernement OR other user). it has a OEM sticker with (appears
GENUINE),
GMWDK-*****-*****-XK**Y-3Y3Q6 as the code ( A MICROSOFT admin may
email me
for the full key if needed to answer my question). in reading another
post
about OEM EULAs, i have come to the belief that this computer
regardless of
who owned it, owns the license and not the previous user, so who ever
has the
PC now can legally (re)install OEM XP home on it.
I would like to go about LEGALLY installing a copy of windows on
it
for free(gratis), (that should be legal). how would i go about legally
installing the OS on to the computer. i see three possible options of
obtaining a way to install the SOFTWARE. WHich of these are possible
and
LEGAL!!

1. finding a friend who has a OEM XP home disc, ( does it have to be
OEM or
can it be ANY XP HOME disc?)

2. downloading from a torrent, since while the ACT of the person
uploading
it may/WOULD be morally/legally wrong, i would not be since i would
not be
violating copyright laws? (because i am simply obtaining a way to
install
software i rightfully own.?)

3. would Microsoft be able to send me a disc to install the os for
free.
with me only having to pay for postage.

Sorry its so long, just wondering what i can do to be able to LEGALLY
have a
version of XP running on the PC. my email is (e-mail address removed)
p.s i looked on your site and could not find a XP home edition OEM
EULA.
THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

Interesting post!

Something tells me you will get conflicting information.

First, what is the make and model number of this PC? If it originally
had an OEM version of Windows XP, then you cannot contact Microsoft.
They are to be contacted only for instances of Retail versions of the
OS. For an OEM version, the OEM is to be contacted. If you were the
original owner of the PC, then the OEM might be able to help you out in
some way. But since the hard drive was removed and might be in another
PC (doubtful, but possible), I could see a conflict.

But here's my take:

The license to use that particular version of Windows is tied to the PC
in question in perpetuity. *If* everything is original, especially
including the motherboard, and *if* the license is not a volume license,
then I would argue you are legally entitled to run Windows XP on it. But
there's obviously a gray area here because I doubt you can prove the
above two preconditions.

I suppose you could borrow a *generic* (i.e., not branded) installation
disc containing an OEM version of Windows XP and use your Product Key.
This could be problematic if that key is already in use, however! I
suppose you could even download the data contained on this disc. But
there are no legitimate sources in your case (although that doesn't stop
many people!) and there's no guarantee you won't be downloading
something that has viruses, etc. That being said, although there may be
a gray area, legally speaking, an ethicist may find what you propose to
do is not immoral/unethical *if* you are certain no one else is using
this license (which is, after all, supposed to be tied to the PC) and as
long as it's not a volume license. But since you didn't provide
information, I really can't say.

The safest course of action is to purchase a hard drive along with a
generic OEM version of XP. An alternative, if you already have a retail
version of a qualifying upgradeable OS (e.g., Windows 98 or ME), which
is not being used on another PC, is to purchase an Upgrade version of
XP.

The disc should run you less than $90.00. See:

http://software.pricegrabber.com/windows-family-os/m/676870/skd=1/search=windows xp oem

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

You have the original Product Key sticker intact and that is the
critical part of the license.
The best source for the media is the original owner of the computer.
The next is the computer manufacturer.

1. Your only real option.
It must be OEM since retail, enterprise etc media will not work with
your OEM key.
Additionally, many OEM provide media for a specific make and model
computer so if a friend loans you OEM media, it will not work.

2. Not a good option at all since there is nothing guaranteeing what
you want is what you get.
Since Windows from that source is already stolen, there is little
reason to assume nothing more was done before distributing.

3. Probably will not happen since Microsoft does little to support
OEM.
One of the many reasons the buyer paid less for the OEM than others
pay for retail.

"A MICROSOFT admin may email me"
Probably will not happen since these peer to peer newsgroups are not
routinely monitored by Microsoft.
When Microsoft employees post, they do so on their own time.
If you get an email requesting the key, be VERY suspicious and check
carefully.

 

[Guest]

why would it matter if it was a volume license? would it still not be
transfered to the new owner of the pc?.

 

[Bob I]

volume licenses stay with the company that bought them.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

No, Volume Licenses stay with the organization.
The original license. if any, moves with the computer.

Also Volume Licenses are not full licenses, they are upgrade licenses.

 

[Guest]

i found out where i got it form. my Grandpa. no changes were made and it was
NOT a volume licence. the hard drive failed. know i eluded to this. but would
it be illegal if i used P2P to get the software for the computer, provided
that all other qualifications were met.. Thanks to all who answered my
questions about the computer.

 

[Daave]

i found out where i got it form. my Grandpa. no changes were made and
it was NOT a volume licence. the hard drive failed. know i eluded to
this. but would it be illegal if i used P2P to get the software for
the computer, provided that all other qualifications were met..
Thanks to all who answered my questions about the computer.

Illegal? It could be argued what you propose to do is not unlawful. If
your grandpa had a license to use XP _on that particular PC_ and the PC
was transferred to you, then so was the license. If you can obtain the
appropriate installation media, then you are certainly entitled to
reinstall your OS. In your scenario, I see no instance of theft at all.

Now is it safe? The answer is you are taking your chances. Then again
since you are starting from scratch, you arguably have nothing to lose!
At the very least, scan your download for viruses and other malware. I
would also recommend backing up your data regularly once your system is
up and running. Definitely make an image of your hard drive once you
install all the post SP2 updates. Make another image once all your
applications are installed and customized.

But once more, your SAFEST course of action is to purchase a new disk,
which can be bought for less than $90.

 

[Guest]

Thanks to all who answered my questions. i found a version on torrent. it
works fine with my key so does WGA, so apparently everything is good.