Original Microsoft Xp Windows Wanted

[69690jay]

Hi i have three older PCs i purchased here and they all have copied Windows. Am I able to take my original XP windows out of my old laptop that I do not use and put it into one of my PC's?

OR Anyone know where to buy original system at a reasonable price. i do not need newest version as the PCs are for personal and customer internet access use.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

jay

[JamieP]

Probably not. The windows on your laptop is almost certainly an OEM licence and as such can only be used on the computer it came with.

[69690jay]

thanks

[gosompoi]

Look at your license key sticker, if it says OEM you can only use it on that type of machine.

[mosan]

Microsoft is not going to visit your house and ask you where you got Windows from. If you have the original CDs or DVD for WindowsXP and you have the product key, then by all means install it on one of those systems and it will activate by calling the Thailand 800 number. The software doesn't know what machine it's on. And I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that the only thing that Microsoft is really worried about is that your software is legal. I brought a laptop with me when I came from the States. When the laptop died, I built a system and used my "OEM" cd purchased from Tiger Direct back in 2004. After installation, the activation screen in WinXP noted that I was in Thailand and that I had no internet connection active yet—it then proceeded to offer me two phone numbers for Thailand. One number was a regular Bangkok number and the other was a 800 Toll Free number. The computer operated system answered and asked me to choose what type of software installation medium I had—I choose OEM CD. Then the automated system asked me to input code generated by WindowsXP using the number pad of the phone with each group of numbers followed by the # symbol. After entering the entire sequence of digits, the system responded with an activation code and instructions to insert it in my system. Walla...two minutes later, Windows was activated. I then turned on automatic updates and the system updated (took a while as the original disks only had service pack 1). I have since upgraded several times and subsequently installed and activated that same software. As long as you don't try to activate more than one machine with the same product ID, I think Microsoft will be fine with that. Once in 2007 an operator did come online and asked why I was trying to reactivate again and I explained that I was upgrading to newer hardware. She then turned me back over to the automated system to complete my activation.

P.S. I've been building and upgrading my own computers for quit some years and Microsoft has never refused to let me move Windows XP or Vista from one dead computer or hard drive to a newer computer or upgraded hardware. If they ask, you simply tell them that you're upgrading and the software is still only being used on your personal machine. Full stop.

[astral]

When you validate Windoze it check the H/W before giving the go ahead.

If you install on a new machine you will not be able to validate as the H/W

will not match.