Question:
Hi all,
Wonder if anyone can help please?
1) What is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to buy a genuine licence for XP (either home or pro)?
2) It's because my friend has had his PC back from a repair shop with a copy of windows XP pro on it which i'm not sure is genuine, is it possible to change the key in regedit with this fix to a genuine one?
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[quote=joshtbh]1) What is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to buy a genuine licence for XP (either home or pro)?/quote]
I'd like one to upgrade a laptop from 2000
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you shouldnt really be posting about trying to obtain a windows license key. try searching online some of the larger stores may offer a copy of windows xp cheaper, some may run promotions or, you may be able to buy a copy (origional) at a computer fair
kat21
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you shouldnt really be posting about trying to obtain a windows license key. try searching online some of the larger stores may offer a copy of windows xp cheaper, some may run promotions or, you may be able to buy a copy (origional) at a computer fair
kat21
The OP was not asking how to get a dodgy copy They were asking how to get a genuine one
Apology for the slur might be appropriate
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The OP was not asking how to get a dodgy copy They were asking how to get a genuine one
Apology for the slur might be appropriate
thanks for backing me Al Mac!
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why shouldnt I be posting about trying to obtain a Windows License key?
I thought this was a techie forum?
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just to clear things up, i'm NOT suggesting that you are trying in any way shape or form to do this (and in fact it sounds like the opposite) but i would think the concern is about piracy and the potential for people trying to find ways of getting a valid key on the cheap for non genuine installs...
so, moving on.
i bought an xp pro upgrade cd on ebay a while back for £60 plus p&p. if you do a search for that you'll get a lot of results. it was a fully boxed, sealed, hologrammed job and the seller had a shop which was linked to MS for checking of their approved status - I guess the biggest thing is that it passes the WGA check and i download updates with no problems. in other words, i'm convinced it's genuine and not a hooky copy.
while it says upgrade you can actually do a full clean install from it so i guess that would be a pretty cheap way of doing it - you can probably get xp home cheaper from places like aria, dabs or novatech etc if that's what you wanted instead?
hope that helps.
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Try ebay. Or wait until Vista comes out and the price for XP will drop.
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Check whether you have a genuine copy
If it is genuine, great. If it isn't go back to the repair shop and ask them what they are going to do about it. Depending on how you feel you could also report them to Microsoft.
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There were a couple of non-genuine volume licence keys around a while back but I assumed that Genuine Advantage was sorting that out.
If you can report the dealer to Microsoft for selling unauthorised copies, you may be able to receive either a free or reduced cost (about £90 for Pro) copy
Or buy a genuine OEM copy from a dealer for £90 to 100 for Pro; I think £60 for Home. They can sell this with an order for hardware, and most have a cheap fan or floppy disc power lead under a quid.
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There were a couple of non-genuine volume licence keys around a while back but I assumed that Genuine Advantage was sorting that out.
There are various ways of getting round WGA. Seems a waste of time to me as people with dodgy copies will hack it whereas many genuine owners still get told that their copies aren't genuine which ain't good for Microsoft's PR.
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There are various ways of getting round WGA. Seems a waste of time to me as people with dodgy copies will hack it whereas many genuine owners still get told that their copies aren't genuine which ain't good for Microsoft's PR.
It is there because small computer manufacturers have been selling PCs with illegal licenses (or no license at all) and Microsoft are now recouping the cash. The owners of these PCs didn't even know that it was pirated until WGA and certainly don't know about the WGA crack.
I know of 2 shops near here and 5 or 6 in the hertfordshire area that sell pirated Windows with their PCs, I don't think this will stop them either.
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There were a couple of non-genuine volume licence keys around a while back but I assumed that Genuine Advantage was sorting that out.
If you can report the dealer to Microsoft for selling unauthorised copies, you may be able to receive either a free or reduced cost (about £90 for Pro) copy
Or buy a genuine OEM copy from a dealer for £90 to 100 for Pro; I think £60 for Home. They can sell this with an order for hardware, and most have a cheap fan or floppy disc power lead under a quid.
What are the implications of buying an OEM copy as opposed to a "full" distribution? E.g. on Misco "Windows XP Professional OEM Version" is £79.99 whereas " "MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL W/SP2 - STD CD WIN - 1 USER" is £199.99. (and is the OEM version not SP2 etc).
Also, what is the difference between "Upgrade" and "Full Version"?
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PS It doesn't really matter whether you get SP2 or the initial version of XP - all the Service Packs can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update website.
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Cheapest genuine XP license? £53 for XP Home from ebuyer (it comes with a free CD!)
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I have never used a pirated Windows XP since its release on various computers, plus I have never passed them to relatives and friends.
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You can sell pcs with a copy of xp on them, this is perfectly legal, its the licence that costs the money. Normally when you recieve a pc with a copy of xp on it, they ask you for a licence key and if you do not put in a valid one, it will stop working within a month (sometimes 7 days)
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An upgrade version requires you to boot into Windows 98, NT4, ME or 2000 (I think) , and upgrade that version to Windows XP. A full version allows you to instll the software on a blank hard disk.
The full version is usually more expensive, but many people suggest that Windows is more reliable if installed afresh rather than upgrading.
OEM copies are intended to be sold to people who build PCs and sell them; whilst retail versions are intended to be sold to "Joe Public". There's usually not much difference between the versions, but according to the Windows XP licence, an OEM copy is tied to a particular PC - when the PC dies, you must buy a new copy of Windows (although Microsoft often overlook this). A retail version can be transferred onto as many different PCs as you like - as long as it's only one at a time. Also, OEM versions should (but often aren't) be sold with an item of hardware.
eBay is probably the cheapest place to buy a copy, but there are a LOT of dodgy dealers and pirates selling software on eBay, so be very wary of who you buy from.
Hope this helps...
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What's WGA, not all readers are that readily familiar with these abbreviated letter's
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What's WGA, not all readers are that readily familiar with these abbreviated letter's
Windows Genuine Advantage