Certificate of Authenticty

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:52:48 -0500, "Daave" <daave@example.com> wrote:

>mm wrote:

>> On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:26:26 -0500, "Daave" <daave@example.com> wrote:

>>

>>> mm wrote:

>>>> A friend was given a computer with XP, through a recycling list. It

>>>> has the MS Certificate of Authenticity sticker, with the Product

>>>> Key, on the bottom. It seems to me she intended to give him the XP

>>>> license also, and he can use that number if, for example, he wants

>>>> to upgrade an old computer or assemble a new computer. Do you

>>>> agree?

>>>>

>>>> OTOH, I was given a computer, an eMachine, but without the

>>>> harddrive, and it too has the XP C of A sticker on the bottom with

>>>> the Product Key, but my guess is he didn't intend to give me the

>>>> license, because he kept the harddrive. Do you agree? (He

>>>> was moving and that's why he gave his old junk away, and that's

>>>> also why I can't reach him.)

>>>

>>> I don't understand. The COA sticker with the Product Key is the

>>> license.

>>

>> I didn't realize that!

>>

>>> Are you talking about insallation CDs perhaps? Retail

>>> installation CDs and Generic OEM (System Builder) CDs also come with

>>> Certificates of Authenticity with Product Keys.

>>

>> That's all I'd seen before. I guess I'd seen computers with COA's but

>> I'd never looked behind one to see the sticker.

>

>Behind a PC or CD?

Behind a PC.

>

>With desktops, I've seen COA stickers on the top or on one of the sides.

>With laptops, I've seen them on the bottom or sometimes in the

>compartment where the rechargeable battery is located.

I guess I don't really see that many computers, and I don't pay much

attention when I do. ;(

>I've never seen a Retail installation CD (that I can recall). I've seen

>lots of OEM installation CDs. Dell-branded installation CDs don't come

>with COAs (the computers themselves do, however). The COAs I have seen

>with generic OEM installation CDs are not stickers. But what I usually

>do is tape them to the PCs I install them on.

That's a good idea.

>>> With regard to the first paragraph, assuming it is an OEM license,

>>> it is tied to that computer and the EULA does not permit it to be

>>> used on any other PC.

>>

>> I haven't seen it, but it probably is tied to the PC. This was my

>> idea, not the guy who got the free computer's.

>

>No "probably" in this case. That is, if that PC does indeed have an OEM

>version of Windows XP installed on it, it is tied to the computer. So

What I meant was it proably has an OEM version of XP on it. It's

probably not a win2000 or 98 computer that was upgraded to XP with a

retail CD. But I haven't seen it an my friend is a recent refugee

from Macintosh.

>the Product Key associated with that license may not be used (per the

>EULA) on any other PC. This is not to say that others have never tried

>to do just that and with success. However, it is not permitted by the

>EULA.

>

>>> With regard to the second paragraph, you can install a hard drive if

>>> you wish and install XP on it; the COA sticker is proof you have the

>>> right to do this. I'm not sure which method the manufacturer

>>> provided to reinstall Windows with that particular PC. Perhaps the

>>> old hard drive had a hidden recovery partition. If that is the

>>> case, you would obviously need to come up with another method. :-)

>>> If eMachine provided a Recovery CD, that should work. Also, a

>>> generic OEM installation CD of the matching type of XP (e.g., Home

>>> or Pro) -- matching the license indicated on the COA sticker, that

>>> is -- will work if you use the COA sticker's Product Key.

>>

>> Well, I may try that. It's actually faster than the computer I'm

>> using now, 800Mhz.

>

>Sounds like a plan. You need to determine the method eMachine provided

>to reinstall the OS. It is in the documentation that came with the PC.

>If you don't have the documentation, you should be able to find it

>online if you enter the model and model number in a search engine. If

That sounds like a plan. I'll probably start on that tomorrow.

>you can't find it, tell us the model/number, and surely someone here can

>help you with that.

Thank you.

>>>> OT3H, in a few years, when most people have changed to Vista and 7,

>>>> there will be loads of licenses around that no one wants, isn't that

>>>> likely?

>>>

>>> Not pertinent if they are OEM licenses that have already been used.

>>> Remember those licenses are not transferrable (per the EULA).

>>

>> I forgot. And when I knew, the full meaning of that didn't occur to

>> me.

>>>

>>>> Or at least that no one uses. Will they be selling them?

>>>>

>>>> If I try to use that license years from now, will it warn me it's

>>>> still in use without screwing up the guy who was nice enough to give

>>>> me the computer?

>>>

>>> There won't be any warning if you are still using the same PC the

>>> nice guy was using.

>>

>> You've explained that the computer had an OEM license, so he won't be

>> using it after all, iiuc.

>>

>> And I can only use it on this one computer, which might work if things

>> go well.

BTW, as you could tell maybe from my first questions, this didn't turn

out anything like I thought it would. My friend has less than I

thought he would have (though he's not complaining at all, and doesn't

even know what I incorrectly thought) and I may have more than I

thought I did. Well I do have more and I may be able to make use of

it. (My computer is 800 Mhz and the one without the harddrive is

about 2300.)

Thanks again.

>> Thanks a lot.

>

>YW.

>

mm wrote:

> BTW, as you could tell maybe from my first questions, this didn't turn

> out anything like I thought it would. My friend has less than I

> thought he would have (though he's not complaining at all, and doesn't

> even know what I incorrectly thought) and I may have more than I

> thought I did. Well I do have more and I may be able to make use of

> it. (My computer is 800 Mhz and the one without the harddrive is

> about 2300.)

>

> Thanks again.

YW.