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Solve : How can I get Windows XP?? |
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Answer» My desktop hasn't been working well lately so when I get a job and get enough money (will be sometime this summer) I am going to buy a laptop. The one I am buying, like most, comes with Windows Vista. I PERFER XP so I am wondering where I can get XP. Thanks. Also, can an install disk be used more than once? I.E. if I want XP on the next computer I get (after this laptop) can I use the same disk again?You should get your computer and install disk from the same source. Some OEM XP install CDs may have drivers not found on the retail version of XP. And if you buy a retail version of XP it is, in a legal way, not licensed for use on more that one PC. Buy if you have the manufacturer's an OEM CD, and both PCs are from the same and both have the COA, then is such case one CD for both machine is inside the terms of OEM licensing. There may be a cut off date whee Microsoft may not longer allow both XP and VISTA for the same machine. I don't understand the detail. What I mean is that there is little difference between the Retail XP and the OEM CD, but there is a difference that may have some impact. If enough people ask for it, Microsoft may extend the life of XP. I am holding my breath ...and .. waiting.....Quote from: Geek-9pm on April 22, 2009, 07:48:57 PM Buy if you have the manufacturer's an OEM CD, and both PCs are from the same and both have the COA, then is such case one CD for both machine is inside the terms of OEM licensing. I'm interested in what you have to say, but I don't understand what you said. Any chance you could clarify the above quote? -- dahlarbearQuote from: dahlarbear on April 22, 2009, 08:12:55 PM I'm interested in what you have to say but I don't understand what you said. Any chance you could clarify the quote above? -- dahlarbear This is what I sorta see in that... If you have the manufacturer's CD, and all the computers are from the same company, then you can install XP on the computers...Nope. They would have to be identical so the drivers match. OEM CD's should generally be used ONLY on the machine they shipped with... Not sure what Geek was saying there though...maybe he can clarify.Quote from: patio on April 22, 2009, 08:57:06 PM Nope.Thank you for explaining then.No problem...By reading this post you acknowledge you have read the fine print at the bottom. Sorry if I was not clear. I did not mean to say thee is a free lunch. The general policy from Microsoft is "One CD for One Machine". Now then, First consider the case of the large manufacture, say Big BLUE. Big Blue buys a very large volume of product keys and a development kit from Microsoft. Or something like that. Details of the contract are not always public knowledge, nor do that have to be. Then Big Blue makes a limited number of CDs with the company name. They are for use only on PCs made by Big Blue. But they might install on other PCs. But we call these OEM CDs. They do not have all the drivers you need for just any PC out thee. Later, Big Blue makes changes to the design. Some more drivers are needed. Now the company ships the PCs WITHOUT a CD. The old OEM CD does not have the new stuff on it, including MS updates. This complies, apparently, with Microsoft's contract with the company. The COA on the back of the machine is proof that the Windows XP factory install is legal. But the owner does not have a CD. Thus we have a case where thousands (millions?) of Big Blue PCs are out there with no CD. In such a case, the user might order the CD from Big Blue. But they do not offer an updated CD for users. Maybe a few for repair centers. If the user somehow gets a legal early EM CD, not a copy, it would not violate the intent of the law to use the resold* OEM CD to restore the XP system on the Big Blue PC that was sold with XP but did not have a CD shipped with it. * If a PC is junked, the CD could be sold with s the junk. Legal within limits. In no case would it be right to install XP on a Big Blue machine that was sold with Win 2000 only. Even if it did the install perfectly. A similar case is when Small custom builder wants to put XP on custom built systems. But he has fewer options. He can not burn a custom CD with XP on it. Maybe he could make a driver CD. Or maybe he could create a recovery partition. He is allowed to load a number of machines from one master media, or a deployment system used only in the shop. There has to be a COA and product key for each machine. Will the product key be useful for any other purpose. Maybe not. If you want to custom build XP systems, you can order 30 keys and one media for about $4200. that is less than the price of the retail XP. Can you buy a cheap OEM CD and ignore the product key requirement? Don't even think about it! And don't ask how to fake the product key. NO! So, for legal PCs built by somebody who STAYS in the rules it would be like this: One PC, one product Key and COA. - OR - One PC, One CD, one product Key and COA. (This post is not from a legal authority and reflects only the perception of one person.) Thanks for the clarification. --dahlarbear |
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