XP: Retail vs. OEM Activation after 1-2009

[//[T.0.P]//]

Read a review about Windows XP Retail on newegg stating after January 2009 where mainstream support ends for the OS, Activation will no longer be needed unless you're using OEM where then you'll have to activate by phone every single time you reinstall XP. Review by Strickt (Should be the very latest review of the product).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16837116195

I was wondering if any of you know if this is true or not. I tried to look it up but couldn't necessarily find anything different when it comes to activating XP after the mainstream support ends.

Plus this guy said there's only 28 copies left on newegg. But going by his method in finding out newegg's stock, I was able to add 99 copies to the cart. Dunno, yo.

I was thinking about getting Retail anyway, just for the ease of transferability. But this would help me make a decision now if what this Strickt guy says is true!

[sdotbrucato]

Hmmm, last I heard it was 2014. They may stop putting XP on shelves come the first, but theyre not going to stop production or support.

Theyre not going to lose out on the netbook boom by cutting XP, and a lot of businesses still use XP.

As for activation servers going down or w.e. I highly doubt it. Why buy Vista if you can get full support w/ XP for free? I'm sure theyre going to require WGA for XP until 2014, and with WGA they need activation servers.


Of course this is all speculation, except for that 2014 date. =)

[Phantoms]

Any idiot can spout off anything.

Adhere to the old saying: Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.

[Zepher]

Put in 999, it changed it to 98 available,
states in Red "Insufficient quantity available"
so they have 98 copies now.

[GonzoP]

Speaking of XP I just formatted my Junior Sig Rig and put a fresh XP on it