Legal Question

[jonathonball]

I am reformatting a computer for a co-worker. I'm charging her a flat $50 for the labor. (Hey, it's cheaper than geek squad!) She did not have any of the restore disks that came with the computer. I'd like to install Windows XP Home on her machine from one of my disks, but use her legit key from the sticker on the bottom of her machine. I figure she already owns that copy, I'm just reinstalling it. Probably a stupid question, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't breaking any laws.

 

[H-street]

not a problem as long as your disk will work with her key.. i'd be suprised if it did..

 

[Joe Average]

As the poster above noted, the chances of that key actually working are pretty slim. You'd have to match the precise OEM brand for such an instance to come off without a hitch. If she owns an OEM branded machine like a Dell, Gateway, HP, or some other major brand, the key on the sticker doesn't actually mean anything (it's the sticker itself that defines legal ownership). So your XP CD will probably either be: a) some other brand that doesn't match whatever OEM brand her machine/sticker is, or b) if you have a retail CD it'll never work regardless.

You can make the attempt, can't hurt I suppose, I just doubt you'll have any modicum of success. As for legal issues, I mean really: how many millions of times have people used an XP CD to install/reinstall XP without Microsoft or some overzealous lawyer busting down your door screaming "FREEZE!!!" If you both own legal legit copies of XP, I can't imagine even Bill Gates himself complaining that you're helping someone restore their machine to operating condition.

 

[swatbat]

As long as you have an oem xp home disk that is of the same service pack level as the key you are fine. If you don't you can load it with your key but don't activate it. MS has a key change tool you can use to change the key to hers that works accross versions(ie you can put a retail key onto a machine loaded with an oem copy). You can then activate it using her key which will prob require a phone call to ms.

If it is a dell or hp or whatever you can call the MFG and order restore cds.

 

[oboyco]

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228

 

[Deleted member 16178]

Call up Dell with the service tag. They will send you all the CDs for free in 3 days. Make a copy of those for other upcoming clients computer repair. Make business cards. Generally speaking, $50 an hour is pretty consistent.... Good luck!

 

[BinarySynapse]

As the poster above noted, the chances of that key actually working are pretty slim. You'd have to match the precise OEM brand for such an instance to come off without a hitch. If she owns an OEM branded machine like a Dell, Gateway, HP, or some other major brand, the key on the sticker doesn't actually mean anything (it's the sticker itself that defines legal ownership). So your XP CD will probably either be: a) some other brand that doesn't match whatever OEM brand her machine/sticker is, or b) if you have a retail CD it'll never work regardless.

Saying the key on the sticker doesn't mean anything is simply not true. I've reinstalled Windows on dozens of computers using the key plastered to the side of the case. The only thing is that MS doesn't allow them to be activated online. You have to call them and they'll ask for the brand and model of the system it's being installed on. All these reinstalls were done with a plain jane OEM cd. No branded cd required, it just has to be an OEM version that matches the edition (e.g. Home or Professional).