Wanna buy Windows XP Pro

don1thedon

Any suggestions for how/where to get the best price?
Thanks
Don

dmg24

What deals have you found so far?

don1thedon

These were typical Google searches (£85 - £100 ish).
OEM - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128332?gclid=CJagh9_U448CFSheEgodeHgmEg
Full - http://www.snutuk.co.uk/index.php?cPath=9_23&osCsid=dae5f8b62126571dd9ca7d0e4f58bd03
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?MS-WXPPVU
I was wondering if there was a way to get it when buying HDD or anything like that, as I seem to remember that you could get OS cheaper if bought it with a piece of hardware.
Thanks Don

Zinger549

don1thedon wrote: »

I was wondering if there was a way to get it when buying HDD or anything like that, as I seem to remember that you could get OS cheaper if bought it with a piece of hardware.
Thanks Don

Thats oem version It quite restrictive and i think it's for only new build pc's. Your only suppost to use it on the hardware you got it with. So if you do get it it with a HDD it woukd only be licensed for that HDD. (I think)

don1thedon

So it looks like snutuk looks the best option unless any other suggestions?
Thanks
Don

hendersonb

OEM liceincing lives and dies with the machine (legally). If you replace the motherboard as an upgrade Microsoft count this as a new machine and the licence is invalid. However if its replaced because its faulty the licence can legally be used.

OEM is probably the best bet at the moment - about half the price at least and with it being phased out because of vista you probably won't be wanting to transfer the licence to another machine when it becomes time to replace it.

The other thing that you do lose with OEM software is tech support. With OEM software you are expected to get support from your pc supplier instead of direct from MS. However with you buying the software OEM you are effectively the machine supplier. I believe you get 1 or 2 free support incidents with MS with retail copys.

e0b1ff

You don't need a physically buy hardware from the same people you buy your license from, all you need to do is go into the shop and tell them you're building a machine and need the software to qualify for OEM if they try and tell you you need to buy hardware at the same time, they either genuinely don't know or they're trying to force another sale onto you.

OEM software is valid for 3 activations on new motherboards, on the 4th it will state that it is now invalid. however there's no set number of times you can activate the software on the motherboard you last activated it on changing the board will use up a strike until you have used all 3.

Microsoft see a change of motherboard to be a change of system and thus, activation uses up one of your three 'strikes' if you change board, then change back to your previous one for what ever reason this will use all 3 'strikes' even though there are only two boards in the process.

Hope this helps.