Question about Windows COA Codes and Reselling Used Computers

[itsVance]

I was shopping at Goodwill and noticed on all of their used laptops the COA stickers had been torn off. The laptops were being sold with wiped drives and no COA sticker.

I asked the manager and he said it was his understanding that Goodwill cant sell donated computers with windows installed and they must also tear off the COA sticker.

This doesn't make sense to me at all. If someones going to buy a used computer they will need an OS. It seems like a policy requiring them to remove windows and the COA would encourage people to use Linux instead of buying a new expensive Windows key for an old relatively outdated computer.

This especially makes no sense to me since computers made after 2012 include the COA in the UEFI/BIOS and they are still being sold without the chips being ripped out.

Please someone tell me that manager has been misinformed or is Microsoft really making Goodwill delete windows and strip off the COA's before reselling donated PC's and Laptops?

 

[USAFRet]

I was shopping at Goodwill and noticed on all of their used laptops the COA stickers had been torn off. The laptops were being sold with wiped drives and no COA sticker.

I asked the manager and he said it was his understanding that Goodwill cant sell donated computers with windows installed and they must also tear off the COA sticker.

This doesn't make sense to me at all. If someones going to buy a used computer they will need an OS. It seems like a policy requiring them to remove windows and the COA would encourage people to use Linux instead of buying a new expensive Windows key for an old relatively outdated computer.

This especially makes no sense to me since computers made after 2012 include the COA in the UEFI/BIOS and they are still being sold without the chips being ripped out.

Please someone tell me that manager has been misinformed or is Microsoft really making Goodwill delete windows and strip off the COA's before reselling donated PC's and Laptops?

If they sell it with the OS, they must also include the COA, and the actual install media.

From MS licensing, for Win 7 Home Premium:
http://download.microsoft.com/Documents/UseTerms/Windows_7%20Home%20Premium_English_95d28e40-a649-40d7-abff-bdd912a80dc0.pdf

"16. TRANSFER TO A THIRD PARTY. You may transfer the software directly to a third party only with the licensed computer. The transfer must include the software and the Certificate of Authenticity label. You may not keep any copies of the software or any earlier version. Before any permitted transfer, the other party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software."

Goodwill has no real way to verify the software on the system matches the COA or is not otherwise used elsewhere. Far easier and faster to scrape it off and wipe the drive.
And it's not Microsoft doing this, but rather the Goodwill legal entity.

 

[itsVance]

I was shopping at Goodwill and noticed on all of their used laptops the COA stickers had been torn off. The laptops were being sold with wiped drives and no COA sticker.

I asked the manager and he said it was his understanding that Goodwill cant sell donated computers with windows installed and they must also tear off the COA sticker.

This doesn't make sense to me at all. If someones going to buy a used computer they will need an OS. It seems like a policy requiring them to remove windows and the COA would encourage people to use Linux instead of buying a new expensive Windows key for an old relatively outdated computer.

This especially makes no sense to me since computers made after 2012 include the COA in the UEFI/BIOS and they are still being sold without the chips being ripped out.

Please someone tell me that manager has been misinformed or is Microsoft really making Goodwill delete windows and strip off the COA's before reselling donated PC's and Laptops?

If they sell it with the OS, they must also include the COA, and the actual install media.

From MS licensing, for Win 7 Home Premium:
http://download.microsoft.com/Documents/UseTerms/Windows_7%20Home%20Premium_English_95d28e40-a649-40d7-abff-bdd912a80dc0.pdf

"16. TRANSFER TO A THIRD PARTY. You may transfer the software directly to a third party only with the licensed computer. The transfer must include the software and the Certificate of Authenticity label. You may not keep any copies of the software or any earlier version. Before any permitted transfer, the other party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software."

Goodwill has no real way to verify the software on the system matches the COA or is not otherwise used elsewhere. Far easier and faster to scrape it off and wipe the drive.
And it's not Microsoft doing this, but rather the Goodwill legal entity.

Thanks for the info.

Most computers don't come with the reinstall media. HP's for example will give you a blank set of DVD's and a popup will prompt you to create your own recovery media.

Is there a reason they would not be able to resell computers with the COA stickers attached if the computer's drives were removed?

So not microsoft, but goodwill doing it.

edit:
Its my understanding most OEM's dont even install Windows with the same code that is on the COA during the initial factory install. Shouldn't it only matter that the computers COA sticker matches the version of Windows that is currently installed?

 

[USAFRet]

I was shopping at Goodwill and noticed on all of their used laptops the COA stickers had been torn off. The laptops were being sold with wiped drives and no COA sticker.

I asked the manager and he said it was his understanding that Goodwill cant sell donated computers with windows installed and they must also tear off the COA sticker.

This doesn't make sense to me at all. If someones going to buy a used computer they will need an OS. It seems like a policy requiring them to remove windows and the COA would encourage people to use Linux instead of buying a new expensive Windows key for an old relatively outdated computer.

This especially makes no sense to me since computers made after 2012 include the COA in the UEFI/BIOS and they are still being sold without the chips being ripped out.

Please someone tell me that manager has been misinformed or is Microsoft really making Goodwill delete windows and strip off the COA's before reselling donated PC's and Laptops?

If they sell it with the OS, they must also include the COA, and the actual install media.

From MS licensing, for Win 7 Home Premium:
http://download.microsoft.com/Documents/UseTerms/Windows_7%20Home%20Premium_English_95d28e40-a649-40d7-abff-bdd912a80dc0.pdf

"16. TRANSFER TO A THIRD PARTY. You may transfer the software directly to a third party only with the licensed computer. The transfer must include the software and the Certificate of Authenticity label. You may not keep any copies of the software or any earlier version. Before any permitted transfer, the other party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software."

Goodwill has no real way to verify the software on the system matches the COA or is not otherwise used elsewhere. Far easier and faster to scrape it off and wipe the drive.
And it's not Microsoft doing this, but rather the Goodwill legal entity.

Thanks for the info.

Most computers don't come with the reinstall media. HP's for example will give you a blank set of DVD's and a popup will prompt you to create your own recovery media.

Is there a reason they would not be able to resell computers with the COA stickers attached if the computer's drives were removed?

Would there be any conditions in the license that change the rules for resellers?

Having that factory reset partition IS 'the install media'
You are prompted to create your own DVD. Of course, no one ever does.

For the COA and license on an OEM system? To obtain the actual install media, you have to go through the manufacturer, not Microsoft.
HP, Dell, Asus, whoever.

Goodwill does not want to deal with all that.
"Here is the hardware, cheap. Go source your own OS."

 

[itsVance]

I was shopping at Goodwill and noticed on all of their used laptops the COA stickers had been torn off. The laptops were being sold with wiped drives and no COA sticker.

I asked the manager and he said it was his understanding that Goodwill cant sell donated computers with windows installed and they must also tear off the COA sticker.

This doesn't make sense to me at all. If someones going to buy a used computer they will need an OS. It seems like a policy requiring them to remove windows and the COA would encourage people to use Linux instead of buying a new expensive Windows key for an old relatively outdated computer.

This especially makes no sense to me since computers made after 2012 include the COA in the UEFI/BIOS and they are still being sold without the chips being ripped out.

Please someone tell me that manager has been misinformed or is Microsoft really making Goodwill delete windows and strip off the COA's before reselling donated PC's and Laptops?

If they sell it with the OS, they must also include the COA, and the actual install media.

From MS licensing, for Win 7 Home Premium:
http://download.microsoft.com/Documents/UseTerms/Windows_7%20Home%20Premium_English_95d28e40-a649-40d7-abff-bdd912a80dc0.pdf

"16. TRANSFER TO A THIRD PARTY. You may transfer the software directly to a third party only with the licensed computer. The transfer must include the software and the Certificate of Authenticity label. You may not keep any copies of the software or any earlier version. Before any permitted transfer, the other party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software."

Goodwill has no real way to verify the software on the system matches the COA or is not otherwise used elsewhere. Far easier and faster to scrape it off and wipe the drive.
And it's not Microsoft doing this, but rather the Goodwill legal entity.

Thanks for the info.

Most computers don't come with the reinstall media. HP's for example will give you a blank set of DVD's and a popup will prompt you to create your own recovery media.

Is there a reason they would not be able to resell computers with the COA stickers attached if the computer's drives were removed?

Would there be any conditions in the license that change the rules for resellers?

Having that factory reset partition IS 'the install media'
You are prompted to create your own DVD. Of course, no one ever does.

For the COA and license on an OEM system? To obtain the actual install media, you have to go through the manufacturer, not Microsoft.
HP, Dell, Asus, whoever.

Goodwill does not want to deal with all that.
"Here is the hardware, cheap. Go source your own OS."

The thing is Microsoft provides a free way to use a recovery USB to reinstall Windows provided you have a COA sticker. It makes it difficult to use that USB on a new HDD if Goodwill rips the sticker off.

 

[USAFRet]

Again:
"Here is the hardware, cheap. Go source your own OS"

 

[itsVance]

Again:
"Here is the hardware, cheap. Go source your own OS"

Alright. Thanks for your help. I was hoping to get something to bring into him that would show its ok for him to leave the COA intact once the HDD was removed.

 

[USAFRet]

The licensing issues are a minefield that Goodwill probably does NOT want to get into.

6 months from now, someones 'PC and OS from Goodwill' gets deactivated. They then bitch to Goodwill, etc, etc, etc...