Where can I buy a legit copy of XP?

[Componentgirl90]

I contacted microsoft to see if I could transfer XP from one PC to another and they said not with the OEM version I have. Hence I am in the market for a retail copy of XP.

I am aware that many copies sold online are illegal since they are selling OEM. I would really like to buy a retail version from a reputable company. Any ideas?

 

[blazorthon]

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AWindows%20XP

Amazon is a good starting place when you're looking for something like this.

 

[Componentgirl90]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Microsoft-Windows-XP-Professional-SP3-Full-Install-Version-COA-Product-Key-/281642532600?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item419333fef8

How about that? It says it is 100% legit but why does it say only on Dell computers and it is OEM, how can this be valid?

 

[blazorthon]

It looks like it was meant for a Dell computer, but the product page says it will work on any desktop/laptop that supports Windows XP. It looks like it is technically legitimate as the company does explain the loopholes they used to ensure that it is legal. They state the relevant parts of Microsoft's policy and then state what they did to ensure they are in compliance.

 

[Saberus]

I don't think there are legit keys for XP anymore, unless you already had a non-OEM version. They may claim compliance, but that's up to Microsoft to determine validity.

If I read correctly, they're pulling the key off a decommissioned machine, which means it's a used OEM key. That's not going to fly too well by Microsoft's standards. Even if it did, the copy can't authenticate itself because the MS authentication servers for XP are gone now that it's EOL/EOS.

 

[blazorthon]

Microsoft themselves are still selling XP on amazon, so there must still be keys. I don't know what that means for this ebay listing being fine or not, but as far as I can tell, it is legitimate. They go as far as to state the parts of the license and what they did to ensure compliance, such as shipping the broken motherboard from the system the software was meant for.

OEM keys pulled are fine so long as you keep the motherboard tied to the key. As for the servers, I don't know what to do for that, but if they're down, then I don't think there's any issue to worry about regardless of the key's validity.