Is my windows 8 legal?

death_relic0

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Sep 18, 2009
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Hey guys,
I just bought windows 8 from a local seller (don't live in the US) and I am having a feeling that it isn't legal because the price was somewhat low.

The seller advertised the copy as 'retail' and it works, and the seller also had a couple of MAK keys for windows.

I wanted to know if it was possible that I bought an illegal copy of windows? I found out that there are many MSDN keys, so what is a reliable way to check if you have a good legal windows copy? Also, are there MSDN MAK keys (MAK = multiple access keys = keys that can be activated on multiple PC's)? Because if there are only retail versions of MAK keys I am probably in the green :).

Thanks in advance.
 
Solution


There are no volume licence keys on the MSDNAA. The keys on the MSDNAA are roughly similar to OEM keys in that they are tied to the motherboard's firmware. The MSDNAA agreement is supplementary to the Windows EULA and I don't think that there's any automated way to figure out the...
Microsoft has cracked down hard on volume licence and MSDNAA key abuse but there are still a few floating around. If you purchased only the CD key and did not receive a Windows 8 installation disk along with associated documentation and certificate of authenticity then it is quite likely that you have purchased a key that was not authorized for resale.
 

death_relic0

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Sep 18, 2009
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ya but is there a way you can check if your key is MSDNAA? and do you have MAK keys on MSDNAA?
 


There are no volume licence keys on the MSDNAA. The keys on the MSDNAA are roughly similar to OEM keys in that they are tied to the motherboard's firmware. The MSDNAA agreement is supplementary to the Windows EULA and I don't think that there's any automated way to figure out the licence terms that apply to a particular key. You can try calling Microsoft though.
 
Solution

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