Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win2000.general (
More info?)
Bruce Chambers wrote:
> Rob Stow wrote:
>
>>Bruce Chambers wrote:
>>
>>
>>>wottop wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>I recently bought a laptop that has a WIn 2K oem license sticker on
>>>>the case. I do not have the accompaning CD.
>>>>
>>>>Is there a place that I can get the CD to install the OS on this system?
>>>>
>>>>Thanks
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From the computer's manufacturer.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>The last time I took a close look at the W2K licencing it was the
>>vendor, not the manufacturer, who had the legal obligation to make sure
>>that a system sold with W2K pre-installed also included the COA and the CD.
>
>
>
> Well, yes. But in regards to pre-installed OEM software, the "vendor"
> and the "manufacturer" are one and the same.
If you buy an HP box direct from HP, the vendor and the OEM are
one and the same. But if you go to a RadioShack store and buy an
HP machine there, then RadioShack is now the one responsible for
making sure that you get the COA and the CD when you buy the
computer. If you later resell that computer, then *you* are
responsible to the next buyer, and so on ad infinitum.
An example that illustrates why this is the way the OEM licencing
works this way (and why I found this out):
Back in the days when W2K was just starting to come out, I
wanted a bunch of Digital (a.k.a. DEC) Pentium II desktops with
OEM copies of W2K. DEC did not yet sell W2K OEM, so the vendor
(GE Capital) took DEC boxes with Win9x, wiped them, installed
W2K. When the boxes were delivered without the COAs and the CDs,
I first complained to DEC because I did not yet know that GE
Capital was the one who made the switch from Win9x to W2K. DEC
of course referred me back to the vendor. Eventually the vendor
sent me the COAs and told me to get the CDs from MicroSoft.
MicroSoft in turn said "No." MicroSoft said they would normally
be happy to sell me /replacement/ media, but not in this case
because I had just finished telling them that I had never
received the /original/ media.
> Or are you thinking that
> the retailer could provide replacement media?
No. The retailer is responsible only for the original media.
Replacement media can come from anyone MicroSoft has authorized -
which is currently only the very large manufacturers, and even
then they can only provide replacements for users with a COA that
can be traced back to that manufacturer.
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