Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (
More info?)
ATK wrote:
> I have been trying to get XP pro on ebay and obviously I want a genuine
> copy.
If you're serious about purchasing a legitimate license, you might want
to avoid eBay. One should be very careful buying any software on eBay,
as eBay makes no prior effort to ensure that such sales are legitimate;
they react only when someone files a complaint. (And then all that
really happens is the seller of the pirated software returns using a
different alias, to continue selling illegitimate licenses.)
> What does COA and Product Key do.
The CoA is the "Certificate of Authenticity." It's a document, usually
in the form of a label or sticker, nowadays, that certifies the license
as legitimate. The Product Key is a 25-character alpha-numeric code
that you have to enter in order to proceed with the installation of the
OS. Often, the Product Key is printed on the CoA, particularly for OEM
licenses.
> I asked one seller about COA and all
> I got in reply was "Product Key is on the back". Would this have been enough
> to be legal?
That would depend upon what, specifically, the "Product Key is on the
back" of. An OEM Product Key is usually affixed to the back or side (or
bottom, if a notebook) of the computer to which it is permanently bound.
A retail Product Key is stored on the back of the CD packaging on a
bright orange sticker that says "Do not lose this number."
> Also, in addition to above is an OEM (say Dell) copy OK.
Only if the purchase also includes the Dell computer with which that CD
and license were originally sold, and to which it is permanently bound.
If someone is selling a Dell OEM CD (without the entire computer) on
eBay, you may be 100% certain that the sale is *not* legitimate.
--
Bruce Chambers
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