Re: possible pirated software

From: Stan (sorry_at_noname.com)
Date: 03/18/04 

Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 08:03:06 -0500

*Vanguard*,

I'm not sure I totally understand your reply here to Tim, but your reply
seems to skirt on a question I have.

I have a 6yr. old Gateway that came with Win.98se preloaded, a cd marked
OEM, and a paper manual with COA and product key #.

At one time the HDD went bad, Gateway sent a new one I installed it and
installed Win98 using the original cd and the product key from the front of
the paper manual.

Sometime after that I noticed in the registry that the product key value is
not the same # as I typed in from the COA on the paper manual.

I've wondered how this can be.

Your answer to Tim indicates two deferent types of OEM installs, could this
have something to do with it? 

-- 
Stan
"If it ain't broke don't fix it"
"*Vanguard*" <no-email@post-reply-in-newsgroup.invalid> wrote in message
news:19adndlUaezBu8TdRVn-vw@comcast.com...
> "Tim" said in news:f21901c40c90$eb1d81e0$a301280a@phx.gbl:
> > I have a client that might have been sold an illegal copy
> > of Windows XP from another company.  How can I tell if
> > this is the case?  There is no COA on the computer.  Is
> > there a way to check by looking at the OS itself.  The
> > client is a town police station, and we need to find out
> > the information for court purposes.
>
> Was it labelled a "Corporate Edition"?  That's was sellers try to use to
> fool buyers into thinking it is a special version of Windows when what
> they really did was slice up a volume license (all instances within a
> volume license are to be used within the same organization so selling of
> instances to outside that organization is a violation of the EULA).
>
> There would only be a COA sticker (with the product key) if an OEM
> version had been pre-installed on the computer.  If the OEM version of
> Windows was simply included with the computer (i.e., you got the OEM
> disc in shrinkwrap with the COA sticker on it) then you are responsible
> for installing the product (even if already installed) and activating
> it.  If it was a retail version of Windows, there won't be any COA
> sticker on the computer.  Instead you need to use the product key on the
> orange sticker on the jewel case or on the foldout CD wallet, and the
> COA with 3D logo comes as paper instead of as a sticker.  Whether for an
> OEM or retail version, the Windows CD should have the 3D logo.
>
> Head on over to www.microsoft.com/piracy/howtotell to see if Microsoft
> can help you identify the legality of your copy.
>
> -- 
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>

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