Buying Vista, can you just order a CD KEY?

[brandonb]

I already have Vista Sp1 install cd's, but I want to get my sister a real copy of windows for her computer for christmas as she has had an old "pirated" copy of XP for the last 5 years. I have to reinstall her computer anyways due to all the viruses and crap her kids put on there, so I just want to get them Vista.

Anyway to get just a CDKEY without ordering the disk from a place like New egg? A place on microsoft.com?

I tried to search but could not find the answer, so my guess is no, but I apologize in advance if this has been asked before.

 

[KeypoX]

if your a student you can get Server 2008 Key for free. College or high or whatever works. Then use the guides to switch it to vista mode...

 

[Rike]

If I recall Mircosoft's rules correctly, you can't sell a key/COA sticker on it's own legally. It has to be packaged with the disk.

 

[Lepard]

To be honest, if her computer is at least "5 years old", putting Vista on it would be a nightmare.

 

[RebateMonger]

Retail and OEM copies of Vista (and XP) require that you purchase a CD/DVD along with an Activation Key. If anyone tries to sell you the Key separately, they are likely stolen/counterfeit. Only Volume-licensed Keys and certain other special Keys can be sold on their own without media.

And, yeah, at best you may find that a five-year-old computer is a bit slow with Vista.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: brandonb
her computer for christmas as she has had an old "pirated" copy of XP for the last 5 years. I have to reinstall her computer anyways due to all the viruses and crap her kids put on there, so I just want to get them Vista.

Just get her a legit copy of Windows XP. Vista on five year-old hardware, unless it was relatively high-end at the time, is going to be painful. The graphics hardware may not even have WDDM drivers.

 

[brandonb]

Thanks for the responses. Looks like I need to purchase the CD from New Egg.

The computer she has I installed the Vista Beta on at one point (3 years ago) and it seemed to run ok. She just needs to access Email, and her kids just play WoW, and I'm sure it will run that just fine.

I want to get her Vista because of UAC and her kids always manage to find a way to get viruses on the computer, and according to my sister, they always find ways to get around Limited User privledges in Windows Xp and make themselves administrators (they probably change the settings when she is in the bathroom and she didnt lock the computer.) I'm hoping Vista will work out better for her. I can only hope.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: brandonb
I want to get her Vista because of UAC and her kids always manage to find a way to get viruses on the computer, and according to my sister, they always find ways to get around Limited User privledges in Windows Xp and make themselves administrators (they probably change the settings when she is in the bathroom and she didnt lock the computer.) I'm hoping Vista will work out better for her. I can only hope.

Good luck. I'd like to hear back on how the Vista security works in her situation.

 

[Bateluer]

Sounds like a job for Ubuntu to me. Vista is going to tank on a 5 year old system.

 

[Koharski]

yeah i'm sure her kids are going to LOVE struggling with WOW in WINE

 

[Ev3nt H0riz0n]

Originally posted by: KeypoX
if your a student you can get Server 2008 Key for free. College or high or whatever works. Then use the guides to switch it to vista mode...

How exactly do you get verified as a student? journeyed.com seems bare of any such link.

 

[MrPickins]

http://www.microsoft.com/windo...sta/get/licensing.aspx

I've bought several new XP licenses from MS before.

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: Lepard
To be honest, if her computer is at least "5 years old", putting Vista on it would be a nightmare.

Please don't spread misinformation.