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Got a free computer with a Win2k coa sticker on the case

K

KrillBee

Golden Member
I recently got a computer for free from my school that had a Windows 2000 COA sticker on the side of the case.

The computer was a desktop case and a rather old machine, so I peeled the sticker off to perhaps use on a newer machine at my house.

I doubt the school is using this particular win2k license, since they have upgraded most their machines use site licenses for both win2k and windows xp (most of our school machines have been upgrade to xp now)

Is it legal for me to use the win2k serial/license that I got off the case?

I didnt get a cd with the system obviously, but I have a win2k cd already that i could use for installing the OS, (if that is considered legal).
 
I think thats an OEM COA and is 'married' to the hardware it came with, IE your old PC, not the new one.
I think you could have used it on the old machine legally
 
Originally posted by: TG2
I think thats an OEM COA and is 'married' to the hardware it came with, IE your old PC, not the new one.
I think you could have used it on the old machine legally
Click to expand...

if I still a piece of hardware leftover from the old machine could i just put that piece of hardware in my new system to make it legit? (like a floppy drive?) lol.
 
Originally posted by: KrillBee
Originally posted by: TG2
I think thats an OEM COA and is 'married' to the hardware it came with, IE your old PC, not the new one.
I think you could have used it on the old machine legally
Click to expand...

if I still a piece of hardware leftover from the old machine could i just put that piece of hardware in my new system to make it legit? (like a floppy drive?) lol.
Click to expand...

I don't think the floppy drive would make it legal
 
Originally posted by: KrillBee
Originally posted by: TG2
I think thats an OEM COA and is 'married' to the hardware it came with, IE your old PC, not the new one.
I think you could have used it on the old machine legally
Click to expand...

if I still a piece of hardware leftover from the old machine could i just put that piece of hardware in my new system to make it legit? (like a floppy drive?) lol.
Click to expand...

you can change everything except for the mb/proc, iirc.
 
An OEM license isn't transferable to a new PC, so it would be illegal from that point of view.

TBH, though, you could use that key and no-one would be any the wiser.
 
Originally posted by: Canterwood
An OEM license isn't transferable to a new PC, so it would be illegal from that point of view.
Click to expand...

According to Microsoft, at least. Has this ever been tested in court?
 
Originally posted by: Chiropteran
Originally posted by: Canterwood
An OEM license isn't transferable to a new PC, so it would be illegal from that point of view.
Click to expand...

According to Microsoft, at least. Has this ever been tested in court?
Click to expand...
Probably not.
Unless someone's been putting old OEM stickers on new PC's en masse.

 
Originally posted by: Chiropteran
Originally posted by: Canterwood
An OEM license isn't transferable to a new PC, so it would be illegal from that point of view.
Click to expand...

According to Microsoft, at least. Has this ever been tested in court?
Click to expand...

AFAIK, no.

It's definitely not kosher to resell OEM OS licenses separately from the system they were originally bundled with, and I'm pretty sure a court would enforce that.

Whether they can keep you from personally reusing/transferring it, or giving it away (basically, if MS can force an end-user to keep the OS bound to a particular piece of hardware)... a dicey question in a lot of ways. MS would argue that allowing this would unfairly penalize them for having sold Dell/HP/Compaq/whoever the OS at a discounted price (with the understanding it would be bound to that system and not resold/reused). IANAL, though, so I have no idea how that would work out.
 
Is it legal for me to use the win2k serial/license that I got off the case?

Legally, no, the terms of MS's OEM licensing prohibit the transfer.

I don't happen to agree with the law but that's another topic.
 
Originally posted by: networkman
Is it legal for me to use the win2k serial/license that I got off the case?

Legally, no, the terms of MS's OEM licensing prohibit the transfer.

I don't happen to agree with the law but that's another topic.
Click to expand...


There is a big difference here between what is written in the contract and what a court will find to be legally binding.

You should probably go and study some U.S. history here, in particular Judge Green and the breakup of A.T.&T.
 
Originally posted by: Zugzwang152
Originally posted by: JustAnAverageGuy
Legally? No

Technically possible? Yes

Will Microsoft know? Doubtful.
Click to expand...

Should you do it anyway? Probably not.
Click to expand...

i suppose a contract is a contract, and when you agree to it, you agree to uphold it.
 
Actually it's supposedly just the motherboard the liscense is wed to. And the motherboard could be replaced as long as it's identical.
In reality MS is still fairly leniant about a liscense transfer regardless of "type" (not my personal experience, just general replies to the tons of other people who seem to be able to do this)
but that could always change. Try it, call Microsoft if you can't activate on line, and if they give you there blessing OK.
 
Originally posted by: jeffk55
Actually it's supposedly just the motherboard the liscense is wed to. And the motherboard could be replaced as long as it's identical.
In reality MS is still fairly leniant about a liscense transfer regardless of "type" (not my personal experience, just general replies to the tons of other people who seem to be able to do this)
but that could always change. Try it, call Microsoft if you can't activate on line, and if they give you there blessing OK.
Click to expand...

No activation with W2K...
 
Originally posted by: bsobel
Originally posted by: jeffk55
Actually it's supposedly just the motherboard the liscense is wed to. And the motherboard could be replaced as long as it's identical.
In reality MS is still fairly leniant about a liscense transfer regardless of "type" (not my personal experience, just general replies to the tons of other people who seem to be able to do this)
but that could always change. Try it, call Microsoft if you can't activate on line, and if they give you there blessing OK.
Click to expand...

No activation with W2K...
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm so used to working w/ XP I forget the difference sometimes. I assume this is from experiece that they won't activate 2000 as easily as XP seems to be done???
But I did suggest trying 🙂
 
Originally posted by: jeffk55
I assume this is from experiece that they won't activate 2000 as easily as XP seems to be done???
But I did suggest trying 🙂
Click to expand...

There is no activation at all. The OS doesn't phone home.

In theory, you could install the same key on 10,000 different computers and nobody would know the difference.
 
Originally posted by: JustAnAverageGuy
Originally posted by: jeffk55
I assume this is from experiece that they won't activate 2000 as easily as XP seems to be done???
But I did suggest trying 🙂
Click to expand...

There is no activation at all. The OS doesn't phone home.

In theory, you could install the same key on 10,000 different computers and nobody would know the difference.
Click to expand...

Boy did I read that wrong or what............... Sorry.
 
Originally posted by: JustAnAverageGuy
Originally posted by: jeffk55
I assume this is from experiece that they won't activate 2000 as easily as XP seems to be done???
But I did suggest trying 🙂
Click to expand...

There is no activation at all. The OS doesn't phone home.

In theory, you could install the same key on 10,000 different computers and nobody would know the difference.
Click to expand...

I highly doubt microsoft doesnt have some type of monitoring system in place. I bet you every OS since windows 98 sends out some kind of information packet to microsoft while online, inform their main base what the serial # of your OS is.
 
Originally posted by: KrillBee

I highly doubt microsoft doesnt have some type of monitoring system in place. I bet you every OS since windows 98 sends out some kind of information packet to microsoft while online, inform their main base what the serial # of your OS is.
Click to expand...

bump,

anyone know about this?
 
Originally posted by: KrillBee
Originally posted by: JustAnAverageGuy
Originally posted by: jeffk55
I assume this is from experiece that they won't activate 2000 as easily as XP seems to be done???
But I did suggest trying 🙂
Click to expand...

There is no activation at all. The OS doesn't phone home.

In theory, you could install the same key on 10,000 different computers and nobody would know the difference.
Click to expand...

I highly doubt microsoft doesnt have some type of monitoring system in place. I bet you every OS since windows 98 sends out some kind of information packet to microsoft while online, inform their main base what the serial # of your OS is.
Click to expand...

Complete and utter BS.
Bill


 
I highly doubt microsoft doesnt have some type of monitoring system in place. I bet you every OS since windows 98 sends out some kind of information packet to microsoft while online, inform their main base what the serial # of your OS is.
Click to expand...

And no one in the past 10 years has fired up a sniffer and looked for that? Come on.
 
Originally posted by: Nothinman
I highly doubt microsoft doesnt have some type of monitoring system in place. I bet you every OS since windows 98 sends out some kind of information packet to microsoft while online, inform their main base what the serial # of your OS is.
Click to expand...

And no one in the past 10 years has fired up a sniffer and looked for that? Come on.
Click to expand...

so pretty much the only time microsoft sends your serial # data, is when you either authorize windows or sign up for windows genuine advantage?
 
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