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I got ripped off ...where is the Windows XP I paid for?

BentValve

BentValve

Diamond Member
I purchased a computer about a month ago...which makes it my third computer.
This computer came with a 3.5 floppy and thats it...no Windows XP CD. Instead a copy of it is located on a partition on my HD.
Well I decided I wanted to move the hard drive and OS to another computer I have...well it will not work in it.
I called the folks who I bought the computer from and told them my situation...basically they told me if I moved the HD and OS from the computer then it was no longer supported ...goodbye sucker!

My choices are this, go and buy a copy of Windows XP or perhaps someone here can tell me how to install this onto my other computer because the people I bought it from are not going to help.

Geez man its not like I am burning the damn thing giving it out to my friends , I don't know why they did not give me a copy of it to have....after all I paid for the damned OS!! I should be able to do whatever I please with it provided it is only used on one computer at a time.

I would appreciate any help you guys can offer.

PS: I have paid Microsoft alot of my hard earned money over the years and if this is how they are going treat their customers then I will turn into a pirate and then they will never get another red cent from me
again!
 
Did you get a certificate of authenticity with it? If not, they ripped you off by not selling you a legit copy. I'd threaten to report them and probably do so anyway.

If you did get a COA with a product key and all that then you can get a copy of the CD from microsoft for like $15 or have a friend burn you one.

Back in the pre-Cd days, it was common for Dell/Gateway, etc., to ship the machines without the media for DOS, Windows, etc., but they included a utility that would make the floppies for you. (and they gave you an option to purchase the media for like $30 or so) That pretty much went away when Win95 came out because the number of floppies you would need was unreal. However, they always sent along the licensing material with the computers.



 
Did you get a certificate of authenticity with it?
>>>>>>
Yes I have a sticker on the side of the case that has the product keyt on it.

If you did get a COA with a product key and all that then you can get a copy of the CD from microsoft for like $15 or have a friend burn you one.
>>>>>>
Great! That's good news , who do I contact?

Back in the pre-Cd days, it was common for Dell/Gateway, etc., to ship the machines without the media for DOS, Windows, etc., but they included a utility that would make the floppies for you. (and they gave you an option to purchase the media for like $30 or so) That pretty much went away when Win95 came out because the number of floppies you would need was unreal. However, they always sent along the licensing material with the computers.
>>>>>>
This is the only machine that I have gotten that did not have a CD with it.


Thanks Alot!
 
If you didn't get the Certificate of Authenticity, then that company ripped you off. Many OEM shops can will setup and "preconfigure" the system for XP without giving out the CD -- but they MUST give you the certificate of authenticity.

Lastly, if you read your EULA, it states that XP is licensed on your computer for the hardware in the box at the time of install. Changing your hard drive is something major that will cause a need for reactiviation of the OS. If you don't like these kinds of things, then don't run XP.

vash
 


<<
Lastly, if you read your EULA, it states that XP is licensed on your computer for the hardware in the box at the time of install. Changing your hard drive is something major that will cause a need for reactiviation of the OS. If you don't like these kinds of things, then don't run XP.

vash >>



Yeah but you can still put the OS any any machine you like right, you just have to activate it each time?


I just got off the phone with Microsoft , I was told that the computer sales place has to provide a means of reinstalling the software if my hard drive ever failed.
This company's 'means' is bring it in and we will install it for you...even the guy at Microsoft said this was very unusual most companies provide a CD.


Furthermore Microsoft will not sell me a copy of XP, they said it was the computer company's responsibility so I am going to look for a copy.
 


<< Yeah but you can still put the OS any any machine you like right, you just have to activate it each time? >>

Not quite. If you bought the machine from a place, with the OS preloaded, XP is licensed to be on that particular hardware, including that hard drive. That's how Dell does it and most other OEMs. The difference with Dell is that they give you a "restore" CD, which will reinstall the OS and appropriate things, but not JUST XP. The company you bought your box from better have either the real CD or a restore CD to get you back on your feet. If they don't, simply inform them they have voided the agreement they have with MS and they could be shutdown for illegal software practice. I would bet they'll hand over a CD real quick once you start showing them the Microsoft anti-piracy phone number.

vash
 
You need a copy of an OEM disc to use the code on the front of the computer.

One thing to keep in mind, technically it is prohibited for you to move the OS to another computer, even if you are moving the hard drive with it. Technically according to the EULA the OEM OS is tied to the computer you purchased and cannot be swaped. Now if you move the hard drive with the OS maybe you can claim it is the same OS but that sticker on the front of the case is supposed to tie it to the case only.

Personally I've never figured out what they mean by tied to a computer because there is so much grey area in there. It's kinda like they limit just how much you can upgrade or you can't changes cases or something.
 
<<The company you bought your box from better have either the real CD or a restore CD to get you back on your feet. If they don't, simply inform them they have voided the agreement they have with MS and they could be shutdown for illegal software practice. >>

They haven't voided any agreement. As his discussion with MS pointed out they simply have to provide a way to reinstall the OS, for this company that means they reinstall it for you and according to the MS agreements this is technically acceptable.

Personally I would become the customer from hell. Trash the OS repeatedly and demand immediate reinstallation and reconfiguration, until they give you a CD. (backup your data first)
 
It sucks, but this has been Microsoft's plan for a few years now. It started with Windows 98 2nd edition.

I used to work for a system integrator and MS gives master media that you use to image the HDD, and you only give out COA and (your) support information. That's it. No more at all!!!

What the heck are you supposed to do if your HDD fails to spin up??? What then.

I am using Linux on a regular basis now and learning more everyday. I am also migrating some of our content servers at work to Linux.

Best of luck to you!
 
I purchased a computer under similar circumstances a few years ago with Win95 installed. At that time an OEM could preinstall the OS on your system with thier liscense and only had to give you a "companion disk" that you used to install drivers or use certain utilities on the disk. If you screwed up the OS, you had to take the computer in to have them reinstall the OS. That was offered as a free service for one year. Of course the small computer company went out of business before the year passed so I ended up having to buy Windows. It was about that time that I decided to start building my own and never purchased a system again.

 
this doesnt surprise me at all, thats one of the many reasons i dont purchase preconfigured systems .. restore disks are worthless to me, i like to have an actaul os disk .. you dont really have a lot of options at this point, besides purchasing an os, or trying to get a refund on the new computer .. good luck ..
-neural
 
When it comes to premade systems. Brand name is everything. Because asside from the company, no one else can give you support on that particular system, only generalised solutions. I'd suggest trying to get a refund, if not, get a copy of XP (any way you can *wink wink*).
 


<< Personally I would become the customer from hell. Trash the OS repeatedly and demand immediate reinstallation and reconfiguration, until they give you a CD. (backup your data first) >>



agreed. after a few complaints, gateway finally sent me a real win98 cd. not a 98se as it should be, but it wasn't worth the fight (i, uh, acquired an se cd soon after). restore discs are fine for average users... but having the actual OS cd is best.
 
Seems like a simple solution here. If the contents of the installation CD lives in a partition on your hard drive, you should be able to install that original drive as a slave to a new drive, then use the partition where XP lives as an installation media. See if there is a setup or oemsetup file in there, then install it to your new C drive. When you're done, if it works, burn the XP folder you installed from to a CD-R.

😀
 
Why don't you just burn the the files on the second partition to a cd. That should work if they put the actuall contents of the cd on that second partition. If what they put on the second partition isn't the contents of the actuall cd then screw the company that you got the system from. It sounds to me like that would be illegal, especially if they did not tell you this before purchasing the system. The wole thing about these companies giving you a restore cd which reads the the contents of the second partition (which has XP on it, so to speak) therby allowing you to "reinstall" the os if need be is just laughable. One might be able to copy certain files off the restore disc and then the contents of the second partition to a folder on the main partition and then copy the conents of that folder to a blank disc and have a useable XP disc. That is if one were not able to have a useable disc after simply burning the contents of the second partition to a blank disc. Screw calling up Microsoft and paying 15 more dollars for something you already purchased! I want to know where these people get off doing this crap! Any ways, GOOD LUCK 🙂

Don't listen to this crap about the company you got the system from technically having lived up to their end of the bargin! About them saying that they will reinstall the os, its BS. What about when your waranty with them expires! Do you think that they will reinstall the os for you when that happens?! Ahh, this makes me so mad (and its not even my situation)!
 
Most people out there don't understand what's happening (no CD with the OS
on it). I personally would never purchase a pre-made system without the OS CD.
And I mean the FULL OS on a CD. None of this "reformat, reinstall to like it was
when new" crap. The seller doesn't want to do this, look elsewhere..........Greg
 


<< Most people out there don't understand what's happening (no CD with the OS
on it). I personally would never purchase a pre-made system without the OS CD.
And I mean the FULL OS on a CD. None of this "reformat, reinstall to like it was
when new" crap. The seller doesn't want to do this, look elsewhere..........Greg >>



I thought that was clear. The fact is, there is a cubic buttload of new computers out there that were given as Christmas gifts, and the only software the owner found when they opened them up was a restore CD. It's a common practice in the computer industry. Personally I don't agree with it but that's the way things are for many consumers.
Also, we're not talking about helping someone steer clear of a bad deal, the deal has been done. We're trying to help him deal with it. Just my 3 cents. 🙂
 
The vast majority of computer users do now have the knowledge/knowhow or even desire to learn about drivers and stuff. When a user hoses his machine, it is very time consuming for the vendor to have to walk a user through the process of installing the OS, then the drivers, then patches, etc., and then have the user want you to help him get all of his after-market stuff working (camera, etc.) Not to mention how frustrating it is for the user. The solution is the restore disc which provides an easy means to get the system back to the way it was when it was received and then leave the user to his own devices. I worked tech support for a major OEM years ago and the only practical way to deal with this was a restore disc. (or floppy pack which we had)

That being said, I think the manufacturer should provide you with both a restore CD as well as an OEM copy of the OS you purchased.

 
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