Windows XP activation ? can they track copies that were freely distributed?

[afireinsideme]

I know microsoft frequenty gives away software. They don't want you selling it for a profit if they are giving it to you, I assume.

I was recently at a conference and won a retail version of XP w/ SP2 they stated you could get into trouble selling it on ebay. They were just saying that to scare us right?

Are their any identifiable marks on that fancy label? That the could some how associate with with the product ID number to the cd key used to registar it? Could they somehow know that this product id/key number was a freebie from XXXX corporation and that you need a member id number to continue the registration process?

 

[JackMDS]

Activation is Actvtivation. It does not matter how, and for what you got the software as long as it is legally obtained software.

Activation is Tracked. If a given software was activated and needs to be re-activated you can call Microsoft and it would be re-activated.

:sun:

 

[Cobalt]

I'll buy it from you. Hey, it's not eBay.


















EDIT: I was semi-joking.

 

[timswim78]

You can get into trouble for this. I seem to remember reading a thread about NFR (Not For Resale) software last year. Apparently, MS will sue you if you sell it.

 

[whatsyourdeal]

It is illegal to sell a NFR copy. As for Microsoft suing you.. I wouldn't worry about it.. they don't have the time or the resources to go after someone who sells one NFR. But I wouldn't advise you to sell it as it is illegal.. Your call though.

 

[afireinsideme]

What are the differences of a NFR? The box looks like the full blown version.

picture

 

[afireinsideme]

picture help?

 

[whatsyourdeal]

Looks like a full blown retail version... I wouldn't have any issues with selling it then. If you won it and it is not an NFR then you are free to sell it if it has not been used before.

 

[UNCjigga]

Yeah I was wondering about this too. I have an unused free-from-seminar copy of Windows XP Pro that I was hoping I could freely convert to XP 64-bit Edition upon release.

 

[afireinsideme]

I found a great answer.

http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=msnetsafeteam#NFR

The ebay id that tracks ebay Microsoft sales.

I don't see NFR anywhere on the top bar code, looks like i'm golden.

 

[afireinsideme]

anyone ever seen a NFR sicker? on a box that looks like mine above?

 

[Mackie2k]

If you won it at a event, you can do whatever you want with it.

The only software MSFT gets in a tiffy about is anything that is OEM...

Such as, you take your CD that came with a Computer that was purchased.

The reason they get mad:

MSFT gave that OEM (Dell, HP, etc) a discount on that software because it was a OEM install for a customer, not for retail.

if it's retail, the pricing is different.

I know people that have ebay'd free software they got from MSFT focus groups they participated in, it's not a problem.