Windows XP license question... [Mobile/Archive]

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jmcc

01-12-2006, 10:40 AM

Does anyone know if there's a difference between the upgrade license and full version license? I'd like to get my DIY box running XP legitimately and I can get it through my school for a decept price, except they only sell the upgrade version for some reason. I've got pretty much every old version of Windows back to 3.1 if I dig around, but if I can just use my secret, illegal XP install disc and plug in the upgrade version's license number for verification, I'd prefer that for simplicity. Anyone know if there's any difference between the two versions?

Mookyjooky

01-12-2006, 10:50 AM

Its not a secret if you tell everyone you steal software.

klwillis45

01-12-2006, 11:05 AM

jmcc

01-12-2006, 11:35 AM

Its not a secret if you tell everyone you steal software.
Oh crap. I shouldn't have said it was mine...Oh crap! I shouldn't have said it was a secret...Oh crap! I certainly shouldn't have said it was illegal!
Anyway, sure, I'll cop to stealing it. The first step is admitting I have a problem. The second is making it legal, which I'll do soon, by gum. One way or another...

Back when I was in college, I bought the "upgrade" XP through my school. So did several of my classmates. Lo and behold when the cd arrives its actually the "full" version. Also, we discovered that everybody had the same license key. So with that I say buy it, but YMMV.
Yeah, I've heard tales of weirdities in MS software, too. My friend uses their retail rewards program through his job and ordered a copy of Office. They said it was going to be a OEM "not for resale, no support, no manuals" version, but when he got it, it was a boxed copy. Out of curiousity, though, where'd you go to school?

WebScud

01-12-2006, 12:57 PM

There's all types of web retailers that sell educational stuff. All you need is a valid school ID.

kakomu

01-12-2006, 04:54 PM

I'm pretty sure that if your key is legit, and is adhered to a copy of windows, it will not matter.

That being said, if you install with another serial number, even the ultra secret, fake, illegal serial number, you can just do the ole switcheroo after installation to replace the illegal serial number with your own legal, legit serial number.

ITDEFX

01-12-2006, 05:26 PM

to be honest..i really dont think MS cares how you got your copy of windows. They make more money on there other products then windows. funny, all the schools I have worked for these past three years have windows (either 2000 or XP). What happens is that they come factory installed with XP Home, and then they dummy down them to 2000 and clone (or image) the same set up on every machine. So what you have is 200+ machines with windows 2000 using the same serial number all networked and internet enabled. And thats just one school, imagine an entire school county with thosands of setups like that, does MS care? NOPE. Bet you the school system paid less than 10% for these liscenses because of that.

The only people they will care about is those big company's that makes millions/billions a year.

besides I seriously doubt that MS or the FBI or SPA is gonna send Dog the Bounty Hunter to your door because you have an illegal key. Now if your selling keys, then that will get you into trouble.

P0ldy

01-12-2006, 09:07 PM

Uh, if a school is using the same serial number, it's because they bought a corporate license. It isn't something illegal.

m6oo

01-13-2006, 04:30 PM

Back to the original question...If you're buying a full, retail upgrade license, then I think the only difference is that if you try to do a fresh install from that CD, it will ask you to insert an eligible OS CD (for example Win 98) to verify that you are eligible for the upgrade. It doesn't pull anything off of the CD, it just wants to see it.

I would guess that if you used this key to do "the old key switcharoo," it should work. I've done this once before.

magikman

01-13-2006, 04:36 PM

m6oo

01-14-2006, 04:29 PM

The keys are different between the different versions of Windows XP. There are several different versions including corporate, retail full, OEM full, retail upgrade, OEM home full, retail home full, retail home upgrade, etc. The keys cannot be interchanged.

At all, or just during a clean install? How do you know this? (linky?)

The one time I did this, I swapped in a good, retail XP pro upgrade key for an invalidated XP pro bulk license key, so that's the only thing I have personal knowledge of.

kakomu

01-15-2006, 09:37 AM

At all, or just during a clean install? How do you know this? (linky?)

The one time I did this, I swapped in a good, retail XP pro upgrade key for an invalidated XP pro bulk license key, so that's the only thing I have personal knowledge of.
I'd be willing to bet that the license key matters for when you install. however, there's the chance that it may not matter. Once everything is already installed, I'm sure you can throw any key you want to in there (ie, swap it out), and windows update won't care, so long as it's legit

ITDEFX

01-16-2006, 06:20 PM

Uh, if a school is using the same serial number, it's because they bought a corporate license. It isn't something illegal.

I talked to the tech who installs this stuff last year who works for the county. he says its a regular key that they copy over and over and over. Thats another reason they liked using 2000 as you don't have to activate your key to get windows to run passed 30 days.

kakomu

01-16-2006, 07:08 PM

I talked to the tech who installs this stuff last year who works for the county. he says its a regular key that they copy over and over and over. Thats another reason they liked using 2000 as you don't have to activate your key to get windows to run passed 30 days.
If it's like my school, they re-ghost the computers every day. If other schools did the same thing, I don't see it being too big a problem.

ITDEFX

01-17-2006, 01:04 AM

If it's like my school, they re-ghost the computers every day. If other schools did the same thing, I don't see it being too big a problem.

besides I don't think bill gates and company is gonna sue the school system(s) for doing such things. why? no matter how fancy the school is, the school county still has no money(when was the last time a school/county gave out a few hundred grand to someone or something outside the school system?), second getting youngers to get use to WINDOWS from an early age is a prime way to make sure they grow up on windows and not MAC and finally if MS sues a school county, its gonna be a PR nightmare for them. :| The School county knows this, MS knows this..hence stalemate.

And as for re-ghosting (they call it imaging over here), its either because network security is such a mess that people can screw up the computer easily OR there really old computers that need constaint reimaging.

P0ldy

01-17-2006, 02:27 AM

zionoverfire

01-17-2006, 02:53 AM

Back when I was in college, I bought the "upgrade" XP through my school. So did several of my classmates. Lo and behold when the cd arrives its actually the "full" version. Also, we discovered that everybody had the same license key. So with that I say buy it, but YMMV.

Same here, nice when one CD works for everyone.

I think the upgrade version means that it allows you to keep all your old files rather than deleting everything.

kakomu

01-17-2006, 05:36 AM

besides I don't think bill gates and company is gonna sue the school system(s) for doing such things. why? no matter how fancy the school is, the school county still has no money(when was the last time a school/county gave out a few hundred grand to someone or something outside the school system?), second getting youngers to get use to WINDOWS from an early age is a prime way to make sure they grow up on windows and not MAC and finally if MS sues a school county, its gonna be a PR nightmare for them. :| The School county knows this, MS knows this..hence stalemate.

And as for re-ghosting (they call it imaging over here), its either because network security is such a mess that people can screw up the computer easily OR there really old computers that need constaint reimaging.
I go to college. We're not exactly youngsters.

ITDEFX

01-19-2006, 10:03 PM

That's right, the schools have no money. Therefore, they shouldn't be spending hundreds of thousands on Windows and Office.

But, you're absolutely right. It's just like the tobacco industry. Get 'em hooked young.

I couldn't have said it any other way lol...good example man.. get them hooked on windows while they are young... windows good, mac is bad lol.