I am about to sell two computers on eBay. I was curious about the laws regarding selling used computers with Windows software so I googled it and found a bunch of conflicting information and it just kind of sparked my interest even more since I want to sell them legally. I have a few questions about the Microsoft laws regarding selling used computers with operating systems on them though. It appears that Microsoft's laws tend to change over time and it's a bit confusing to me. So I have a few scenarios laid out and was wondering if someone knowledgeable on the subject could tell me whether they think these scenarios are legal or not:
1) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows already on it with a valid COA without the recovery disk if I have not reinstalled Windows ever? (meaning the hard drive was never formatted and the computer may have some of my old information on it?)
2) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows on it if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows fresh and have accepted the EULA myself and am including the COA but am not including the Windows recovery/reinstallation disk?
3) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows on it if I've reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows fresh and have accepted the EULA myself and am including the original Windows recovery disk and COA?
4) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows on it if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows fresh, but have not gone through the initial setup so the new user can accept the EULA themselves, and I am also including the original Windows recovery disk and COA?
5) For computers that have been upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7… if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows 10, do I need to include any recovery disk? Because at that time it will have the “product key or COA” for Windows 10 embedded in the motherboard (digital entitlement) and will also have the COA for Windows 7 under the battery compartment. Plus, Windows 10 can be downloaded to USB for free from Microsoft online so the next owner can get it anyways so I don’ t know if I need to include a Windows 10 disk. I don’t know for sure what Microsoft would want in that situation. Maybe they still want me to include the original Windows 7 recovery disk since that is what the laptop came with even though it now has Windows 10 installed from the free upgrade? Can someone advise on this unique situation please, it’s the most confusing one to me.
6) For newer computers that originally came with Windows 10 on them, if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows 10, do I need to include any recovery disk? Once again, Windows 10 can be downloaded from Microsoft for free so I’m not sure if a recovery disk is necessary. And the “COA” should be embedded in the motherboard so no physical sticker with a written key on it would be necessary I think. If a recovery disk is necessary, is it okay to include my personal USB drive with Windows 10 downloaded direct from Microsoft as the recovery disk instead of the original CD/DVD that came with the computer?
Sorry for the long post. I just want to know what is legal and what isn’t. I know the majority of people don’t worry about this stuff that much, but as you can tell I’m a bit anal about this stuff and just want to try to follow the rules. Helps me sleep a bit easier at night, lol. Thanks in advance for any information on this subject.
1) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows already on it with a valid COA without the recovery disk if I have not reinstalled Windows ever? (meaning the hard drive was never formatted and the computer may have some of my old information on it?)
2) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows on it if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows fresh and have accepted the EULA myself and am including the COA but am not including the Windows recovery/reinstallation disk?
3) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows on it if I've reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows fresh and have accepted the EULA myself and am including the original Windows recovery disk and COA?
4) Can I legally sell a used computer with Windows on it if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows fresh, but have not gone through the initial setup so the new user can accept the EULA themselves, and I am also including the original Windows recovery disk and COA?
5) For computers that have been upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7… if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows 10, do I need to include any recovery disk? Because at that time it will have the “product key or COA” for Windows 10 embedded in the motherboard (digital entitlement) and will also have the COA for Windows 7 under the battery compartment. Plus, Windows 10 can be downloaded to USB for free from Microsoft online so the next owner can get it anyways so I don’ t know if I need to include a Windows 10 disk. I don’t know for sure what Microsoft would want in that situation. Maybe they still want me to include the original Windows 7 recovery disk since that is what the laptop came with even though it now has Windows 10 installed from the free upgrade? Can someone advise on this unique situation please, it’s the most confusing one to me.
6) For newer computers that originally came with Windows 10 on them, if I’ve reformatted the computer and reinstalled Windows 10, do I need to include any recovery disk? Once again, Windows 10 can be downloaded from Microsoft for free so I’m not sure if a recovery disk is necessary. And the “COA” should be embedded in the motherboard so no physical sticker with a written key on it would be necessary I think. If a recovery disk is necessary, is it okay to include my personal USB drive with Windows 10 downloaded direct from Microsoft as the recovery disk instead of the original CD/DVD that came with the computer?
Sorry for the long post. I just want to know what is legal and what isn’t. I know the majority of people don’t worry about this stuff that much, but as you can tell I’m a bit anal about this stuff and just want to try to follow the rules. Helps me sleep a bit easier at night, lol. Thanks in advance for any information on this subject.