windows xp pro/home

P

paulirl

New Member
Firstly forgive me if this is the wrong place to post this thread but I need help (again I hear you say).
I need to buy a new operating system peferably one of the above, when I go to the world famous auction site there are sellers on there selling brand new sealed unregistered discs with or some without activation codes, when I emailed a seller with one without activation code (is this green sticker on the machine???) I was told the it would work as long as I had the 25 digit code on my tower, this was MY license, is this correct.
So when I buy a 2nd hand computer is the license the most important whether the discs come with it or not?
Can someone please explain to an idiot and a semi novice as to the ins and out of the operating system, 25 digit code etc as I obviously running a pirated copy on my 2nd hand laptop and can not download updates.
I have also just changed the motherboard on a desktop is the 25 digit code on the tower now compatable with the new motherboard if not what do I do?


Many Many thanks in advance.
 
you can have ANY disc even a copied working disc as long as it contains windows xp - except you need a valid key and is authentic and is used for the correct number of machines it is liscensed for.
 
I *think* I am right in thinking that home and pro keys are different.

i.e. you cannot use a home key on xp pro.
 
Yes home keys are different. ALSO The key you have is assigned to the *Type of disk you can use!
This means if you purchased XP when it was first released you can only use it on a CD which was given to you, for example only first released cds (SP1).

So if you have a SP1 CD key at home, and they give you a SP2 cd, YOu are screwed.

I have run into this before, and called MS trying to get a new key... Yes I talked my way to one.
 
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