Shenan said:
If they did not provide you with the media to reinstall and the
license code - you don't own it anyway.
I've read disclaimers about how people buy rights to use software,
not the software itself. But are you saying that in the thousands
of laptops sold without media, the operating system (or the right
to use it) is owned by the manufacturer and not the laptop owner?
Is license code the same as the COA?
The Certificate of Authenticity does prove you have a legitimate right to
Windows XP - but without the matching CD/restoration method (which - if the
COA is a sticker on the system itself - it is an OEM version - which means
the original manufacturer who installed said OS on the system took over
responsibility for providing the end-user with a method to restore the
system to the state they put it in when they installed the OS - they
*agreed* to this by utilizing the OEM license) all the COA's in the world
are worthless.
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/en/coa.mspx
SOMETIMES you can get lucky and if you have a COA sticker with a product
code stuck on your system - you may be able to find a friend with a Generic
OEM version of Windows XP Pro/Home - whatever is installed (key words
there.. Generic and OEM) and utilize that CD to reinstall the system - at
least the operating system - from it. Why is *generic* so important? Some
copies of the OS have been modified (OEMs can do this in accordance with
their agreement they chose to sell under) so that their copy of the
installation media will only work (without great effort/knowledge) on their
particular line of computer systems.
Essentially, the way it works is a product key - in OEM cases this is
usually printed on the COA sticker - is tyed not to a specific CD, buyt a
specific TYPE of CD. The OEM product key printed on the OEM COA sticker is
tied to an OEM licensed CD. If you can find and utilize (even copy and
utilize) such a CD - you are within your rights to do so - no matter what
happened to your original. You own an OEM license.
As for any other software - as I have seldom seen any other COAs stuck to a
machine denoting you own another piece of software - usually they do you no
good. And if you have it installed and functioning - that does not denote
ownership. Some products do not come with anything more than the product
key and CD and any receipt you got when you bought it to prove ownership.
If you have any one of those things - that does not prove ownership
exclusively - because any one of those things could have been gotten in
other ways.
Is the license code the same as the COA - see the link I gave earlier. The
general answer is no - but the license code (product key) can be printed on
the COA.
As for the laptops being sold without media... Although many ARE sold
without media - they are not sold NEW -from the OEM - without a way to
restore said system to its shipped/delivered state. Either a partition
(bad - but done) or CD/DVDs to restore with or the ability to make said
CD/DVDs by the user. If the user chooses not to make said CD/DVDs - that is
just like choosing not to backup their own files, lock their car door, leave
their keys in the ignition of their car at all times - etc... It is not the
manufacturer's responsibility to make sure the end user does what they need
to to have the restoration capability - it is only the OEM's responsibility
to give the user the initial ability to restore said system. If you lose
your car keys after owning your car for several years - although the
manufacturer/reseller might be able to assist you in getting new keys - they
have no responsibility to do so. Most laptops I have seen either have
restoration CD/DVDs or they have a way to make restoration CD/DVDs built
into their original (new) install.
Again - this all assumes *new* - you buy it used and all those agreements go
out the Window. Used and if you did not get a receipt saying 'this laptop
with Windows XP and a software and associated ways to reinstall said
OS/software...' <-- your bad.
Shenan said:
If you get it used - this discussion has no point.
A person selling it *not as a business* and *used* really has no
obligation to you at all (beyond what you get in writing as the
buyer)
It was sold used by a business. In any case my need to know the
best way to get XP on media (the subject of this thread) remains
the same. (I have since solved that problem - I think.)
It was sold *used* by a business. Anywhere on your agreement with
them/receipt does it denote them as the original equipment manufacturer or
tell you they have provided a method for installing each of the applications
that came with the laptop (or even the OS)? If not - then they agreed to
sell you a laptop - by coincidence it had an OS and assorted software
installed. Heck - it even has a COA stuck to it - but they did not sell you
a CD/DVD (nor did they specifiy one in their receipt to you) and so - they
have no responsibility to help you. This goes back to the next point -
buyer beware. Just because you were told you were getting a car with a
clean title - unless you checked on iut yourself - you take your own
chances.
Shenan Stanley wrote:
Of course. But in my opinion the massive "no media" campaign was
overwhelming to a general public and criminal. But then lots of
corporate operations are.
I do not agree that it was criminal. I agree it sucks.
Anyone who sold their system with a restoration partition and not the media
or at least a way to make said media - sucks. I even don't like it if the
media they sold or have the end-user make is not actually installation media
(pure installation media) and not just some specialized installation method
or image of said system when they sold it/the end-consumer made said media.
However - that is the way said business decided to be in accordance with the
OEM license agreements. People can be greedy and that is pretty much what
that boils down to. However - in most of those cases, if you were buying
from the OEM and knew what you were doing - you could easily have requested
(and found out if there was an additional cost to do so) if you could get
actual installation media for the software you were getting with the
purchase of the laptop. If they stuttered, paused or you didn't like the
answer - since you had given no money - you could walk away. And likely -
if you got the system unpacked and noticed there was no way to restore the
system/make installation media -- you could have returned it in those first
few days and asked about it/gotten your money back. Again - 'from the
original equipment manufacturer' - not used from the second hand reseller.
Inexpensive OEM or someone's generic OEM CD you borrow and copy - and you
might - with the COA and the product key printed on it - be able to
reinstall the Operating System at least. Maybe. Dependent on whether or
not that particular # has been flagged as pirated or even functions.
However - as for the rest of the software - with direct receipts, product
keys and the installation media - you probably have no one to blame there
except yourself for getting something without proof you had gotten it. :-(
