Windows XP Pricing?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Davej
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Davej

Does anyone understand why retailers like Newegg have XP Pro for $149
but you can find it for $50-60 on Ebay? That is quite a huge price
difference and I'd like to understand why.
 
Davej said:
Does anyone understand why retailers like Newegg have XP Pro for $149
but you can find it for $50-60 on Ebay? That is quite a huge price
difference and I'd like to understand why.
Click to expand...

because its old now and they will be buying it in bulk for knock down prices
just like everything else when it becomes outdated!!
 
because its old now and they will be buying it in bulk for knock down prices
just like everything else when it becomes outdated!!
Click to expand...

Wasn't there a big stink about Microsoft not wanting to sell any more
copies of XP to be included with new pc's a year or two ago? Could
this perhaps be related to the crazy price spreads?
 
Does anyone understand why retailers like Newegg have XP Pro for $149
but you can find it for $50-60 on Ebay? That is quite a huge price
difference and I'd like to understand why.
Click to expand...

Newegg sells OEM copies with unique serial numbers. Ebay is usually
corporate bulk licenses with a single key for 10,000 copies or so that
may disappear when the corporation updates to Vista or Win 7.
 
Newegg sells OEM copies with unique serial numbers. Ebay is usually
corporate bulk licenses with a single key for 10,000 copies or so that
may disappear when the corporation updates to Vista or Win 7.
Click to expand...

Is that what it is? The ones I have looked at usually say something
like;

"New OEM CD,Includes Service Pack 3(SP3)
Certificate of Authenticity(COA)
Product Key
Getting Started Manual"

Do they all have the same product key?
 
don't know until you try to use the product key..
There are some shady deals on Ebay and one cannot tell the
difference until one is in possession of the product. You are relying
on the sellers honesty as he sells you a used product.

peter
 
yes beware of ebay, I bought one that has been fine and another which after
9 months turned out to be a volume license. And yes, I got a refund of the
full cost. I paid for it with Paypal who refused to refund but ebay
themselves paid me back.
Click to expand...

So can you tell the difference by looking at the darn thing?
 
So can you tell the difference by looking at the darn thing?

No, they come with COA and reg numbers. There is one sure way to tell but
only when loading it, it does not go through the Microsoft registration
process...where you have to enter all those numbers.
Click to expand...

So it just installs and never asks for the registration number? Then
six months later Microsoft Update tells you it isn't going to do any
more updates?
 
Lez said:
So it just installs and never asks for the registration number? Then
six months later Microsoft Update tells you it isn't going to do any
more updates?

Correct, you get the Microsoft cannot validate this version of your Windows
message. When I got this Microsoft then offered to provide a genuine cert
number for, I think it was �90. They also send you a CD in the post, which I
received about 7 days after. A fairly good system. As I said Ebay paid me
back the �55 I paid to the rogue seller.
Click to expand...

I have the validation problem. It was an OEM packaged Win XP Pro but
it happily installed as an update over my Win 2000. Since it was OEM I
thought it would gripe and insist I start with a blank drive. Then I
went to Windows Update and it says the validation fails. I wonder if
the Microsoft validation process is foolproof?
 
Lez said:
So it just installs and never asks for the registration number? Then
six months later Microsoft Update tells you it isn't going to do any
more updates?

Correct, you get the Microsoft cannot validate this version of your Windows
message. When I got this Microsoft then offered to provide a genuine cert
number for, I think it was �90. They also send you a CD in the post, which I
received about 7 days after. A fairly good system. As I said Ebay paid me
back the �55 I paid to the rogue seller.
Click to expand...

Well, wait a minute. This one DID ask for the activation numbers off
the sticker. Does that prove that it isn't a VLK version?
 
Well, wait a minute. This one DID ask for the activation numbers off
the sticker. Does that prove that it isn't a VLK version?
Click to expand...

Ok, I've just proven that Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" validation for
Microsoft Update can be WRONG. I started installing an OEM copy of XP
Pro (Ebay $52) and it offered to update over my existing Win2k. I
thought that was a bit odd but I allowed it do that. That was a
mistake because then it WOULD NOT VALIDATE. Microsoft Update claimed
that the product key was never issued by Microsoft and that this was
probably a VLK copy. So I started over and deleted the existing
partition and repartitioned which forced a complete format. After the
install there was NO problem with Microsoft Update validation and the
"Genuine Advantage" utility installed silently without a complaint.
 
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