Question On OEM Windows clean install......

[20mmrain]

Okay here it goes..... I was able to obtain a few computers from a company that is currently upgrading. The computers are made by Dell. I have a few people wanting to find a cheap way to buy a computer and they don't have that much money. So what I was planning to offer these people was to sell them these computers cheap. I'm going to have to replace the hard drives because of course the company took them out for security purposes. But here's my main question.....

I have OEM CD's of both XP Pro and XP Home. Since these computers all have license keys plastered on the side of they're cases. I was wondering if it was possible to Load XP Pro on these computers using my OEM disc's but using they're License key's. I don't see why it would be a problem considering that what usually comes with a store bought computers is an OEM copy of Windows.
So I thought I would run it past you guys to see if you knew. I also don't know if doing that would be illegal or not either? So any light that could be shed on this subject would be appreciated.

Just to make things perfectly clear though here's how it goes....

Got free decent computer's made by Dell.
Want to put copy's of windows on them with my OEM disc's
Using they're Windows License Key's.
I am not trying to use license key on any other computer's except the ones that originally came with those key's.

Thanks again

[newtekie1]

Yes, you can load XP onto those computers using your discs, but with the keys on the side of the computers. It is perfectly legal too.

[20mmrain]

Aewsome that makes me really happy to hear that. Becasue now I can make fat bank off this in volume! I should also post a couple of these for sale here as back ups for people. I'm only gonna charge 60 bucks for them a piece anyway. But that's not important right now.
But Thanks for the answer so quick newteki1

[n-ster]

I confirm... you can, I did it and its legal

[[Ion]]

Yep, same here, I've done this many times with Dell, HP/Compaq (eww), and IBM computers, all installed and activated fine.

[20mmrain]

That is awesome news! Just an opinion and it's a little off this topic but here's the specs:

Intel Pentium 4 2.66 CPU's (No HT)
1 Gig DDR RAM 400MHZ
Windows XP Pro
Dell MOB
350Watt PSU
Going to put 80 to 160 GIG HDD's in.
CD/DVD player
Dell computer Number and Model Dell Dimension 2400

Just an opinion You think what I will be charging is fair or way to low???

[newtekie1]

I'd say $60 is a little low. If it was me, I would probably charge more in the $100 range.

[[Ion]]

Originally Posted by 20mmrain

That is awesome news! Just an opinion and it's a little off this topic but here's the specs:

Intel Pentium 4 2.66 CPU's (No HT)
1 Gig DDR RAM 400MHZ
Windows XP Pro
Dell MOB
350Watt PSU
Going to put 80 to 160 GIG HDD's in.
CD/DVD player
Dell computer Number and Model Dell Dimension 2400

Just an opinion You think what I will be charging is fair or way to low???

I sold a similar computer, except with 768MB of RAM and a DVD burner as well as a 19" CRT for $100, so $75 would probably be more reasonable.

[Sasqui]

The price is right, especially with XP loaded.

With regards to the OEM disk and key, I ran into a problem where a retail XP disk and OEM key didn't work - I had to order an OEM disk from Dell. I'm not sure if the keys are tied to particular OEM disks.

One other trick... to get rid of the BLOATware on the OEM disk, I made a copy of the original, but axed the \OEM folder Worked like a charm!

[Static~Charge]

Originally Posted by Sasqui

With regards to the OEM disk and key, I ran into a problem where a retail XP disk and OEM key didn't work - I had to order an OEM disk from Dell. I'm not sure if the keys are tied to particular OEM disks.

Windows can be a little "odd" about license keys. There are at least 4 categories:

1. Retail
2. OEM
3. Volume (electronic download)
4. Corporate (no key needed)

For guaranteed success, the license key and media should be in the same category. If you have retail media, you may not be able to install it using an OEM or Volume license key, even though the key is valid for that version of Windows. Apparently, this is part of Microsoft's anti-piracy scheme (i.e., all customers are guilty until proven innocent).

[Sasqui]

Originally Posted by Static~Charge

Windows can be a little "odd" about license keys. There are at least 4 categories:

1. Retail
2. OEM
3. Volume (electronic download)
4. Corporate (no key needed)

For guaranteed success, the license key and media should be in the same category. If you have retail media, you may not be able to install it using an OEM or Volume license key, even though the key is valid for that version of Windows. Apparently, this is part of Microsoft's anti-piracy scheme (i.e., all customers are guilty until proven innocent).

Yea, I got that part, was just wondering if the OEM disk/key part was broken down into further catergories, like vendor specific - DELL, HP, etc. ?

What about service packs? I have a retail XP SP1 disk. I recall seeing a way to make a new disk with all the latest SP's. Sorry, rambling off topic here...

[newtekie1]

Originally Posted by Sasqui

Yea, I got that part, was just wondering if the OEM disk/key part was broken down into further catergories, like vendor specific - DELL, HP, etc. ?

Luckily it is not. I've used the same generic OEM discs on pretty much every brand of computer.

Originally Posted by Sasqui

What about service packs? I have a retail XP SP1 disk. I recall seeing a way to make a new disk with all the latest SP's. Sorry, rambling off topic here...

Yes, this is possible, and very easy actually. It is called slipstreaming. Easy to follow instructions can be fround here: http://www.howtohaven.com/system/sli...e-pack-3.shtml

And this will not affect the licence key required. So you can use a disc with SP3 slipstreamed, on any computer as long as the keys are still in the same category(OEM, Retail, etc).