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So, I downloaded an illegal copy of XP Home Edition OEM. Installed it. Used my old OEM CoA (Certificate of Authenticity) product key and hoped for the best. Now, I'd read that MS were doing just about anything to get people to use legit windows these days. I was reading about their product key update tool, which basically lets you change the key that is attached to the install. Which gave me the idea of downloading XP home and trying to use one of the two, then going useless, keys that are in my room. Seeing as I needed to reinstall anyway, I went for it.

So, when the install had finished, Windows came up with an activation message. So I thought "meh, it's a legit key. I have a licence to use Windows XP on a computer...*click*" Sucess! Windows said it had sucessfully activated. I ran the update tool, passed validation. Brilliant!

After reading some forums, it seems that here in the EU, if I have a licence, whether it came from a system manufacturer or not, I have the right to use it. So I'm wondering if that's why this now works. Or maybe if I'm going to get cut off from the updates in a week and be forced to ring Microsoft for activation or something. Eitherway, I've got a legal key, I'll just have to convince them I made a slight hardware adjustment or something.

Anyway, boring thread. But I beat the man!

That's weird. When I tried to use my Vaio OEM key on a pirated copy I'd installed on my Dell, it didn't work. I used some dodgy key changer though, I didn't know there was an official one. That must be new. In the end, I used the restore disc on the Vaio, cracked Windows Activation to stop it complaining about hardware changes, activated and then disabled Windows Genuine Advantage (you only have to phone home once) and then moved the entire partition over to the Dell. Thanks to Windows Activation being cracked, I can use hardware profiles to boot into the same copy of XP for real and through Linux with an emulator even though the emulated machine has totally different hardware.

From what you're saying, it sounds like I could totally avoid all that if I ever have to go through it again. On the other hand, if WGA phones home from the Dell using the Vaio's key, it might throw a fit since it was already used on the Vaio.

Well, this is from a laptop, of all things. A key that hasn't been used in a while.

I'd read that is has to be an OEM copy of windows. This was just that. A 500mb Windows XP Home Edition 2002 OEM, because they're basically the same thing, or something. When the software is initially installed into the computer, it comes from a master disc and has that master key attached. Not the one on the side of the CoA. So, following EU law, if I cannot find my initial disc, I should be able to use any OEM disc for my legal licence, since they're essentially the same. Only different manufacturers install additional software or sometimes take things away from the disc at their will. Seeing as it's legal for anyone to get a legit disc and modify it as they want (adding programs, and all that jazz, I forget the name) Then,, yeah, I think I'm good.

I recently had a pizza that emulated a cheeseburger. I could have legally just bought a cheeseburger, but the the pizza joint was closer to my house than the burger joint. I know sometimes depending on who you get a cheese burger from they like to put different things in or take things out....but it really doesnt matter as long as it has the cheese and burger cuzz those are the only two things that make it legit. and the pizza pretty much had that as well. so i manually installed the flavor into my mouth and my belly was satisfied.

yum.

mmm burger pizza.

I saw one time on the Colbert Report them mentioin an 'Oreo pizza' .. that's gotta be fucked up.

they actually started showing commercials for it like last week

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