On 8/20/08, Craig Box <craig(a)dubculture.co.nz> wrote:
I am looking for a copy of Windows XP (SP2 minimum) or Vista (Business or
better - 64 preferred) to buy. I'm only interested in a legitimate license and media. Unfortunately I can't afford a retail version of Vista and no-one seems to have XP anymore :(
If anyone has bought a pc recently and wants to offload any "Microsoft tax" that came with it I would be willing to discuss it.
Please don't give me a hard time for wanting Windows. I need to rebuild my PC and there are professional and personal reasons why it's not viable for me to go Linux only.
As a general rule, OEM licenses that come with purchased PCs are subsidised by the manufacturer (Microsoft) for the sale of a new PC, and as such are not transferable.
My opinion, last time I discussed this, was that I applauded someone who wants to pay for something that they attribute value to, even if it's not "full price". However I am reminded of the good Doctor's opinion at the time which I paraphrase thusly:: "if you're going to violate the license in any form, you may as well be pirating it". (I do not currently have an opinion, but thanks for wondering.)
(It used to be quasi-legal to buy a piece of hardware, like a system board or a hard drive, and get an OEM license of Windows with.)
Unfortunately this is not an option. I bought my PC "white-box" style a year or so ago and as such can't get an OEM copy relating to my purchase. I have a legitimate licensed copy of Windows XP (no Service pack) that I cannot use on my current system because it doesn't recognise an HDD over 130 ish GB (my primary drive is a 250GB unit that I had partitioned via a friend's machine to create a primary partition under the 130ish limit which I could then install XP no sp on and upgrade via the SP2 CD I got from MS directly. I now wish to run the HDD as a single partition drive). The license I obtained from Uni via the arrangement that the Govt had with MS but the copy of the media has developed a flaw and vital files are corrupted. Because it is an academic license it won't work even if I borrow a friend's legit media. I can't afford the $600-$1000 for an off-the-shelf copy of Vista. Off-the-shelf copies of XP are no longer available as far as I have been able to determine. I can't buy an OEM copy of XP or Vista because I don't wish to replace my PC (nor do I have the money to do so or I would just bite the bullet and buy a retail copy of Vista). I'm not interested in a pirated copy of Windows. I've just spent the past year steadily getting rid of all pirated software and replacing it with FOSS or licensed software. Linux is not an option because software I need professionally or personally is only available in a Windows environment. Wine 1.0 goes a long way to closing the gap but it's still not close enough for my requirements. I've long been a believer that one sources the software to suit the task and then sources the hardware to run the software. Currently the best fit is Windows based software. I'm not trying to bypass license restrictions. I'm just trying to find an unwanted new or secondhand copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista so that I can reinstall my ailing PC. I'm not asking for charity as I am more than willing to pay a reasonable price for it. I floated the question in here because this list has a large number of people on it who have access to a wide variety of software, hardware and knowledge and I thought there may be one or two who would be able to help me. J --
James Pluck PalmOS Ergo Sum "Dear IRS: I would like to cancel my subscription. Please remove my name from your mailing list..."