buying vista 2nd hand

Jobe

Jobe

Jobe

Associate
Joined
26 Oct 2002
Posts
1,066
Location
Corby Glenn
hi guys.
i've bought vista 2nd hand from someone off the boards.
when i went to activate it i was told the key was already in use and
needed to buy another.
legally do i own the licence to run it?
how does the other guy cancel it off his comp to so i can activate.

regards

jobe
 
If its OEM it shouldnt have been sold on unless youre using exactly the same motherboard he was

If its retail then you should be able to use it on a different machine assuming its not still being used on the sellers original machine.
 
If it was an OEM copy then the license is only legal if he sold you his motherboard as well and you in turn are using that motherboard in your machine - OEM licenses are tied to the motherboard.

If it was a retail version, then as long as he removed his installation from his own machine before you installed it on your own machine then yes, the license is legal.
However - how can you be sure he did remove it from his machine?

Buying secondhand software licenses is dangerous - so many ways you can end up wasting your money and really not something I'd advise.
Considering just how cheap Vista is to buy - relatively.
 
Jobe said:
hi guys.
i've bought vista 2nd hand from someone off the boards.
when i went to activate it i was told the key was already in use and
needed to buy another.
legally do i own the licence to run it?
how does the other guy cancel it off his comp to so i can activate.

regards

jobe
Click to expand...

If it was sold here, it shouldn't be OEM, that's against the rules.

If it's the Full Packaged Product (retail) then it may say you can't activate online. If that's the case, phone up and it shouldn't be a problem.

Burnsy
 
thanks for the replies guys.
as always i left out the most important piece of info.
yes it is retail, home premium.
i got it off a reputable guy off here. his trust is second to none.
i sent him a mail and he said he wiped his drive clean and sold it on and was going to look for ways to deactivate it.
can i ring ms and tell them this?
can he legally sell his licence to me?
if ringing ms is the right way forward does anyone have the correct number, pref in GB.

regards

jobe
 
He can't legally sell his license to you no, not with OEM.

Infact, according to the EULA, you can only have that license with his PC, as when it was installed it was tied to that machine (by law). I really can't see microsoft helping on that one.
 
As long as its retail its fine.

Just call up ms, enter the numbers it asks for, and if you get put through to an operator, answer their questions.

If it was an oem copy, then as said, no its not legal. But your RETAIL so your fine :D
 
V3g3tto said:
He can't legally sell his license to you no, not with OEM.

Infact, according to the EULA, you can only have that license with his PC, as when it was installed it was tied to that machine (by law). I really can't see microsoft helping on that one.
Click to expand...
The OP has said that it is a retail copy so no problem selling it on.
The number to call in GB is 0800 0188354
 
thanks guys.
tried to activate it again and it worked :confused:
all's well that ends well.
thanks for all the good advice.

jobe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom