Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Science and Technology > Computers
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-27-2015, 04:38 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,590,355 times
Reputation: 37905

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork View Post
Huh!

I was under the impression that a specific copy of the OS software was linked to a specific key, so you couldn't just use some downloaded version with a key that was for another copy, even if it's the same exact version of Windows...

Hey, OP, if that works, please post an update of what ya did.

I'm always trying to understand the particular of how this stuff operates.

It is correct though, is it not, that a key registers to your hardware configuration in such a way that if I were to rebuild the contents of my machine, I couldn't use the same copy of Windows for it anymore...right?

I know a lot more about the nuts and bolts than the software and such.
Most of the time you can call MS and they will ask a few quesions then give you a viable code.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-28-2015, 05:12 AM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,920,524 times
Reputation: 17863
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork View Post

It is correct though, is it not, that a key registers to your hardware configuration in such a way that if I were to rebuild the contents of my machine, I couldn't use the same copy of Windows for it anymore...right?
AFAIK that only applies to OEM keys from a prebuilt computer or OEM disc, you can buy retail copies of Windows which can be installed on other machines. Note that doesn't mean you can put it on multiple machines simultaneously.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-28-2015, 07:25 AM
 
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
16,501 posts, read 19,575,896 times
Reputation: 13226
No, Sonic is correct even if you buy a buy retail copy. When you register, it sends a snippet of info to MS with your basic hardware config. Reinstall that on a new machine and you will have to call MS. It's painless and only takes a few minutes and if you are being legit it works every time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-28-2015, 07:28 AM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,590,355 times
Reputation: 37905
And it depends on what you change. Some changes won't require the call.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-28-2015, 09:46 AM
 
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
16,501 posts, read 19,575,896 times
Reputation: 13226
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tek_Freek View Post
And it depends on what you change. Some changes won't require the call.
Troof. Swap a Video card? No big deal. Add RAM? NBD Swap a Mobo? Call...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-28-2015, 07:12 PM
 
Location: Avignon, France
11,143 posts, read 7,907,176 times
Reputation: 28888
If the OP wipes his hard drive and installs a new windows program, he will LOSE any other software that came loaded from the factory when he got his computer.... Something to ponder.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 04:08 AM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,920,524 times
Reputation: 17863
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney123 View Post
If the OP wipes his hard drive and installs a new windows program, he will LOSE any other software that came loaded from the factory when he got his computer.... Something to ponder.
That's generally a good thing....It's mostly crap or trial versions.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 05:15 AM
 
Location: Southern California
4,453 posts, read 6,781,765 times
Reputation: 2238
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecoalman View Post
That's generally a good thing....It's mostly crap or trial versions.
Not a good thing if you had purchased it with an older copy of MS Office or Adobe Acrobat.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 08:16 AM
 
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
16,501 posts, read 19,575,896 times
Reputation: 13226
Few, if any, computers came with Acrobat preinstalled.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2015, 08:59 AM
 
Location: Southern California
4,453 posts, read 6,781,765 times
Reputation: 2238
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrine View Post
Few, if any, computers came with Acrobat preinstalled.
I have no number but I think it was one of the best values Dell offered. Preinstalled Acrobat for $100. Most business that I worked with had it purchase on thier Optiplex and Dell has been offering it for over ten 10 years. So there'd be quite a few. This would be in environment which I didn't set up. I'd buy a used computer on craigslist one in a while basically because they include the installation disk and keycode for office and acrobat. Ive seen too many to say "few"if any shipped with acrobat.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Science and Technology > Computers

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:50 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top