I'm thinking of buying a copy of microsoft windows xp professional edition from an american company.

As the pound is so strong against the $$$ it seems a good buy.
However are there any issues with the American copy as apposed to the UK copy?

Are they both the same? Or do I specifically need a copy from the UK?

Cheers

Also anyone know where I can get Office 2003 Pro cheaper than staples?

you will be fine, as you setup your computer on first install it will ask you what keyboard layout, time zone etc.

Bit Torrent!
:P

Originally posted by neeeeeeeeeek
Bit Torrent!
:P

Thats all well and done, until you come to install SP2.

Dont Pirate operating systems kids, it'll only do harm.

Originally posted by DaBouncer
Also anyone know where I can get Office 2003 Pro cheaper than staples?

E-buyer (www.ebuyer.com) do an OEM version which is much cheaper than the retail version

I do recall sp1 was going to stop all the pirates.. that worked well!! My version of xp is legit so don't pick on me.

What the heck is SP1?

Originally posted by DaBouncer
What the heck is SP1?

Service Pack 1... Or in layman's terms, the first set of fixes for bugs that shouldn't be there in the first place.

Still not following ya :confused:

SP1, also the service pack that was going to stop all the pirate copies working by containing lists of dodgy cd-keys. You just download xp keychanger program which lets you change the key and even gives you a list of ones to use! Sp1, you may or may not have noticed was also required to run a selection of new microsoft games, microsoft rally, and a few others would not run correctly unless it was installed... bit evil really as if you have a dial up connection then the 50mg download would have taken a while and if you don't use the internet then the security patches would not be of interest to you but you would not be able to play the new games!! Good old Microsoft!

if your copy of xp (not implying pirate copy) is quite old it would not even have SP1. Sp1 was released sept 9 2002 so if you bought a computer with xp on from 2003 onwards it should have come with a version of XP with SP1 included, so you would not be aware of it..

Just to answer the question Neeeeeeek didn't point out...

Service Packs are a series of updates and patches that fix or enhance the operating system. Usually they deal with security issues or other problems that stopped the system working properly.

Just so's you know...

...and if you aren't doing it already.. visit Windows Update (tools -> windows update) and run a scan before getting the various critical updates.. This is one place where you get the same patches/service packs..

Hope that helps :)

Originally posted by DaBouncer
Also anyone know where I can get Office 2003 Pro cheaper than staples?
Not sure how much it is in Staples, but you might want to try and get an OEM version from somewhere like www.scan.co.uk - but you may need to buy some hardware at the same time. (Even if you buy a cheap hard drive, it often works out cheaper.)

Edit: ... and the same goes for Windows XP Pro too.

Tony

OK… I may be being thick but what’s OEM software? And why would I need to buy hardware too? :confused:

Hey… we’ve all gotta learn somewhere :thumbsup:

Just to point out, RPG - I'm running a less-than-legal copy of XP Pro (which I didn't install myself, so I dont' know where it's from), and Service Pack 2 is running just fine. It's only certain CD-keys that are blocked, I believe.


Susie

Originally posted by DaBouncer
OK… I may be being thick but what’s OEM software? And why would I need to buy hardware too? :confused:

Hey… we’ve all gotta learn somewhere :thumbsup:

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer - it is basically software that comes bundled with hardware (e.g. the PhotoScrop stuff you get with scanners, the copy of MS Works you get with your PC from PC World). It is usually ready installed; you get a copy of the CD in a paper pouch - no boxes or manuals.

The terms of OEM licensing say that it can only be supplied with hardware. So in theory if you buy a floppy drive for £5 with your copy of Office, it is being supplied with hardware, so is above board. I don't think Ebuyer do this (I got MS Office from there, I don't think I bought any hardware at the same time).

My mate who runs a PC business will only sell OEM software with some sort of hardware - he is probably a much softer target for MS if they decided to get strict!

Originally posted by SusieP
Just to point out, RPG - I'm running a less-than-legal copy of XP Pro (which I didn't install myself, so I dont' know where it's from), and Service Pack 2 is running just fine. It's only certain CD-keys that are blocked, I believe.

SP2 isn't released yet?

I believe MS has the dilemma of blocking illegal copies from updating - in which case there is an army of machines out there full of security vulns spreading viruses, etc, and causing grief for legal users. So they figure it is better to have illegal copies that are at least patched and secure.

Kind of like the moral dilemma of should illegal immigrants be allowed to have their kids immunised on the NHS - they're technically not entitled to it, but society will be better for everyone if they have jabs.

Originally posted by SusieP
Just to point out, RPG - I'm running a less-than-legal copy of XP Pro (which I didn't install myself, so I dont' know where it's from), and Service Pack 2 is running just fine. It's only certain CD-keys that are blocked, I believe.


Susie

Are you running SP2-beta !? or has SP2 been released now ?

I'm not sure if it's full or "beta". Again, I didn't install it myself and I'm not so big on technology. I do try to keep up, though :(


Susie

Originally posted by DaBouncer
OK… I may be being thick but what’s OEM software? And why would I need to buy hardware too? :confused:

Hey… we’ve all gotta learn somewhere :thumbsup:
OEM is basically a cheaper version of something... in practical terms it means you don't get a nice looking box, possibly miss some disks or as with things like CD drives, software that might otherwise go with a seperate retail version...

For the purpose of Operating system software the benefits of a full retail pack are virtually nill so if you can get OEM with a hardware purchase that you needed anyway it's better to do that way...


There are some rules to OEM purchases though such as, much buy with a system or the parts that would make a system.. but that tends to be a somewhat flexibly interpreted rule set depending on the store/retailer you buy from.. so shop around :)

Originally posted by SusieP
Just to point out, RPG - I'm running a less-than-legal copy of XP Pro (which I didn't install myself, so I dont' know where it's from), and Service Pack 2 is running just fine. It's only certain CD-keys that are blocked, I believe.

This is correct - some install keys publicly available on pirate software websites will have been disabled. If your key isn't on that list, and you got the copy from a mate, it may work for a while. When you come to reinstall the OS and have to reactivate though, Windows XP may fail to activate and you won't be able to log on to the computer.

Originally posted by Jamie
Are you running SP2-beta !? or has SP2 been released now ?

Windows XP SP2 is at the Release Candidate 1 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.mspx) stage. I think it is available for download. It warns:

"WARNING! This technical preview is unsupported and is intended for testing purposes only. Do not use in production environments."

Getting round the product key problem is quite simple:

Take a legitimate serial key already in use and activated to another computer.

Call Microsoft and inform them you have recently upgraded your computer.

They will then ask for your current serial key, give them the key you know of and in return you get a nice sparkling new one. The old key will still work and so will your new one:)

[EDIT] Also forgot to add using a Corporate copy of Windows XP also gets round any problems with authenticity.

Great idea, J-blaze! That could actually work!

For the paranoid amongst you, Microsoft doesn't ask for your name, address or credit card number when you call to activate the software. The call is completely anonymous (except if MS trace your phone line...).

Of course, any Sys Admin worth his / her salt should already have got round the little problem of activating, by using the Corporate / VLK versions of MS products

:clap:

Originally posted by DaBouncer
OK… I may be being thick but what’s OEM software? And why would I need to buy hardware too? :confused:

Hey… we’ve all gotta learn somewhere :thumbsup:

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and OEM software is softwrae sold on licence by Microsoft or whoever to hardware manufacturers to bundle with their kit.

PCs come with an OEM edition of the operating system installed, for example XP. You should receive a CD with the softwrae along with your PC, and the price is effectively hidden in the price of teh computer.

Sometimes, OEM discs end up on the market when a retailer or sholesaler goes bust or offloads old stock. In theory, you shouldn't be able to buy OEM software without buying a piece of hardware that the software supplements or uses, but there you go!

Joe

Out of interest, how much does it cost the PC builder to buy a copy of Windows XP Pro OEM from Microsoft?

I know that the street cost for Windows XP Pro is ridiculously high (about £150 I think) and the OEM version can be had for as little as £100.

I'd like to know how much of the cost of a PC goes back to MS?

Given that hardware prices always drop, and software prices always increase, MS seems to be taking a bigger slice every year...

I can't remember what we payed for Windows but I remember it was cheaper in bulk.

getting away from the discussion of how to pirate an OS (personally, if anyone wants to rip off mikkkro$oft than that's fine in my book but this isn't the forum for that)......

Why do you need XP PRO??? It's even more bloated than the usual home OS, with unnecessary services and processes running in the background opening you up to potential attacks and hogging RAM.

Originally posted by DaBouncer
OK… I may be being thick but what’s OEM software? And why would I need to buy hardware too? :confused:

Hey… we’ve all gotta learn somewhere :thumbsup:

OEM might stand for 'Outsourced Electronics Manufacturer' - that's basically what it means anyway :)

However, it has two different interpretations, which is damn confusing. For instance Sony may make an unbranded DVD player, then Acme Inc will buy 100,000 and stick an Acme Inc logo on it.

However, it can be referred to as an Acme OEM or Sony OEM - i.e. outsourced both ways.....anyway I digress!

In terms of software, it means that the operating system (Windows) is sold to you *with* the PC. So Microsoft provide Windows dirt cheap to PC retailers because it pretty much guarantees the end user will stick with Windows instead of a cheaper and better alternative... worked on me!

What suprises me, is that ebuyer is reselling the OEM software! I didn't think that would be legal...

OEM, hardware/software basically comes with no support

so an OEM version of WinXP Pro would more than likely come with no packaging, just a user guide. so your on your own if you get stuck with anything.,but this dose make OEM products cheaper to buy
:thumbsup: