local pc shop owner speaks truth on xp license - or takes me for a fool?

[nudone]

i went to the local computer shop today to enquire about a budget system that someone has asked me to sort out for them.

the interesting part was that the store owner assured me that a typical single xp license is for 3 machines - that being 3 machines that you own personally. so, his recommendation was to get the key for the xp license from the machine that the person already owns (the fact they currently own windows 98 doesn't help much) and then just use it to validate xp on the new machine.

something he does regularly he says.

is this information correct or is this going to lead to more troubles later on when the new machine starts going through all that windows genuine advantage stuff, i.e. i don't want to have to start sorting out a problem that shouldn't have been there to start with (although i'll probably get paid for the trouble of doing it).

[qwibbles]

To my knowledge you can only install on 1 pc and need to remove it to reload it on another PC. Assuming this is a retail license. oem licenses cannot be transferred.

However the windows activation will allow you to re activate the software a set amount of times due to hardware changes without requiring you to call microsoft ...

http://pctech-soluti...lained-xp-vista.html  - gives some more details.

http://articles.tech...6329_11-5034549.html   --- Might help explain the confusion.

A quiz with answers here ... http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=90

(I think he's confused with microsoft office where you can load it upto 3 times in certain circumstances.)

[nite_monkey]

Windows xp can be installed on one system only, and it can only be installed three times before you have to talk to a MS tech person that has an accent so big that you can hardly understand what they are saying.

Bottom line: ONE computer only / THREE times, then you get to talk to MS tech to re activate.

[nudone]

ah, i can see where the 'three personal computer' figure has come from then - whether the shop owner knows the truth of the situation or not is hard to say i suppose.

i'll use the links provided by qwibbles for future reference. thanks.

[tinjaw]

I suggest you stop going to that shop. Either they know the truth and are lying to you, or they don't know the truth and I would not trust a "computer" business that doesn't know even basic Windows licensing 101 to touch a computer.

[nudone]

i don't think i've been in a computer shop that i thought i could really trust - that stems from me usually knowing more about pc's than the person behind the counter so it's easy to detect the bullsh*t when it inevitably starts flowing out of their mouths.

as this was the owner of the shop that was giving me the license 'tip' i suspect he knows the truth about how many pc's it covers. i didn't believe him but i thought it worth checking on the forum just in case he knew a 'microsoft secret'. he being the 'authority' as a pc shop owner i had to be prepared to accept he was right.

no doubt, the shop owner thinks he's helping me out or saving me money - and therefore winning my custom rather than going elsewhere.

there are a couple of other local shops i'll get a price from - it will be interesting to see what 'freebie' they try to tempt me with.