how does windows key/reg work?

[Hanuman]

i bought a base unit without windows as i knew i had windows somewhere i couldnt find my cd or key so i got the windows cd off my cousin and used the key, i havnt used it online as i was using it for gaming (offline) im looking at selling hte base unit can i do this with windows to work online, or is it a case of because my cousins used it (if online?!) that no one else can then go online ?

advice needed or am i just been a complete geekworried over nout

[Peejous]

see if you can download bit-torrent or something and download vista?

[Hanuman]

wont i need a key or something for vista or is that legal? as im wanting to sell it to a mate i want it to be ok

[Peejous]

wont i need a key or something for vista or is that legal? as im wanting to sell it to a mate i want it to be ok

Well if you "download" it then it isn't really a legit copy. But you can get windows and a keygen (so you can register it) etc. for free.

It's up to you really if you want it legit or if just want him to have windows.

[Mochachino]

I think vista is more clever aint it and if u download the whole os off torrentz or illegaly then u are restrictd to what u can do or it just doesnt work. Might be something to do with ilegal software downloaded.

[Peejous]

just get XP then? loads here (http://isohunt.com/torrents/?ihq=windows+xp)

[Hanuman]

iv got xp installed i was just wondering is this ok to go online with not sure if my cousins has used it online (sure i read once u cant use to cd keys on 2 comps) i just want it to be ok online thats all, as i dont wanna sell it to a good mte and them say yea its been blocked or something from online? or am i just worrying about nout

[blythy]

what happens if when you use the cd key windows asks to activate online. when this happens they save the spec(more likely the serial number of the parts used) of the computer with the cd key. so the next time you try to activate it online if that key does not match the same computer it flags and error and asks you to phone microsoft. this happened for me when i built a new computer, didnt really need the old one so i installed xp on my new one and then when i activated i had to phone microsoft and simply said ive binned my old computer so im now using the license for xp on my new computer. they reset the key no questions asked. i imagine for things like windows updates it checks to make sure its activated and checks the registration key with the spec of the computer and will flag an error for an illegal copy of windows. there are many ways around this, changing your key for example, google will teach you how. or you can get hold of a educational copy of xp, which is the same as home or pro cant remember which, but without the need for activation

[Hanuman]

any advice on the actual xp iv used as i said i think my cousins used it, not downloaded tho he had the cd.

[Noddy]

the CD will install windows and then use the key that is stuck onto the PC you want to sell. Then just activate it when prompted and you're away.

[Hanuman]

im saying i have already installed XP, the disc was my cousins so hes probably used it, does that make a diff to mine IF i wanted to take it online would anything happen ?

[Noddy]

it doesnt matter about the CD, its the KEY that makes the difference. Is it XP home or Pro? you have to make sure that you use the same version CD (ie home or pro) then just use your key, activate it and you're away.....

also it doesn't stop you from going online. If you dont activate windows (with a LEGIT key) in 30 days then its completely unusable.

[Hanuman]

not a clue where this has gone, im saying i used my cousins cd with HIS key, at some point he has used this XP (i think home) cd and key and possible online,

i was wondering with me using the same key, does that mean i cant go online or itl nack me comp up ect or his?

[Hanuman]

iv had my comp with the key for abotu 8 months, but i aint ever gone online with it

[blythy]

I'm confused by what you mean online? With XP you have 30 days to activate it once it's installed. If it's not activated it becomes unusable until you do activate it. So if you've been using it for 8 months you have activated XP with that key which means yes you can go online, presumably you're meaning the internet. However, as I said before windows checks to see how legit your computer is when trying to install windows updates, as far as I'm aware it will let you install some updates, usually the critical ones whether you have a legit copy or not (this may have changed). So if you have both used the same key and activated your computer and used windows update I imagine Microsoft will recognise one (or both? for sharing) as an illegal copy of windows.

I'm not sure how Microsoft deal with the issue once they have found an illegal copy of windows but essentially that is what is installed on your computer because the key is a license for ONE copy of XP to be installed on ONE computer. Maybe even your cousin could get in trouble for sharing the key? I'm not sure but if you're that worried format the hard drive and sell it without windows, or buy another key

[Hanuman]

what a fkn carry on. stupid microsoft thieving gets no wonder he WAS the richest man in the world