Sternkreuzer wrote:
> I want to build my own PC and install XP Pro. Two Questions
> regarding doing this so Microsoft will Activate my installation:
>
> 1) Can I buy the components along with XP Pro OEM and do this?
>
> 2) Can I do this after April, 2009 when Microsoft terminates its
> Mainstream Support?
1) Yes.
2) Your question is phrased strangely - so I will answer as completely as
possible.
- As months pass beyond the 'stop selling XP' date of June 30, 2008 - it
will become more and more difficult to find legitimate OEM licensed copies
of Windows XP loose and for sale from legitimate vendors. Get it now.
- Mainstream support and extended support have no bearing on your
activation. You'll still get patches and still be able to activate your
legitimate copy of Windows XP until Microsoft decides to stop doing
activation - at which time they will have an alternative that allows people
to get around said activation need (they said that - not I.)
> I want to build my own PC and install XP Pro. Two Questions regarding doing
> this so Microsoft will Activate my installation:
>
> 1) Can I buy the components along with XP Pro OEM and do this?
Yes, buy from a reputable source.
> 2) Can I do this after April, 2009 when Microsoft terminates its Mainstream
> Support?
You will always be able to activate a valid Windows XP license.
> Sternkreuzer wrote:
> > I want to build my own PC and install XP Pro. Two Questions
> > regarding doing this so Microsoft will Activate my installation:
> >
> > 1) Can I buy the components along with XP Pro OEM and do this?
> >
> > 2) Can I do this after April, 2009 when Microsoft terminates its
> > Mainstream Support?
>
> 1) Yes.
> 2) Your question is phrased strangely - so I will answer as completely as
> possible.
OK, let me explain in more detail so the query is not quite so strange...
I want to get the parts to build my computer using a System Builder OEM
version of XP Pro in August.
I am planning to visit a relative latex next summer and it would be fun to
build an XP Pro machine with him; so I am thinking to buy a full version of
XP Pro now and keep it in reserve for the occasion.
Where would I look in the MS documents to determine whether or not they will
actually issue an activation next summer? I would really like to know that
before I lay out the $$$.
>
> - As months pass beyond the 'stop selling XP' date of June 30, 2008 - it
> will become more and more difficult to find legitimate OEM licensed copies
> of Windows XP loose and for sale from legitimate vendors. Get it now.
> - Mainstream support and extended support have no bearing on your
> activation. You'll still get patches and still be able to activate your
> legitimate copy of Windows XP until Microsoft decides to stop doing
> activation - at which time they will have an alternative that allows people
> to get around said activation need (they said that - not I.)
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
>
> Sternkreuzer wrote:
>
> > I want to build my own PC and install XP Pro. Two Questions regarding doing
> > this so Microsoft will Activate my installation:
> >
> > 1) Can I buy the components along with XP Pro OEM and do this?
>
> Yes, buy from a reputable source.
>
> > 2) Can I do this after April, 2009 when Microsoft terminates its Mainstream
> > Support?
>
> You will always be able to activate a valid Windows XP license.
This is good news. Where would I look in the MS documents that states they
will actually issue an activation next summer? I would really like to see
that in print before I lay out the $$$.
>
> John
>
Sternkreuzer wrote:
> I want to build my own PC and install XP Pro. Two Questions
> regarding doing this so Microsoft will Activate my installation:
>
> 1) Can I buy the components along with XP Pro OEM and do this?
>
> 2) Can I do this after April, 2009 when Microsoft terminates its
> Mainstream Support?
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> 1) Yes.
> 2) Your question is phrased strangely - so I will answer as
> completely as possible.
Sternkreuzer wrote:
> OK, let me explain in more detail so the query is not quite so
> strange...
>
> I want to get the parts to build my computer using a System Builder
> OEM version of XP Pro in August.
>
> I am planning to visit a relative latex next summer and it would be
> fun to build an XP Pro machine with him; so I am thinking to buy a
> full version of XP Pro now and keep it in reserve for the occasion.
> Where would I look in the MS documents to determine whether or not
> they will actually issue an activation next summer? I would really
> like to know that before I lay out the $$$.
They will. Activation will work until at least End-of-Life - which is 2014.
See below...
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> - As months pass beyond the 'stop selling XP' date of June 30,
> 2008 - it will become more and more difficult to find legitimate
> OEM licensed copies of Windows XP loose and for sale from
> legitimate vendors. Get it now. - Mainstream support and extended
> support have no bearing on your activation. You'll still get
> patches and still be able to activate your legitimate copy of
> Windows XP until Microsoft decides to stop doing activation - at
> which time they will have an alternative that allows people to get
> around said activation need (they said that - not I.)
You seem to know what mainstream and extended support are. At least in
general.
Hope that helps. Come back and tell me if that is what you needed!
Short Answer...
Mainstream support ends: 4/14/2009
Extended support ends: 4/14/2014
(Extended Support includes paid support (support that is charged on an
hourly basis or per incident), security update support at no additional
cost, and paid hotfix support.)
"Will Microsoft use activation to force me to upgrade? In other words, will
Microsoft ever stop giving out activation codes for any of the products that
require activation?
No, Microsoft will not use activation as a tool to force people to upgrade.
Activation is merely an anti-piracy tool, nothing else. Microsoft will also
support the activation of Windows XP throughout its life and will likely
provide an update that turns activation off at the end of the product's
lifecycle so users would no longer be required to activate the product."
> You seem to know what mainstream and extended support are. At least in
> general.
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy
> Explaining what you might see...
>
> And:
> http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex
> Where you can see the dates/support options for products by name...
>
> Windows XP Professional:
> http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3223
>
> Windows XP Home:
> http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3221
>
> Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005:
> http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=7024
>
> Windows XP TabletPC Edition 2005:
> http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=7801
>
> Hope that helps. Come back and tell me if that is what you needed!
>
> Short Answer...
> Mainstream support ends: 4/14/2009
> Extended support ends: 4/14/2014
>
> (Extended Support includes paid support (support that is charged on an
> hourly basis or per incident), security update support at no additional
> cost, and paid hotfix support.)
>
> You want more?
> http://www.microsoft.com/norge/pirac...ation_faq.mspx
>
> "Will Microsoft use activation to force me to upgrade? In other words, will
> Microsoft ever stop giving out activation codes for any of the products that
> require activation?
> No, Microsoft will not use activation as a tool to force people to upgrade.
> Activation is merely an anti-piracy tool, nothing else. Microsoft will also
> support the activation of Windows XP throughout its life and will likely
> provide an update that turns activation off at the end of the product's
> lifecycle so users would no longer be required to activate the product."
>
These references, and in particular this last quote, are just the sort of
commitments that I wanted to see on the part of MS! Thanks!
Many Thanks for the help on this topic. By going around to retail stores in
town I heard a confusing variety of answers. Some claimed that a single
individual could not use an OEM System Builder license, Some claimed that the
machines they sold (mainly from big companies) did not use OEM licenses
because there was a sticker on the case.... Having a capable Newsgroup to
talk to is a real breath of fresh air!!
Just to add that I buy OEM licences in small numbers from a wholesaler,
without problems. Technically they should insist I buy parts at the same
time, but I guess they know I am a small-scale system-builder and they've
never insisted on it.
With an OEM pack you get a CD and a sticker like the ones on prebuilt
machines, ..and not much else. All you really need, though. It is asumed you
know what you're doing so no other info is supplied.
You DO have to activate this kind of OEM licence. The ones that don't need
activating are the proprietary bios-locked kind, which this is not.
The main limitaion is that you cannot perform an upgrade-install from Win98
or whatever, only a clean one. Though, I generally advise against
upgrade-installs in any case.
"Sternkreuzer" wrote:
> Many Thanks for the help on this topic. By going around to retail stores in
> town I heard a confusing variety of answers. Some claimed that a single
> individual could not use an OEM System Builder license, Some claimed that the
> machines they sold (mainly from big companies) did not use OEM licenses
> because there was a sticker on the case.... Having a capable Newsgroup to
> talk to is a real breath of fresh air!!
A sticker on the case is 99% sign of an OEM Licence
"Sternkreuzer" <Sternkreuzer@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:C19010C2-2166-4546-92D0-9DE1AADA921C@microsoft.com...
> Many Thanks for the help on this topic. By going around to retail stores
> in
> town I heard a confusing variety of answers. Some claimed that a single
> individual could not use an OEM System Builder license, Some claimed that
> the
> machines they sold (mainly from big companies) did not use OEM licenses
> because there was a sticker on the case.... Having a capable Newsgroup to
> talk to is a real breath of fresh air!!
Activating my self-built PC with XP Pro? 
Linear Mode
