Question About Registering XP With Microsoft

You can tell I'm a new subscriber. This is my third post. I was so impressed by a post I read and learned something new about activex, after I typed this in Google - - "Run ActiveX Controls and Plugins ". This brought me to your site, and after reading other posts, I knew this was the place I was going to get answers to my questions.

My question is this. I called Microsoft and asked them what was the best way to handle me selling (and of course taking it off my laptop) my retail version of Windows XP Home to a friend of mine ? I ordered XP Pro for my laptop. They told me to go ahead and take it off my computer and put on my friends, and when he Registered it, that would take care of everything. I asked him if Microsoft would have to call me to varify that I had infact sold it to my friend, and they said no that would not be necessary.

I then took the CD and installed it on my friends computer and gave him the CD when he took his computer home. I got in a rush to go somewhere, and at that time I did not remove XP Home from my laptop. 5 days later I recieved the new XP Pro CD in the mail, and when I went to wipe my hard drive clean and install it, I realize I had not removed XP Home from my computer. Since I'm using cable, and am on the internet all the time, the Automatic Updates were doing their thing.

I felt a little paniky, since Microsoft would probably notice my computer and my friends computer doing Automatic Updates on the same version of XP at the same time and raise hell with me. This did not happen.
I have since removed XP Home and have XP Pro on my laptop.

My real question is, how long would this situation have gone on, and suppose I was the person buying a operating system from another person, and didn't know it, but that person had not taken it off his computer.
Do I get into trouble along with him or what ?

Thanks, Paul

 

right now, there are only two things that invoke any kind of 'checking', the actual activation process, and the newer 'validation' downloads, that require to you validate your software as genuine.

No worries. Technically, you were in violation of the license agreement, but the SPA isnt going to kick in your door. They arent watching for stuff like that. Now, try to activate the same CD key on 10 machines and see what happens... thats when you'll get some attention.

 

Paauul - you have found a great forum here. I use a number of forums for different hardware and overclocking issues, but this place is almost always my first port of call for problems. I have used the site for quite a long time now (this is my second member name!) and I have always found great support here. I enjoy being able to answer other peoples problems too, as my experience has grown.