Quick Question... need advice fast

I am looking for a copy of XP Pro. Ive seen one on Ebay thats a Compaq OEM version - said to work on all hardware. Its proper cheapy (50-60 qid probs), and comes with an unused product ID and all that stuff.

Ive been using Devils Own version since I can remember... changed all Keys so SP1 works and that, but I feel guilty, and want to go legal, but obviously dont wanna go spending 260 quid on a complete fresh XP Pro (not upgrade).

So, my question is is this any better than what I have now (in terms of legality etc), or is it still in the grey area. I mean obviously MS wont like it too much, but its all legit, right?

It depends on the country that you are in, in Germany it is illegal to link the software specifically to one piece of hardware, but here in Ireland it is not. In reality the chances are that you will have a few probs with a compaq windows anyway on a non-compaq machine ( bit messy not too bad). In any case it is a grey area and if you want to go legit and not have a conscience then an OEM is not the way to go IMO.

To be honest, the only way you can buy a copy that you KNOW is legal for you to use is if you buy it new and shrinkwrapped.

Anything else - could be dodgy, be it from ebay (very likeley its dodgy), some small corner PC shop (ive had it happen), or even what comes with your PC (depends if its from some random person, or a big company).

Butuz

cheers guys. Suppose I should save up then, reckon I can get it on an academic license as Im on a university campus, but still unsure of this at the moment... will require further reading