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Thread: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

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    Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    I just purchased a refurbished laptop which came with XP home installed. Its a Dell laptop but refurbished by another company. Windows passes validation but there is no COA sticker on the laptop and no media supplied.

    I had a look on the Micrsoft website and its says "A COA is not a software license – it is a visual identifier that assists in determining whether or not the Microsoft software you are running is genuine. However, without it, you will not have a legal license to run Microsoft software." So I'm mainly fussed because I have paid for it and don't want for it to fail validation some time in the future or for it to be a corporate (are they called volume licenses?) which should only be used within a business and not re-sold.

    Any advice you can give would be appreciated as I don't want to have paid for something I shouldn't be using. Thanks.

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    Senior Member this_is_gav's Avatar
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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    I doubt it will fail in the future.

    That said, I'd give this company a ring, as the sticker has to be attached to the laptop legally, and they've failed in that, which is a pretty major thing for what sounds like a Dell sub-contractor. You're also stuck without a code if you need to reinstall Windows in the future, though there are ways of finding out your key.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    I would get the sticker as its your proof to MS that you own the right to use their software. If for some reason, in the future you need to reinstall or the product key becomes invalid this sticker will be the only real way for you to show MS that you own a legit copy.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    You can get your code with this software, but I'll echo that the guys above said - Give them a ring and try and sort it
    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    And by trying to force me to like small pants, they've alienated me.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    Cheers for the reponses, I used magicjellybean this morning but I just confused myself. After running it I typed the first 2 sets of characters of the returned license key into google, the results brought up several pages where people had posted specs of their system and they had the same code as the one jellybean told me i was using. Now i'm not being naive about the possibility of this being a dodgy key but does this program always return the correct result or could it be unreliable?

    In terms of the company they have been pretty good and have offered me a refund on the machine, but I don't think i'll be able to get another so am considering keeping it. I have asked about the COA sticker and was rather fobbed off other than them guaranteeing it was a legal version. I guess without the sticker I (or the company) can't prove it's legal.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    If the exact code you're using is coming up in google, its dodgy, yup.

    Its easy to set a system up so it passes WGA validation and can access all the downloads on Windows update.
    I will PM you and explain how to check. I wont post it for obvious reasons
    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    And by trying to force me to like small pants, they've alienated me.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    have you phoned the company and just asked the obvious questions as suggested rather than going the very long and hassled way about this.
    It is Inevitable.....


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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    ikonia, yep i called and asked why the service tag from Dell and the coa sticker wasn't present. I was told these were removed as part of the refurbishment process. I asked for the installation disks and the coa sticker but was told in a roundabout way that they had gotten lost but was guaranteed it was genuine.

    This thread was mainly just to check if without the sticker i should have the software. Because i've paid for it i want the real thing.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    Quote Originally Posted by fray_bentos View Post

    In terms of the company they have been pretty good and have offered me a refund on the machine, but I don't think i'll be able to get another so am considering keeping it. I have asked about the COA sticker and was rather fobbed off other than them guaranteeing it was a legal version. I guess without the sticker I (or the company) can't prove it's legal.
    You were fobbed off so I suspect the company has one key which they use to enable their refurbished laptops. You could ask for it in writing... and/or threaten to take the issue up with Microsoft as they appear to be selling pirated software...
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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    as part of any license they are required to provide the COA for that install.

    without it the license is void.

    So even if it is genuine (which it doesn't sound like it is) your license is not valid.
    It is Inevitable.....


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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    ikonia thank you, that's the kind of clear cut answer that solves my problem. Thank you for your input everyone, especially as my starting post was a little unclear what i actually wanted to know.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    If this is a case of a corp key being used or the dodgy WGA trick the company who supplied you with the laptop could be in BIG trouble. Its bad enough to install a none genuine copy for home / bussines use but to sell it on is serious.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    The other 2 reasons why it could be validating in addition to my PM are

    1) A VLK licence has been installed (Volume Licence Key). These can be used on many machines. They are usually used in big corporations. It is doubtful this is legal though as they are usually limited to use by a specific organisation (plus, it wouldnt come up on Google).

    2) A hacked WGA file. To test this, you'll have to remove WGA and download the latest one. You could just try overwriting it as it is, not sure how well it would work though as I've not done it before

    But as Ikonia says, you've paid for windows, it should be there
    Last edited by Agent; 17-08-2007 at 03:54 PM. Reason: typos
    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    And by trying to force me to like small pants, they've alienated me.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    I'm definitely not going to accuse the company of anything as the only thing i know is that the coa isn't there, the relevant paperwork has probably just got lost along the line. As i've said they have so far been very good and are aware that something isn't right and seem eager to fix it.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    The main evidence is there... you have no licence COA so they are not sticking to the terms and conditions of the use of that licence key.

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    Re: Pre-installed XP passes validation but no COA-should i worry?

    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    1) A VLK licence has been installed (Volume Licence Key). These can be used on many machines. They are usually used in big corporations. It is doubtful this is legal though as they are usually limited to use by a specific organisation (plus, it wouldnt come up on Google).
    I doubt it's a VLK as it's XP home, and I'm unaware of any home VLAs

    Of course, it could just be 'home' they put on, when it's a pro VLK actually used, as the start up screen only shows 'Windows XP' since SP2, rather than whichever version you have.

    The other alternative is a Technet key or something, but then again you wouldn't expect to see one in a Google search, as I expect they can all be traced back to the account it was issued to.

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