Is this Legal as such? EG against Microsofts terms?

[Duncan_Mon]

Rite, my brother got a laptop for his christmas, an Acer. The thing is it came with no windows disc. It tells you to make one but it just seems to create an image of everything on the hard drive at the time...which for formatting for a fresh feel is really helpless.
Its Windows XP MCE btw.

Would it be legal to download a copy of Windows MCE through something like bit torrent and then install it on the laptop but use the legal key that came with the laptop? Im not sure if i need to have a disc aswell, or if making my own aslong as i have the key is perfectly fine.

[sTrAnGeFrUiT!]

If you own a valid Legal licence key then in theory
It should be fine

By downloading the OEM version you are not doing anything wrong
it’s only illegal if you use it with an Illegal licence key
Which you’re not doing

So as far as im aware it’s legal.....
But then again I don’t work for M$ and they have got some funny ideas

[MD]

call microsoft. Ask them for a disc.

Otherwise its illegal.

Closing thread as don't need futher discussion on it.