Have you bougth a genuine windows xp home edition ?- Genuine Microsoft Windows

One of my friend bought a genuine windows xp home edition "3 times" for his pc. So why he had to buy the genuine windows xp home edition for 3 times? The answer is lack of knowledge in licensing system of windows and not going to the right place. A lot of poeple sell genuine xp home edition, professional edition or vista but a lot of them are fraud. Most of the time I have been asked by the general computer users to give them a guide about how to buy a copy of genuine XP . Like my friend a lot of other people pay a lot of money for a genuine xp but get a pirated copy or some other copy that is not legal to use. So what is wrong about buying the licensed windows?

First of all we need to know what makes a Windows legal to use in your computer

Your copy of the windows XP or vista must be published by Microsoft that will come with a licensed sticker containing an activation code.

Make sure you are getting the licensed sticker (usually called Certificate of Authenticity) when you buy any version of windows. This license sticker will come with a Windows Product Key-the 25-character security code that you need to activate your copy of windows. If you already have any version of windows it might be located on your (usually affixed to your software package, PC, or laptop)-to a PC hardware key. Microsoft stores this information in a database so that no one else can use your Product Key on another PC. You can validate your installed copy of windows from the following link

A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a label that helps you identify genuine Microsoft software. When my friend bought his genuine windows xp home edition, he didn't get any COA. 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. A COA should never be purchased by itself without the software it authenticates. If you receive offers for COAs as stand-alone items, be aware that these offers are highly suspect and can put you at risk. To fall victim to stand-alone COAs offers means that you may have wasted valuable money and you will not have a legal license to run the software. The best way for you to protect yourself is to purchase software from a familiar, reputable reseller. The Anti-Counterfeiting Act of 2003 makes it a criminal offense for dishonest resellers to distribute stand-alone COA labels.

Windows XP or Vista: Retail, Upgrade, or OEM version?

Retail versions can be installed on any system, whether it's a new system you just built with no operating system, or a system with any previous version of Windows installed, or any other operating system. You can also upgrade or change that system and reactive Windows as many times as you would like. Includes both 32 and 64 bit versions (to be installed on one PC).

Upgrade Versionsmust have Windows XP already installed on your hard drive of the system that you plan to install the upgrade on. Windows 2000 is also eligible for the upgrade (although a clean install must be performed), earlier version are not. Windows XP only required that you possessed the media from an earlier version (a CD for example). The new requirement with Vista is that the earlier operating system must be installed on the hard drive you're upgrading. After Vista is activated, the XP key that was upgraded becomes invalid. You can't use that key to install XP on another system, or in a dual-boot configuration. For example, say you purchased the upgrade edition to install on a new system. You must first install and activate XP, and then use the Vista DVD to upgrade. After which you can't use the XP key again. Both 32 and 64-bit versions are included (to be used on one system

OEM Versions are intended to be sold to Original Equipment Manufacturers. There is no phone support from Miscrosoft provided, no retail packaging, and no manual provided. Support is supposed to be come from the system builder. An OEM version will allow either an upgrade or a clean install. You must chose 32 or 64-bit verisons, they are not both included like they are with the retail vesions. Finally, OEM licenses can't be transfered to another system. You can't transfer from an old computer to a new one. If you upgrade your system, you're limited as to what you can change, and how many activations you're allowed.

BE Careful....

There is a big confusion about OEM version of windows. This version of windows are cheap and everybody loves to pay less where possible so what is an OEM version of windows? Be very careful to buy a OEM version of windows. you need to buy the OEM version that is not branded.

Most of the OEM version is branded for a particular type of machine. This following picture show the Certificate of Authenticity of using XP in gateway machine and can be used in only gateway machine.

Also Make sure you are buying the upgrade version only if you have the older version.

Remember, Genuine Microsoft software is published by Microsoft, properly licensed, and fully supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner. Using genuine Microsoft software offers you greater capabilities and easy integration with the widest variety of hardware, software, and services. It also provides confidence that you will receive the latest product features, updates, and ongoing improvements to keep your PC performing at its best. So it is better to buy a copy of your windows from a trusted and reputed seller.

Online Validation check

Microsoft offers an online validation process that allows you to verify that your copy of Windows is genuine. You will be prompted to validate your copy of Windows if you request a genuine Windows download from the Microsoft Download Center. Alternatively, you can validate your copy of Windows by visiting the How to Tell site. The validation process is easy to use, only takes a few moments to run, and once completed, allows you to access genuine Windows downloads more quickly in the future.

Windows Genuine Advantage

Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is an anti-piracy system enacted by Microsoft that enforces Microsoft Windows online validation of the authenticity of several recent Microsoft operating systems when accessing several Microsoft Windows services, such as Windows Update, and downloading from the Microsoft Download Center.

It also advertises Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, which requires manual intervention to disable. Previously voluntary, it became mandatory for use of these services in July 2005

Features

The WGA validation process validates the present installation of Windows and its license key against the hardware involved. It is accessible by either a stand-alone program, or as an ActiveX control within Internet Explorer, the latter of which is relevant to any attempt to access Microsoft updates via its browser. It includes the following steps:

Upon their first visit to the Microsoft Download or Update Center , the users receive a message requiring them to validate their copy of Windows by downloading an ActiveX control which checks the authenticity of their Windows software. If successful in validating Windows, it stores a special license file on the PC for future verification.

After successful validation, the regular update download can continue.

If an instance of Windows does not seem to have a valid license, WGA displays a specific notice to the user and prevents non-Critical updates from being downloaded from Microsoft.

The ActiveX control is downloaded on the first validation and when a new version is available, but the validation itself can be performed any time the user connects to a Microsoft website to update.

On Windows Vista, WGA validation failure has a greater impact. In addition to persistent notification and the disabling of non-critical updates, WGA also disables Windows Aero, Windows Defender, and ReadyBoost. The user is given a grace period in which to then pass validation, after which most of the operating system is disabled and Windows reverts to reduced functionality mode.

Software

Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool

When a user installs WGA, an Internet Explorer add-on is installed labeled "Windows Genuine Advantage". In early releases the tool could be readily disabled with the IE Add-on Management feature. A Windows Group Policy was added by later updates, causing this option to be unavailable by default, but still accessible if the policy were removed. As of July 2006, the latest update blocks management by other means.

The program uses either a stand-alone program to generate a key or an ActiveX control to discover whether the license key is valid; either way an Internet connection is required. If WGA determines that a user's copy of Windows is unauthorized but was installed from seemingly-legitimate media (i.e., the CD and holographic emblem present on real copies of Windows seems genuine), then Microsoft will supply the user with a new CD. Microsoft also offers discounts to people who want to purchase a legitimate copy of Windows but do not have a valid CD. Microsoft has indicated that they will continue to deliver critical security updates through their Automatic Updates service as well as via the Microsoft Download Center, so that all systems, including those that fail to pass validation, will still continue to receive critical security updates.

The company has made installation of WGA a requirement for use of the Windows Update website (and its close cousin Microsoft Update), in part to be sure that customers who use support resources of the company are aware when their software is unlicensed or counterfeit. According to Microsoft themselves, it is legal to run Microsoft Windows without WGA [citation needed]. However, since non-critical Windows updates are not presented by Automatic Updates, installation of WGA is required for installation of such non-critical updates, which are only available through Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center.

Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications

Beginning April 25, 2006, Microsoft began distributing Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications as "critical update" KB905474 to Windows users. Users with pirated copies were exposed to alerts at startup, login, and during use of the Windows OS, stating that they do not have a genuine copy of Windows. Users with legitimate copies are not supposed to see the alerts (although some do anyway). On May 23, 2006, Microsoft updated the program, closing some forms of circumvention, but reportedly not all. It was updated again on May 30, June 6 and June 27, 2006, though some forms of circumvention are still usable. The latest versions do not roll out worldwide at the same time: the dates given are the earliest dates on which the versions appeared, so the actual version being offered in some places will be an earlier version than the latest release. It is still possible to opt out of receiving this update using the "do not show" option at the Windows Update site. In addition to these notifications, Windows Genuine Advantage will also notify users with the message "This version of Windows XP is no longer secure." if users on an XP Operating System are not using Service Pack 2. It will provide a link to help users to upgrade their systems to the new service pack.

The version of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications released November 29, 2006 had a changed install process to inform the user of what the program does, and can also be set to automatically update to newer versions of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications. It also informs users that may have a non-genuine version of Windows why their Windows version isn't being reported as genuine. However, unlike previous releases, it is currently only automatically delivered to Windows machines that are using four widely-distributed product keys. It will be distributed to all other machines in the coming weeks.

A new update was released March 27, 2007.

Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Library

Microsoft includes the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Library in several products like Windows Defender, Microsoft Folder and Windows Media Player 11 to validate about the Windows installation.

Microsoft has also launched the Office Genuine Advantage program, which validates installations of Microsoft Office.

The best way to avoid fake windows issue is to buy a brand computer from a reputed brand that will bring you a licence copy of windows. Like DELL. Click here to see what you can get.