Dell Windows XP home COA???? quick question

[Greco101]

What is Windows XP home COA?

the add says "Dell Windows XP home COA attached - NO SOFTWARE INSTALLED OR INCLUDED"

[AJ@PR]

What is Windows XP home COA?

the add says "Dell Windows XP home COA attached - NO SOFTWARE INSTALLED OR INCLUDED"

Did you google for an answer, young one?

[Greco101]

I always try google before i bother people in the forum but i couldnt find an answer besides it just being a key code?

[AJ@PR]

I always try google before i bother people in the forum but i couldnt find an answer besides it just being a key code?

This was in my 5th google hit dude... :(


Windows XP Home - CD/Media • COA (Certificate of Authenticity)

[AJ@PR]

It's alive again :)

There's some unanswered questions...

[Greco101]

Thanks AJ. Sorry 'bout the vague post.


I don't understand the point of having a COA without the software installed or included or if this means I can legally download the software because I have the COA. Or is it pretty much trash and I will have to buy an OS separate anyways?

[AJ@PR]

Thanks AJ. Sorry 'bout the vague post.


I don't understand the point of having a COA without the software installed or included or if this means I can legally download the software because I have the COA. Or is it pretty much trash and I will have to buy an OS separate anyways?

:) It's all good Greco... :)
One big happy community :banana: :banana:

I don't understand either the advertisement...
Maybe they're giving you a box with the COA plus the CDs... but they're not installing it themselves?

I'm unsure... Guys? :think:

[Airbozo]

Depends on where you get it. A third party may have lost the disks. On _some_ systems, Dell will send you the media, IF you can prove you own the product.

I know Dell took some heat a couple of years ago for not providing disks to their customers and only providing an installed copy and a rescue copy (also on the HD). They changed that policy a while back, but some refurb systems we get from them are still missing the OS disk. We call them up and they usually send us one for each system that is missing the disk free of charge.

I have had Windows OEM vendors tell me in the past, that the COA is the only important part of the OS, since you can use that key with ANY XP Home install disk. Indeed M$'s OEM agreement that our company signed states (in a vague legaleeze kind of way) that it is perfectly fine to install 10 systems from the same OEM disk so long as we have a _valid_ COA for each system (which we do because we purchase them). I verified this by talking with our OEM contact at M$.

[TheGreatSatan]

You bought a Dell ??????????????

[Greco101]

You bought a Dell ??????????????

Ya, I got a gx280 for a decent price. I know i know, it's a dell but I need a computer for now that isn't messed up until I can get the money together for my custom.

It was either deal with this 6 year old HP that for some reason wont even play flash games without lagging... or buy a dell that will last me while I slowly but surely piece together my dream machine.

I thought it was a pretty safe investment... I'll just give it to my gf after I finish my custom.


Plus I ordered: This video card (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814150213) and 2gigs of ram

[TheGreatSatan]

Passive cooling......

[xRyokenx]

Sounds like a good idea to me Greco. I built my current rig for maybe $700 US, minus the monitor and all the other peripherals. The specs are on my profile.

[Greco101]

Passive cooling......

Ya, but can always put a fan on it anyways. Either way, no one has had overheating problems with it.