Can one purchase Xp produce key online?

[Mainframeguy]

Still onsite at charity - making a clean XP pro install to an old sempron to replace a PIII (which is going to become their samba server),

Of course that is all too straightforward and now I find the machines here only have home keys... I do not even carry a home CD with me and they seem to have "lost" anything that came with the machines.

So it would be handy if there were a way for me to purchase a product key online whilst I am on-site...

I spent ten minutes banging around the M$ site with no joy - so here I am asking you guys

 

[Johnny]

I don't think you can anymore.

 

[Electronic Punk]

Hmm, you could try http://www.over-clock.co.uk/acatalog/software.html

They are not an over-corporated business so I suspecty t you could put an order in, ring them up requesting the product key and then get them shipped to you as normal.

But I am not entirely sure this is what you are after

I have ordered from them in the past and they are a very friendly bunch.

 

[LeeJend]

Buy, I think not, but...

Ring up MS and tell them you are doing volunteer work at a charity and have found some computers you beleive have bogus XP keys (stretch truth a little, after all Home is bogus, and if you don't have the original keys, hologram and disks they very likely may be bogus...). Tell them you want to make them Genuine MS. Let me know if this works.

Or you could read the keys using jellybean and surf the web for a Home CD image to download and burn. I'll see if I can find one.

Found torrents for multiple XP versions at: http://www.tipandtrick.net/2008/download-unmodified-original-windows-xp-with-sp3-integrated-full-retail-and-vl-install-cd-iso-image-from-msdntechnet-plus-via-http-or-torrent/

About 30-40 minute download speed for the XP Pro. XP Home is not a torrent still waiting about 1 hours download.

 

[Mainframeguy]

.... doing volunteer work at a charity and have found some computers you beleive have bogus XP keys (stretch truth a little, after all Home is bogus, and if you don't have the original keys, hologram and disks they very likely may be bogus...). Tell them you want to make them Genuine MS. Let me know if this works.....

I did try this - just for you! - it took two calls and a redirection - so a little patience from me.... then I bigged it up big time.... then the heartless b*****ds at M$ told me that A) they were not marketing XP anymore and B) I would have to go to a reseller anyway.

As expected.

You were quite the optimist. AND at one point I was through to them I could tell (having been there before) that they were winding up for the OEM fraudulent use lecture as they asked for my name - I put a stop to that right away (b*****ds!!).

But thanks for the linkie - I may use it when I am next on site if something else I was trying failed. I had the pro disc - it's just the home one I would have needed. Should have used it as an excuse to shove Suse on and show them another way.... I did have Knoppix with me - but it's not the same....

 

[Mainframeguy]

...
Found torrents for multiple XP versions at: http://www.tipandtrick.net/2008/download-unmodified-original-windows-xp-with-sp3-integrated-full-retail-and-vl-install-cd-iso-image-from-msdntechnet-plus-via-http-or-torrent/
....

burning CD now for my next visit to their offices, many thanks! I guess one of the fringe benefits of VISTA and 7 is that now it is easy(er) to get hold of things like this