Where do I buy Windows XP for Bootcamp?

Hello,

I have mac computer and previously installed windows xp on bootcamp so that I could play an old computer game. However just the other day I went to boot up and it said disk failed. I have since deleted windows but do not have the CD to reinstall.

How do I get a genuine windows XP to install on bootcamp?
I know it is an old operating system and no longer officially sold by Microsoft but I do not want to get scammed by an ebay seller or get a dodgy pirated version with viruses and security holes. Anywhere I can get a genuine, safe and secure copy of Windows XP?

Thanks heaps!

You can purchase a genuine version of XP from Amazon.com. Amazon sells the full install version which is what you need. LINK

Thanks for the reply and link.

Even the ones listed as Full Version seem to be OEM - which apparently is intended to be sold with a new computer and can only be installed and activated on the one computer ever. Then there are Full Version which don't mention being OEM but cost about $230+ and I don't even know if it is really new or second hand.
It seems like an awful lot of money and a big gamble for something that may not even legitimately activate.

You can use the OEM version but will not be able to use Microsoft tech support in the event of a problem.

scottmcp432 said:

You can use the OEM version but will not be able to use Microsoft tech support in the event of a problem.

Click to expand...

If I get OEM version, doesn't that mean I can only use it on that one particular computer and cannot ever transfer it to another computer at a later stage?

Also does it present any problems when formatting and re-installing having an OEM version?

Thanks

If I get OEM version, doesn't that mean I can only use it on that one particular computer and cannot ever transfer it to another computer at a later stage?

Click to expand...

That's correct. The MS license agreement states that very clearly. But let me ask you this.. How long and how many computers do you intend to use XP on? Any Mac built in 2010 and later can not run XP from Boot Camp. You could run it from a VM but would you want to?

Also does it present any problems when formatting and re-installing having an OEM version?

Click to expand...

The OEM system builders version is exactly the same as the MS boxed version. The only difference is the license agreement. If you don't trust the OEM version, buy a MS boxed version full install instead. However, be prepared to pay more.

Question about MS licensing. Say you install Windows on one machine, and it gets destroyed, never to boot again. Can you use the same license key again on another machine? IF the old machine never runs again, they would never run concurrently, which is what I believe that MS online security checks for.

You could replace the hard drive in the first machine, and reinstall from scratch, using the same key.

Why not do the same with another CPU? Does it lock the CPU serial number (mother board) to the key?

If you're using a MS boxed copy of Windows, the license is not restrictive to one computer. What that means is it can be moved to another machine if properly uninstalled or removed from the first machine. Naturally you can not run the same copy on two machines at once even if one is a virtual machine. You can buy a Windows family pack which does allow for more than one install but it's more expensive.

MS routines which look for piracy check various hardware configurations on PCs such as the CPU, hard drive, amount of memory, disk drives, BIOS, and some others. The changing of a hard drive for example will not kick off the activation wizard, but if you were to change the CPU, the activation wizard will appear.

I vaguely recall helping a friend to upgrade his PC a few years ago. RAM and Boot drive were upgraded. When we reinstaled Windows, the Activation system told us to call a help desk number. We did that and explained verbally what we were doing, and they manually unlocked the activation for us, allowing us to run the newly upgraded PC with the old Windows licence key. I guess that experience agrees with what chscag wrote above, there was an algorithm in the Activation Wizard that must have tripped that situation.

Oem xp

bmac89 said:

Thanks for the reply and link.

Even the ones listed as Full Version seem to be OEM - which apparently is intended to be sold with a new computer and can only be installed and activated on the one computer ever. Then there are Full Version which don't mention being OEM but cost about $230+ and I don't even know if it is really new or second hand.
It seems like an awful lot of money and a big gamble for something that may not even legitimately activate.

Click to expand...

I have purchased the low end OEM version from Amazon, and it works perfectly. I even reinstalled several time since without problem.

You can go ahead, it is genuinely genuive