i m going to purchase Windows XP pro OEM version. so can you tell me the period that installation limits of product key (how many time it allows to activate thru the product key printed on box). Do i need to pay microsoft for next period of product key or new generation of product key ?. How much time it takes to activate thru phone?How much it costs?. i can't find these answers on MS i wanna know it from your expereince. microsoft's language is quite hard for me to swallow you can explain me if their is something good/bad with purchase. currently i got it built in with ibm pc but it is home version.is it good choice to stay till the longhorn launch.?

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OEM's are only cheaper because they do not offer any technical support, so if your Windows XP crashed on you, Windows Support wouldn't care. Furthermore, OEM's go thru a two step reselling proccess, which is why they are so cheap. In regards to your activation, Microsoft allows only one product key per OS. Phone activiation shouldn't cost any money, because there numbers are toll free. Don't even bother waiting for longhorn, it'll come out when your 80 years old.

-whyme

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I have re-installed XP pro(OEM) lots of times and the direct activation online worked for me 3 times. After the third time I had to call Microsoft to activate but after I verified that I was the original person who registered this copy, they allowed me 3 more online activations for future use. I have called them and repeated this procedure a few times. Its no big deal. The only time they might ask you to purchase a new license for your windowsXP is if you have changed your hardware, and then tried to activate. I believe the installationID# that XP generates includes hardware ver. info so if your hardware has changed and the copy of XP has been activated before, the ID numbers will not match and you will not get XP activated because your OEM license is now void.

OEM -- "Original Equipment Manufacturer" license means its only good on the original hardware.

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