Genuine Windows 7 discs possibly counterfeit

Hi,

I bought a copy of Windows 7 off ebay, claiming that it was genuine. I looked through the ms site and came across the page for identifying genuine discs, which describes that there should be a holographic inlaid into the disc, with a center and outer ring of holographic, outer having wavy edges.

I have a disc that has a sticker holographic with no inner holographic and the colours are mono copper, not multi-coloured, as described.

Can anyone confirm that this is a counterfeit item please, as I was under the impression that it was genuine.

thank you.

While there is every chance that it is counterfeit (There are just millions of amaxingly well done counterfeits out there) the desciprtion of the holographic area being "multicolored" may be a bit misleading.

The holographic areas CAN look mono copper colored in diffuse light. Hold the disk onder a single point source of liket like a lamp or flashlight and move it around. The "colors" should show up though because the foil is colored they are muted a bit by that.

Also if it's an OEM disk it may be "legit" but frequently those disks have different packaging and disk printing styles (I've not seen one to confirm for 7 though)

So, it should definitely not have a holographic sticker on the disc, but rather be inlaid to the disc itself? The coloured stuff, being actual coloured images rather than just flashy colours of copper too?

This might answer your question,
How to Tell

Thank you for the all the assistance. I am quite sure that the copy that I bought is not genuine, which is rather unsettling. I have no idea why the key works mind you. I will for certain make a dispute to who I bought it from and ask for a refund.

Craigjw said:

Thank you for the all the assistance. I am quite sure that the copy that I bought is not genuine, which is rather unsettling. I have no idea why the key works mind you. I will for certain make a dispute to who I bought it from and ask for a refund.

That did actually work for someone else here that learned the hard way about buying windows 7 on ebay. Good luck. Keep us posted.

If you have anyway of returning the disk and getting your money back - do it! There are so many scams out there and the only way to make sure you are getting a genuine copy of Windows 7 is to purchase it from a Microsoft Partner or reputable retailer (such as Best Buy). Another thing to keep in mind is that Windows 7 has standard pricing, so though you might see a $5 fluctuation here or there, if you something that seems too good to be true - it probably is!

Hope you are able to fenagle a return!

Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach