Awful Experience Gap

Not quite sure where to post this. I started with a failing psu that trashed my wife's hard drive. Got good technical advice here and ended up buying a new psu (from the States...I'm in Honduras) as well as a new hard drive. Because of the failed components on this new computer (less than 6 mos old) and the fact that the so-called power seller on eBay imaged the OS without following EULA, she started receiving the infamous "you may have become a victim of software piracy"...or something like that, I purchased a new sealed from Microsoft Win7 Home Premium x64. The eBay seller has a 100% rating and I've had communication with him.

Don't mean to be wordy but you have to know this background. Everything finally arrived and I grabbed all the parts and went to a big computer repair shop I know and literally gave them everything that had just arrived in the various unopened packages/boxes.The repair shop manager has given me a confirmation of the fact that he received everything sealed and unopened. He gave everything to his repairman and I left for 4 hours. When I returned I was told that someone had stripped the Windows Product Key off of the envelope that housed the OS...the one that proves the genuineness of the software.

Now the computer was still on the work bench and was up and running. It was running in Win 7. I used Macrium Reflect to image her system and had given them that peripheral backup so I assumed they had somehow used it (they are Spanish and my Spanish is kindergarden) but he said they had cloned it. I really don't yet know the difference between cloning and imaging but I have a suspicion. That could not have the 100% rating with the 10yr record and several thousand sales...and be shipping out an OS that had a product key stripped from the envelope. I never actually opened the sealed Microsoft envelope. The repairman opened it according to the shop manager in an email I got from him this a.m. So the product key had to have been stripped by the repairman. Now why?

When I returned home and wired up the computer and turned it on, I checked 'My Computer' > right clicked on 'Properties' and lo-and-behold there is her registered product key...first string of digits followed by 'OEM' and then last string of digits of the Key.

This brings me to this post. Why would someone strip off the genuine product key...apparently after installing the OS on this computer? What good is it to anyone after it has been loaded into this computer? Is there a way that computer repairmen and take a number and use it again? That OS cost me $149 which here is worth about 3,500 lempiras, if you can find one that isn't pirated. For a top worker that's about a week's wages. Is it possible for a repairman to image this OS (even though he installed it onto this computer) on other computer(s)?

The eBay seller has offered to refund my $149 + return shipping. So he is up-and-up. But if I take him up on the refund and return the disk without the product key...and that product key is the one that was linked to this computer's OS...and the eBay seller turns around and resells this as an OS without a product key to some other person, does this compromise my system that displays the same product key? Lord, I hope I'm explaining this properly and that you understand. I need some help at knowing what has likely happened and what danger I'm in.

Thanks!

Yes, I am in total agreement with you. I only wish I had more experience under my belt. I'm sure there are lots of seven forums users like me though who have never put together a system. I'm 77 years old and only started learning this stuff since the first of this year. It is not easy!

But yes, I do still have the operating disk and its' packaging. In fact I purchased two (2) of them from the same seller at the same time. The other one was for my own computer; this one was for my wife's. My disk envelope had the proper sticker on the envelope and had not been tampered with. The other one of course is the one with the problem.

So please...let me ask the same lame question but maybe state my concerns a different way. The product key that is showing valid on my wife's computer has the OEM in the string. Does that fact guarantee that she now has a genuine Windows O/S loaded onto her computer?

You see while we were waiting for parts to arrive from the States, a friend installed a loaner HD and an Win7 O/S onto her computer so she could operate. Immediately she got the message that she may have been the victim of product theft. I never thought to actually check to see if there was a Product I.D. on that loaner HD before I took it into the repair shop for installing the new Win7 O/S. So it begs the question now..."where did this current Product I.D. come from?" Did it actually come from the new Win7 O/S disk in some manner even though the envelope was missing the Authentication Code? It surely could not have been cloned from the loaner HD because she was getting the invalid message on the loaner HD.

This is the reason I have posted. I am baffled. Of course the installers of the parts are all claiming they would never do anything fraudulent. And maybe there really is another possibility that I'm not seeing/understanding. What I don't want is to have some sort of system failure in the future that Windows requires me to re-introduce this OEM key and for them to come back and tell me I don't actually have a valid Key.

The Seller of the software has come back and offered to either send me a replacement system once he locates one; or to simply send me an authentication Key. For the latter...once again I would be concerned about some future problem with Windows that might require proof of the Key.

Am I being more organized in my description?

Thanks!

Let's answer you from your great answer (from my perspective) about the OEM key being just fine. The rest above in your post is a long story and now apparently irrelevant.

I just validated the registration online. I did it for both mine and her computers. Both are validated. Now what you are telling me is that an OEM is good for life for the computer it is installed on. I just verified that is the case on both of our computers. So anyone else attempting to use that COA would be denied use of it?
If so whoever lifted that COA from the envelope of my OS disks is out of luck? It did them no good whether it was the installer or the eBay seller?

That was a very clear definition between OEM and Retail...thanks!

Hi WhatsUpDoc,
lets start with the basic license types

OEM -- used by Major computer manufacturers and INSTALLED at thier factory
a) each OS version has a base product id key, also installed during manufacture
(and can be found ALL over the web)
b) a COA sticker showing OEM/Version/back-up key must also be attached to the machine.
>>These keys are for use only on the original machine and are NOT transferable<<

OEM System Builder -- Used by smaller specialist manufacturers and some Retailers
a) This is a 1 licence only install and should be sold with the CD and packaging showing the
version and the product ID key.
>> this key is not transferable <<

RETAIL -- Anyone
This type of key, and the most expensive, is widely available, transferable to any machine.
but MUST be sold with its packaging.

Enterprise -- Educational establishments/Large Companies
Sold directly by MS to them on a volume basis, they then pass it to students/employees.


Going back to your posts,
Showing as OEM does NOT guarentee a genuine system.

He offered to simply send me a key, as i stated above items 2,3 must also include the packaging anyone offering key only is breaking the terms of the EULA, and its likely non-genuine

Regarding the loaner, he has made no attempt to disguise the fact its counterfiet thats all i can say as
technically speaking and following forum guidelines, we are not allowed to discuss piracy.

Many users on this forum use imaging/cloning programs to back up thier COMPLETE system, and its quicker and easier to re-install this way, this bypasses the need to enter a product key.

ask away were here to help.
will send you a PM that might help

Roy

xposting
++

if at any stage someone else uses the key, yes the Robocall proceedeure can be used but MS can count so if X number of people call quoting the same key then it will be blocked.

Roy

Thank you Roy! A very thorough response. If someone did get hold of MS and ask for a Robo copy, would there be anyway for us to be notified? That possibility is unnerving to us. I would somehow like to give notice to the shop that did the work on these two computers that there will be big problems if I later discover such a scheme has been carried off!

Hi Doc,
MS performs 2 types of validation checks.
the first is done everyime you boot up its just a minor one.
the second more thorough WAT check is performed every 90 days, and is when the non-genuine message starts to appear.
as i said MS can count.
1 licence on 2 machines is a no no

Roy