I'm a Late Adopter - Do Not Want Win 8.1 - Is My Purchase Genuine?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm a born procrastinator. By the time I shopped MS no would longer sell me Win 7 (if if they still will, they've done a good job of hiding the possibility.) All their major authorized vendors are also out of stock, unless Amazon represented by an Amazon Seller is considered authorized.

I have an expensive sealed copy of Win 7 Pro Upgrade, SKU FQC -00130. I have an RMA to return it sealed to the vendor in Ft. Dodge, IA, a vendor with a very good BBB reference. An image of the COA is attached.

It looks genuine, although I have a question about the spacing of the digits in the upper right bar code (8224....) The ends are unbroken. The image distortions are from a fold in the shrink wrap. It seems that MS may have moved the green/white arrow circle (here in the lower right) around their COAs. The text on the cardboard sleeve contains no typos I can find.

There is no color shifting ink on the COA, but this could, perhaps predate that innovation.

Can anyone think of any questions I have not asked that apply to a still sealed package?

I've read enough about activation to realize that if this is a very clever counterfeit it may be months or years before Microsoft suddenly declares it unusable.

Thanks,

baumgrenze

The only problem with that picture is there is no way for us to tell if the ink shifts in color. I'm color blind and have trouble seeing it but even this blind old bat can see it, albeit barely. If you don't see a color shift in the ink when you view it from various angles in a bright light, then I would return it to the vendor and buy from a source people here have found to be trustworthy.

Here is a video that shows a few ways to determine if the product is genuine or not. I couldn't find anything that shows the color shifting. Sorry.

 

[baumgrenze]

Jeannie,

I went back through my History and found this link. It is probably what I am remembering. I just did an internal search of their website (upper right search box) for "counterfeit software newegg" and came up with no hits.

ConsumerAffairs.com Search Page

Here's the original hit. I confess, I was tired and did not read very far. The source (consumeraffairs) may be suspect. Trying to untangle the 'web' just gets one further entangled it seems. I'm reminded of Tolkien and Shelob if my memory is still intact after all these years.

Top 150 Complaints and Reviews about Newegg.com

Once again, it would help if Microsoft made it easy to establish which vendors they are willing to recognize as legitimate. That said, the Amazon model of a parent vendor and 'Amazon sellers,' a model embraced by Newegg, confuses such a marketplace, at best.

One thing is clear, if you make it yourself you know what you have. Unfortunately none of us has the time and/or talent to make everything we need for ourselves. Establishing who to trust as a maker/seller of goods and services should be easier today but clearly it is easy to muddy the waters.

My apologies for misleading anyone,

baumgrenze

 

[baumgrenze]

Would That It Were That Straightforward

Jeannie,

Thank you for your patience. Apparently it is not that simple. The Microsoft COA is a 'moving target' that has changed with time. My hope is that the product I have predates the introduction of color shifting ink. In the market it is referred to as Windows Professional Upgrade (Old Version.) I tried asking Microsoft when the color shifting ink was implemented but I've gotten no response. My search results suggest that this package could have shipped from Microsoft in 2009 and never have sold. Does anyone know the window during which it was offered? I can't structure a search strategy that returns useful results.

Thanks again,

baumgrenze

I'm a born procrastinator. By the time I shopped MS no would longer sell me Win 7 (if if they still will, they've done a good job of hiding the possibility.) All their major authorized vendors are also out of stock, unless Amazon represented by an Amazon Seller is considered authorized.

I have an expensive sealed copy of Win 7 Pro Upgrade, SKU FQC -00130. I have an RMA to return it sealed to the vendor in Ft. Dodge, IA, a vendor with a very good BBB reference. An image of the COA is attached.

It looks genuine, although I have a question about the spacing of the digits in the upper right bar code (8224....) The ends are unbroken. The image distortions are from a fold in the shrink wrap. It seems that MS may have moved the green/white arrow circle (here in the lower right) around their COAs. The text on the cardboard sleeve contains no typos I can find.

There is no color shifting ink on the COA, but this could, perhaps predate that innovation.

Can anyone think of any questions I have not asked that apply to a still sealed package?

I've read enough about activation to realize that if this is a very clever counterfeit it may be months or years before Microsoft suddenly declares it unusable.

Thanks,

baumgrenze

The only problem with that picture is there is no way for us to tell if the ink shifts in color. I'm color blind and have trouble seeing it but even this blind old bat can see it, albeit barely. If you don't see a color shift in the ink when you view it from various angles in a bright light, then I would return it to the vendor and buy from a source people here have found to be trustworthy.

Here is a video that shows a few ways to determine if the product is genuine or not. I couldn't find anything that shows the color shifting. Sorry.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Jeannie,

Thank you for your patience. Apparently it is not that simple. The Microsoft COA is a 'moving target' that has changed with time. My hope is that the product I have predates the introduction of color shifting ink. In the market it is referred to as Windows Professional Upgrade (Old Version.) I tried asking Microsoft when the color shifting ink was implemented but I've gotten no response. My search results suggest that this package could have shipped from Microsoft in 2009 and never have sold. Does anyone know the window during which it was offered? I can't structure a search strategy that returns useful results.

Thanks again,

baumgrenze

I'm a born procrastinator. By the time I shopped MS no would longer sell me Win 7 (if if they still will, they've done a good job of hiding the possibility.) All their major authorized vendors are also out of stock, unless Amazon represented by an Amazon Seller is considered authorized.

I have an expensive sealed copy of Win 7 Pro Upgrade, SKU FQC -00130. I have an RMA to return it sealed to the vendor in Ft. Dodge, IA, a vendor with a very good BBB reference. An image of the COA is attached.

It looks genuine, although I have a question about the spacing of the digits in the upper right bar code (8224....) The ends are unbroken. The image distortions are from a fold in the shrink wrap. It seems that MS may have moved the green/white arrow circle (here in the lower right) around their COAs. The text on the cardboard sleeve contains no typos I can find.

There is no color shifting ink on the COA, but this could, perhaps predate that innovation.

Can anyone think of any questions I have not asked that apply to a still sealed package?

I've read enough about activation to realize that if this is a very clever counterfeit it may be months or years before Microsoft suddenly declares it unusable.

Thanks,

baumgrenze

The only problem with that picture is there is no way for us to tell if the ink shifts in color. I'm color blind and have trouble seeing it but even this blind old bat can see it, albeit barely. If you don't see a color shift in the ink when you view it from various angles in a bright light, then I would return it to the vendor and buy from a source people here have found to be trustworthy.

Here is a video that shows a few ways to determine if the product is genuine or not. I couldn't find anything that shows the color shifting. Sorry.

If in doubt, ship it back for a refund, then buy from a vendor known to sell non-counterfeit software.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Jeannie,

I went back through my History and found this link. It is probably what I am remembering. I just did an internal search of their website (upper right search box) for "counterfeit software newegg" and came up with no hits.

ConsumerAffairs.com Search Page

Here's the original hit. I confess, I was tired and did not read very far. The source (consumeraffairs) may be suspect. Trying to untangle the 'web' just gets one further entangled it seems. I'm reminded of Tolkien and Shelob if my memory is still intact after all these years.

Top 150 Complaints and Reviews about Newegg.com

Once again, it would help if Microsoft made it easy to establish which vendors they are willing to recognize as legitimate. That said, the Amazon model of a parent vendor and 'Amazon sellers,' a model embraced by Newegg, confuses such a marketplace, at best.

One thing is clear, if you make it yourself you know what you have. Unfortunately none of us has the time and/or talent to make everything we need for ourselves. Establishing who to trust as a maker/seller of goods and services should be easier today but clearly it is easy to muddy the waters.

My apologies for misleading anyone,

baumgrenze

While I buy a lot of electronics from Amazon (Amazon itself, rarely their Marketplace vendors), it's one of the last places I would buy software from. Amazon often gets its own stock from its Marketplace vendors (which can be dodgy), especially when their own stock from a legitimate source runs low. I have seen many reviews on software sold directly by Amazon turning out to be counterfeits. Despite the problems NewEgg has been having, I have yet to see such a review from NewEgg (I won't touch anything in their Marketplace, period).

Btw, I don't know where in CA you are, but if you are within a reasonable drive of a Fry's Electronics, apparently they have the OEMs in stock again online and in some stores. You can go to their website to see if they have what you want at a store near you and order it for pickup or have it shipped to the store. then, when you get there, you can look at the COA to see if it looks valid before actually taking possession. I would suggest also opening the package while in the store in the presence of an employee to be sure the activation code sticker looks valid and the disks don't have labels just stuck on. I've had good luck with their store in San Marcos, much better than the one in Tempe and Phoenix, AZ which are way closer to me.

 

[Golden]

Thank you all for the supportive messages today.

I'm now inclined to open and install and take my chances.

Once you do that, you can generate an MGADIAG report that we can look at and definitively determine the genuineness or not of the installation. To do that, follow these steps, and drop me a PM and I'll have a look at it for you:

1. Download and save this tool to your desktop:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012

2. Run the tool, and then click Copy - ignore any errors if they appear

3. Use CTRL+V to paste the unedited results of the tool here in your next reply

 

[baumgrenze]

You ask where? I am in Palo Alto. Ours is one of the early Fry's stores. I looked a few minutes ago. I found no OEM copies but the same product I have is listed at $235 or $60 less than I paid. The details page says 'unavailable.'

I believe it is time for me to indicate the Amazon vendor. It is SoftwareCW of Ft. Dodge, IA. I have tried to find negative reviews that looked credible. There are negatives on TrustPilot but they are from people who botched downloads or one poor soul who bought a program and then learned that it would not run under XP.


I do quibble about their being 'low priced.' When I bought it was $294. Today it is $335 from the same vendor. The other vendors were very close in price.

Further comments...........?

Thanks again,

baumgrenze

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

You ask where? I am in Palo Alto. Ours is one of the early Fry's stores. I looked a few minutes ago. I found no OEM copies but the same product I have is listed at $235 or $60 less than I paid. The details page says 'unavailable.'

I believe it is time for me to indicate the Amazon vendor. It is SoftwareCW of Ft. Dodge, IA. I have tried to find negative reviews that looked credible. There are negatives on TrustPilot but they are from people who botched downloads or one poor soul who bought a program and then learned that it would not run under XP.


I do quibble about their being 'low priced.' When I bought it was $294. Today it is $335 from the same vendor. The other vendors were very close in price.

Further comments...........?

Thanks again,

baumgrenze

I read the vendor reviews for SoftwareCW and saw a few for shoddy shipping practices but nothing about counterfeits. Some items they sell are fulfilled by Amazon, which means that Amazon will take responsibility for any problems. Just make sure, if you order something from SoftwareCW, that it is fulfilled by Amazon. Once you receive it, take up Golden's generous offer to make sure it is genuine because you have only a 30 day window to file a claim if the software should prove to be bogus.

 

[bigmck]

If you want to buy a Windows 7 OEM disk, Fry's has them online and for a lot less than you paid.
Fry's Electronics |

 

[gregrocker]

Do you really need Professional? I wonder if you're under the impression that you must Upgrade to the same version as you had in XP, which is not the case at all since you must do a Clean Reinstall anyway so can choose whichever version you want to upgrade, or since retail Full and Upgrade are no longer available except at extortionate prices I would buy Home Premium OEM which I see regularly at Tiger Direct for $89, or Professional OEM for $135.

In light of the price you paid for Upgrade version I'd send it back to buy from Tiger, Frys or New Egg online and get the added benefit of no worries about whether its Genuine.