Windows xp and coa

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Becca

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[FONT=Arial, Verdana]I was looking at an eBay listing for a laptop and the advertiser mentions

"There is no xp cd however it has the coa so if you can get an oem copy of xp it shouldnt be a problem"

I think coa means the official number sticker which is on a computer which indicates that it has an official copy of windows installed.

What's an oem copy of xp?
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COA = Certificate Of Authenticity - for Windows usually the hologrammed sticker on the installation media or the PC/laptop itself. Basically proof that it is genuine/licensed. See .

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer - OEM versions of Windows are those shipped by PC manufacturers on their own PCs/laptops. Usually they cannot be reused on other PCs/laptops due to technical or licensing restrictions. For example a Dell OEM Windows recovery CD will probably not install on a Sony Vaio. Again see .

If the laptop above comes with Windows already (legitimately) installed then you will only need the OEM CD if you need to alter the installation or reinstall. Be careful buying laptops on eBay if you are not sure what you're doing. But, as ever on eBay, there are some great bargains if you have your wits about you!
 
Thanks ClubMan. So if I purchase, for example, a 2nd user Dell laptop/Dell pc and it has Windows xp already legitimately installed on it, then my Windows xp CD which came with own existing Dell pc should work on it if I want to reinstall Windows?
 
Maybe. OEM CDs may differ between models/ranges. To be honest if I wanted to be sure that I could update/reinstall Windows on such a PC then I would only buy one with all original installation media. Don't be afraid to ask the seller questions about this stuff.
 
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