Windows Product Keys amoung Different Language Versions

I plan on buying my laptop in Taiwan, which means that Windows would be in Chinese. If I can obtain a English edition of Windows XP via online download....
1) Would the product key from the laptop work with the English Windows version?
2) Is this act legal?
3) Which version of Windows do I get? OEM? VLK? RTL?
4) Are there any alternatives for solving this problem?

 

You cannot download a legal copy of XP to the best of my knowledge.

You can always order a LEGAL CD of XP in english AFAIK.

 

Yea, pretty much its illegal(Though it would make sense if one legally owns a key but for some odd reason, lose/break/etc. the legal disc), but pretty much this is how Microsoft squeezes every penny out of ya

Depending on which notebook manufacturer, you may be able to negotiate some sort of deal.

Good luck!

 

yeah.. as advanced as MS is... I don't think they have a legal download for XP.. I know they have some of those new programs that are actually web based and you pay for and download some part of it... but not the OS.

 

It depends on your license; I've never read a Chinese Microsoft license. When you buy Windows you buying a license to use the software. The key is merely a protection scheme. For example in an enterprise environment you would buy x number of licenses and only use one volume key. If you loose the key you simply by a replacement media with a new key which costs almost nothing.

You will have the read your license to see what the restrictions are.

And no there are no legal downloads of XP that I'm aware of.

 

Scratch the downloading part. Would it be legal if I borrow my friends Windows CD to install Eng Windows instead of Chinese Windows?

 

The key wont work, unless it is a multilanguage version of window xp. And most company ships with their own window that can onli be encoded on specific machine. Like a Dell, comes with window restoration disk which u can onli use on dell machines.

 

Actually, that's correct and incorrect.

Microsoft has three types of license keys for each Windows: OEM, retail, and corporate (VLK). It is irrespective of language. So long as the license key is of the same class, any Windows of any other language should accept the key.

HOWEVER, according to the Microsoft EULA, you are *technically* not permitted to install Windows from any other media except for the one provided with your system or provided as a replacement.

That being said, there is also the MUI kit which allows different users to use different locales and menus (ie: changes the whole thing into another Windows for that user, not the same as simply changing Regional Settings). Also, I'm not sure whether they do checking against different languages, seeing how they have been doing more and more information checking with activation and WGA and other nonsense.