SO, can you buy Windows 7 on eBay safely?

[Jimmy Higgins]

I was wondering if this were an option. I have an older computer that should handle 7 just fine, but going online it seems there are ifs and catches to Win 7 installers. Nothing like the days of a W2k install disc.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The issue is whether the license key is valid. The disk itself used to be available for free download. I certainly wouldn't do it unless the seller has a good reputation.

 

[bilby]

Why pay for an OS, when you can get a perfectly good one for nothing?

Particularly for use with older hardware.

 

[J842P]

Yeah, I suggest trying out one of the flavors of Ubuntu tailored towards older computers like Xubuntu or Lubuntu (if it's really old).

http://xubuntu.org/

It's free, so why not just give it a shot?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I have Ubuntu on it, but am having issues feeding it to the HDTV, which is one of the main reasons for having this desktop.

 

[beero1000]

I have Ubuntu on it, but am having issues feeding it to the HDTV, which is one of the main reasons for having this desktop.

What kind of issues? The only hiccup I had connecting my Ubuntu desktop to TVs was the choice between open source and proprietary drivers for my Nvidia graphics card. The open source driver was a little buggy, so I switched to the proprietary one, and it's been all good ever since.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I have Ubuntu on it, but am having issues feeding it to the HDTV, which is one of the main reasons for having this desktop.

What kind of issues? The only hiccup I had connecting my Ubuntu desktop to TVs was the choice between open source and proprietary drivers for my Nvidia graphics card. The open source driver was a little buggy, so I switched to the proprietary one, and it's been all good ever since.

I'll give that a try. My TV was having serious issues, to the point I didn't want the TV hooked to the computer.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

I have a new HDMI monitor. Yes, the driver issues are often the problem. Downloading and installing the ATI Radeon drivers solved my issues here. Some hardware is more prone to quirks than other.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Turns out I was using the legacy driver and the results weren't what I wanted. By lucky happenstance, my MIL wanted to get rid of a desktop with XP, so I set this up, put in the "new" video card and it works flawlessly. The computer isn't going to be wired to the Network, so no worries about viruses.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

On the buy Windows 7 on Ebay question, I just saw where a recycler of electronic junk had gotten license numbers off of recycled equipment and used them to sell illicit pirated copies of Windows and got busted for it. In fact there are places that do sell licensed copies of Windows SW for recycled systems, but for online stuff, caveat emptor.