I'm looking to purchase 3 Retail XP Pro CDs and licenses. I keep seeing this "3-pack" all over the place. It's SKU is E85-03016 and it sells for about $390, which is a lot cheaper than spending $512 for 3 individually-boxed copies of XP Pro.

The problem is that there is no mention of this 3-pack anywhere on Microsoft.com, and many websites list it as "OEM" which leads me to believe this is not something I can purchase for my home PCs. What are these 3-packs? Will I be legally licensed or is this for system builders only?

I am purchasing this OS for 3 home PCs and I want to make sure I license it correctly, so any help and/or clarification is appreciated!

Title Edited - Please follow new posting rules from now on.

--Zxian

If it's 3 legit CDs, then it seems to be legal.

It's perfect for your 3 PCs

If you are building your own PCs than you are considered a system builder.

OEM system builder software packs are intended for PC and server manufacturers or assemblers ONLY. They are not intended for distribution to end users. Unless the end user is actually assembling his/her own PC, in which case, that end user is considered a system builder as well.

The list I got from MS doesn't have this item on it so I suspect that it might not have SP2 but since it starts wit E85 it seems to be XP Pro. The part# you should be looking for is E85-04164 or E85-04137 if you need the MUI.

It's an OEM 3-pack, not retail, but it's legit. You get no (free) support from MS other than hotfixes and service packs (no phone / email support), but that's the only difference between OEM and Retail software.

The three-pack is legit, and it's cheaper because it's OEM.