Why is it such a PITA?

[Greenmantle]

All I want to do is buy from 1 place physical boxes of:

1 x Windows 11 Pro with Activation Key
1 x Microsoft 365 Family with Activation Keys

The 365 I can get from Amazon for just under £50 but the vendors on Amazon selling Windows 11 all have dodgy reviews!
Can anyone help?

Just my opinion but Microsoft needs to get a grip and stop peddling Windows 11 only available through NEW devices. There seems to be a multitude of websites selling software but when you look for the usual important things like address, phone number and maybe VAT registration number they are all missing.

[mikef]

Microsoft sells unbundled Windows licenses through legitimate resellers, including Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Pro-Activation-Co...

It's £112 for Home Edition and £191 for Pro Edition sold by Amazon

Have a guess why those discount prices don't have proper business details

[Greenmantle]

mikef said:

Microsoft sells unbundled Windows licenses through legitimate resellers, including Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Pro-Activation-Co...

It's £112 for Home Edition and £191 for Pro Edition sold by Amazon

Have a guess why those discount prices don't have proper business details

thanks Mike

but that link is the one I found with the really dodgy reviews and the potential of getting caught between Amazon Computer Says "NO" and Microsoft Computer Says "NO"!.

[mikef]

Looking at the reviews, I'm not sure they are all related to the "sold by Amazon" licenses, some of the descriptions look to be referring to Amazon Marketplace sellers

[zoomy]

We buy from theunitysoft.com but cannot see 365 only office 2021 if any good?

[x5tuu]

Used Gamers Outlet loads - zero issues ever

Windows 11 Pro - £5.75

https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-windows-11-pr...

Microsoft Office 365 - £52.80
https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-microsoft-off...


ETA: sorry just seen the need for physical boxes ... no idea why this is needed but the above are keys and downloads links - all legit of course.

[Greenmantle]

x5tuu said:

Used Gamers Outlet loads - zero issues ever

Windows 11 Pro - £5.75

https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-windows-11-pr...

Microsoft Office 365 - £52.80
https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-microsoft-off...


ETA: sorry just seen the need for physical boxes ... no idea why this is needed but the above are keys and downloads links - all legit of course.

Thanks for the recommendation.
I did some digging and found out:
(1) Microsoft Office 365 is a legit version. They sell the key and you head over to your Microsoft Account and register it. Then you can download it. SO no different to Amazon and others
(2) The Windows 11 key is sneaky. The key is actually a Windows 10 key since you can upgrade from 10 to 11 for free. I already have loads of Windows 10 keys so I did just that.

[paulrockliffe]

Why do you need to buy a box alongside your 1s and 0s?

The reason you're finding it a pain is because your requirements are 100% in the opposite direction to everyone else's. Microsoft have gone out of their way to make this easy; you download the software, install it, buy a license using your Microsoft Account, then you sign in with your Microsoft Account.

If you manage to find someone to sell you that service in a box, you'll find that you can't do anything until your box arrives and then when you upgrade or replace your machine you cannot simply sign in on the new machine and transfer the license across. Unless you know what you're doing, you might easily lose the license you've paid for.

Go with the flow and that license may last forever instead. Every version of Windows since Windows 7 has been upgradable for free, I'm running Windows 11 on 4 machines at home, I think three of them are W7 OEM licences that ultimately came from the code on the back of a Laptop that is long long dead.

[DoctorX]

Window 11 Pro for 79.99 with a disk for an extra fiver.

https://store.computeractive.co.uk/p43911-windows_...

[Griffith4ever]

x5tuu said:

Used Gamers Outlet loads - zero issues ever

Windows 11 Pro - £5.75

https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-windows-11-pr...

Microsoft Office 365 - £52.80
https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-microsoft-off...


ETA: sorry just seen the need for physical boxes ... no idea why this is needed but the above are keys and downloads links - all legit of course.

Thats what id do for win 11. Or:

https://www.cjs-cdkeys.com/products/Windows-11-Pro...

Used that co with 100% sucess with many licenses.

Not sure why the Op needs a "box" - it will be empty apart from perhaps a CD - which most PCs these days can't read, and you can download a USB key image easily and for free.

Edited by Griffith4ever on Thursday 1st February 09:45

[James6112]

Can you get a discount via work?, you can check via work mail address:-

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/workplace-discount...

Used to be really cheap, not sure now

[GuyW]

Why on earth the insistence for boxed copies? Your 'box' will be nothing more than a licence code/key printed on a bit of paper inside.

If you're worried about legitimacy, why not buy direct from MS?