Would you buy an OS from a seller in CHINA?

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I bought a new Windows 7 disc thru Amazon. Also got a new hard drive for my Linux laptop. Intention? Sometime in the next 9 months, load 7 on the new drive, then upgrade it to 10.

When tracking information was provided, it looked strange. Turned out it's being sent by a carrier that brings things from Hong Kong to the States where it's then handed over to the U.S. Postal Service.

I checked the tracking number on the Postal Service website, and surprise, surprise, it actually worked...

Only it showed the origin point as MAINLAND CHINA. (If this had been an eBay purchase, I'd never have bought something like this from outside the country.)

What do you think? Pirated? Full of nice juicy malware?

Would you load this disc on a new drive and then go on to use the computer, or would you burn the thing as soon as it arrived and flush the ashes down the toilet? (Yes, I know plastic discs likely don't produce ash. I'm not being literal, but I'm very close to NT so I do that sometimes.)

There was NO indication this seller was from outside the country, let alone in China.

So, what do you guys think? Use it or "burn" it?

I SO want to start banging my head against a wall...but I don't have a helmet to wear.

Lots of people worry about what the OS could be doing, but not many people have checked (or are able to check) what is actually being sent out. I wouldn't use a Chinese OS knowing their general reputation, especially in the phone markets, but it could be a completely legitimate copy of Windows.

You can verify it in several ways. First, check the disc/box exteriors: this link might help.

Secondly, look for any odd graphics and spelling mistakes during installation. There are probably countless videos on Youtube detailing W7 installations.

Thirdly, do not connect your PC to the internet, and verify your product by phone. If this process works, then it's a valid, genuine W7 and you can connect to the internet and use your PC. If this fails, you might have a problem. Try the online verification. If that fails, destroy the disk, burn the house down, and leave the country. But seriously, failed verification means pirated or altered software.

It is highly unlikely you have a hacked version, so don't worry too much about it.

I would be scared of spyware/keylogger.
Then again there's probably plenty of backdoors in any Windows version for all the different governments to inspect your hard drive if they want lol.

Amazon is usually trustworthy; did you buy directly from amazon or from a 3rd party (ebay-esque)?
If it is the former, no realy problems, a lot of OS disks are made and distributed from china. if the latter, a bit more caution is in place, but panic is not needed.

i would recommend loading the disk on an older computer first and run the full gambit of spy-/malware and virus detection software on it

Well, as mentioned, it turned out the seller was apparently in Mainland China (or they're having it shipped from their), so yeah, this is "ebay-esque", with NO sign it was anything of the kind... Until the tracking number worked.

As for putting it on an older computer, I don't keep old klunkers sitting around the house, but the laptop it was meant for isn't exactly brand new, so the original intent sort of goes with your suggestion anyway.

I suppose the "register by phone" may be a way to make sure it's official.

This may be a moot point now, tho'. The latest date given for delivery is TOMORROW, and according to tracking, the thing hasn't even shipped yet.

I've contacted the seller, and they're saying stuff like "It's on the road", but I keep pointing out to them that's not what the tracking shows.

Bothers me that now Amazon has a similar disc for about the same price, and I'd be ordering directly from Amazon instead of an Amazon seller.

Should call my bank and see about getting my money back...