Microsoft’s Cleanshop Program - Getting Legitimate Windows in Thailand
Software piracy is nothing new in Thailand, but while enough people love getting a copy of XP for less than a meal at KFC, many others are burned by dishonest retailers who install pirated software on machines sold as new. This isn’t limited to the stalls in Panthip Plaza either. A look through local forums such as Thaivisa.com and Thai360.com will reveal plenty of stories of Acer and HP’s distributors in Thailand selling brand new PCs loaded with Photoshop, MS Office, and other expensive software on top of the bogus XP copies.
Now if you can’t trust Acer and HP, who do you go to? The answer is Cleanshop, a network of trusted retailers where Microsoft guarantees you will get legitimate software that will authenticate, be registrable, and covered by warrantee.
The list covers shops in several major centres and gives you a way to ensure you don’t get ripped off by a fake copy that will cause you problems down the road.
A list of all Cleanshop outlets can be found at: