Question

[bicostp]

The question is, why would you need to?

But I guess if your original disc is destroyed beyond repair, and you use your own license key, and the download doesn't have any cracks, then it's at the lighter end of the gray area. (It's bad, however, if you use the key in the download.) After all, all the install CDs are pressed from the same master...

Downloading without having your own license = Bad
Downloading to replace your damaged install medium = Less bad

[metalcookie]

until i was 12, i never took good care of anything like cds. a lot of the things i love now is completely destroyed.
so, everything i download i have, but it doesn't work. i still use my cd key

[nevermind1534]

i prefer mininova
quick question: if you download commercial software that you legally own and can prove you own it, is it legal?

That's what I had to do for xp and office. My dad bought some VLK CDs (keys printed on the CDs) from U of M, and, when they became unusable, I downloaded some ISOs to replace them. Those downloads were a lifesaver.