Oem or Retail?
- Thread starter macfanuk
- Start date
OEM is locked to the mobo so you won't be able to use it on future builds. It's a license for that computer only. Retail is a license that can be used on only one PC at a time, but I believe can be migrated if you build a new PC.
Saying that, my OEM copy has survived a mobo upgrade after reactivating by phone.
Saying that, my OEM copy has survived a mobo upgrade after reactivating by phone.
OEM is tied to the motherboard of the original system. You are not allowed to use it anywhere else. It also tends to be very touchy about changing other hardware - at least it was with XP.
You may change the mobo only if the original is faulty.
Retail allows you unlimited installs of Windows - but only one installation at a time. This is by far the better option and these days the price difference really isn't that high. So ask yourself, is saving a few quid off an already very well priced product worth the hassle of a restrictive license?
You may change the mobo only if the original is faulty.
Retail allows you unlimited installs of Windows - but only one installation at a time. This is by far the better option and these days the price difference really isn't that high. So ask yourself, is saving a few quid off an already very well priced product worth the hassle of a restrictive license?
Soldato
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Cool I may get a copy for my main pay PC as the retail version only cost an extra tenner over OEM.
Hold on for a moment ... OEM is original equipment manufacturer ..... most of the time the terms of OEM software are it must be sold with a piece of hardware .... it may or may not be tied to a particular brand of laptop/pc.
There are Dell/HP OEM Windows disks that are tied to a machine but a lot of OEM software isn't. You just have to read the fine print & description to see if it contains "You must install on a DELL computer", etc
I myself have a branded HP Windows XP OEM disk with the COA, its not tied to any machine and I can use it on any hardware.
There really isn't much difference unless its an OEM version that a major manufacturer like HP or DELL has specifically tailored for use on their systems.
Most likely that is Windows activation, you've probably installed it onto a formatted drive a number times before you've switched motherboard. The anti-piracy measures taken by Microsoft make you phone in to get a code to activate it is one way to ensure legitimate users are installing their software. Pirates don't bother calling Microsoft do they
There are Dell/HP OEM Windows disks that are tied to a machine but a lot of OEM software isn't. You just have to read the fine print & description to see if it contains "You must install on a DELL computer", etc
I myself have a branded HP Windows XP OEM disk with the COA, its not tied to any machine and I can use it on any hardware.
There really isn't much difference unless its an OEM version that a major manufacturer like HP or DELL has specifically tailored for use on their systems.
Most likely that is Windows activation, you've probably installed it onto a formatted drive a number times before you've switched motherboard. The anti-piracy measures taken by Microsoft make you phone in to get a code to activate it is one way to ensure legitimate users are installing their software. Pirates don't bother calling Microsoft do they
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Nope, when you install OEM it is tied to the computer it is first installed on - specifically the motherboard. The must be sold with hardware thing was from years ago.
So, you can install it anywhere initially - after that it is tied to that machine. You can't use it anywhere else. If you do you're no better than a pirate. OEM shouldn't even really be sold to consumers anyway.
At only £10 extra, not going Retail is stupid.
So, you can install it anywhere initially - after that it is tied to that machine. You can't use it anywhere else. If you do you're no better than a pirate. OEM shouldn't even really be sold to consumers anyway.
At only £10 extra, not going Retail is stupid.
Even XP OEM was tied to the motherboard. It was just you couldn't buy it on its own. It had to be with hardware, as MS says OEM is for system builders. To get around this retailers basically sold it with a piece of hardware so they could say "we assumed it was for a new system...".
Associate
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Prepare to incur the wrath of the MS licensing ayatollahs who patrol these forums. They will come for you, and flog you with their keyboards.Haha well they're a bit lax on XP I guess, they've never questioned me about the motherboard for my HP disk and I've used it on about 5 motherboards in the past 7 years
Prepare to incur the wrath of the MS licensing ayatollahs who patrol these forums. They will come for you, and flog you with their keyboards.
I know that was said 'tongue in cheek', but the 'ayatollahs' usually only post to stop the spread of misinformation.
We've already seen people post in this thread to say that 'OEM can be reactivated by phone, even on a new PC', or that 'OEM only matters for system builders like Dell/HP'.
Just because you can 're-activate' over the internet/phone - doesn't mean that you are still Licensed. For most home-users, they don't really care about the actual Licence agreement, and are just happy if their product activates and works. But for some people (businesses), the actual Licensing is very important.
This is why many people on these forums like to point out the facts of Licensing, rather than going with the usual trend of 'just get OEM and re-activate, I've never had any problems for 7 years'.
Associate
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That's fair enough, but I was really referring to one or two people who seem to haunt the forum looking for any slight hint of a EULA infringement, giving them a pretext to overreact hysterically. Although it's sometimes quite entertaining, I don't think it's ultimately very constructive.
If it's simply a case of providing information in a courteous, helpful and non-judgemental way, as you've just done, everything's dandy.