Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
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im tempted to buy win xp home for as cheap as chips. then buy the upgrade version of vista - it works out cheaper than buying retail vista

Nickg said:im tempted to buy win xp home for as cheap as chips. then buy the upgrade version of vista - it works out cheaper than buying retail vista![]()
It isn't the key which determines OEM or retail (though it confirms it) - it's the content of the CD.Nickg said:i dont know. i am not sure how vista could possible determine whether xp home is oem or retail before you install it and after that it wouldnt matter right?
jim5000 said:If I get a retail version of Vista, will I be able to install it on both my computers? It's a lot of money to buy 2 copies!
jim5000 said:If I get a retail version of Vista, will I be able to install it on both my computers? It's a lot of money to buy 2 copies!
Nickg said:i dont know. i am not sure how vista could possible determine whether xp home is oem or retail before you install it and after that it wouldnt matter right?
mrochester said:Only the motherboard can't be changed without purchasing a new OEM license. You can change everything else.
Blackhorse said:The way i have understood things is that in your not meant to be able to reactivate automatically with changing a mobo.
But if you were to phone up and speak to someone and explain that youve only changed your mobo ie down to a fault
The operator has the power and quite often does to override and register your windows again.
I may be wrong im only a lickle fish in these waters!
burnsy2023 said:Your basically right, for more info, look at the licencing thread.
Burnsy
Blackhorse said:The way i have understood things is that in your not meant to be able to reactivate automatically with changing a mobo.
But if you were to phone up and speak to someone and explain that youve only changed your mobo ie down to a fault
The operator has the power and quite often does to override and register your windows again.
I may be wrong im only a lickle fish in these waters!
Blackhorse said:Thats like 18 pages and counting!!
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I personally find Remote Desktop invaluable, just over my home LAN, so am quite surprised that's not in Home Premium. Saying that, I rarely use Remote Desktop to connect TO my main rig, on which I would be installing Vista... so I wonder if Home Premium could be used to connect to a Windows 2003 machines remote desktop, even if no machines could connect back to it (Vista). (which is handy sometimes when I'm feeling lazy, and use the laptop to wirelessly remote desktop connect to the main rig)
V1N said:That sounds promising.
I was personally considering either the Home Premium edition, or the Ultimate OEM. Having just read on another forum that the Home Premium edition doesn't have Remote Desktop, then I guess it's Ultimate for me.
I personally find Remote Desktop invaluable, just over my home LAN, so am quite surprised that's not in Home Premium. Saying that, I rarely use Remote Desktop to connect TO my main rig, on which I would be installing Vista... so I wonder if Home Premium could be used to connect to a Windows 2003 machines remote desktop, even if no machines could connect back to it (Vista). (which is handy sometimes when I'm feeling lazy, and use the laptop to wirelessly remote desktop connect to the main rig)
Anyway, after reading your posts, I think it's the 64bit Vista Ultimate OEM for me, thanks. Just gunna wait now for a driver for my Topfield PVR, and my Epson scanner... or possibly ghost my current system to another partition, for fallback mode.
V1N.