OEM versions and Full Versions of Vista

  • Thread starter Thread starter Robert Katz
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Robert Katz

I see OEM versions advertised. If I build my own PC and install an
OEM version, will I have a valid activated system? What does the Full
Version allow me to do that the OEM won't?
 
They are the same except for the license and support, basically the OEM
version is tied to the PC it was first installed on, and can't be installed
on another PC, ever, and there is no support from Microsoft, you are the
support contact.
 
OEM versions of Windows Vista are tied to the very first
computer you install and activate it on and are non-transferrable
to a different PC in the future. Retail versions are transferrable
and include free Microsoft technical support for installation and/or
troubleshooting incidents. OEM versions offer no free Microsoft
technical support.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

----------------------------------------------------------------------

:

I see OEM versions advertised. If I build my own PC and install an
OEM version, will I have a valid activated system? What does the Full
Version allow me to do that the OEM won't?
 
It's not just tied to the PC you install it on. It is tied to the
configuration. If you change something, like update your BIOS, you may no
longer be able to activate it.

For most user's with OEM, this is not a big deal, but you are building your
own PC. You probably change things on occassion.
 
Robert said:
I see OEM versions advertised. If I build my own PC and install an OEM
version, will I have a valid activated system?
Yes.

What does the Full
Version allow me to do that the OEM won't?
Click to expand...

There are some very important reasons that an OEM license costs so
much less than a retail license. OEM licenses are very limited:

1) OEM versions must be sold with a piece of non-peripheral
hardware (normally a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC) and
are _permanently_ bound to the first PC on which they are installed. An
OEM license, once installed, is not legally transferable to another
computer under any circumstances. This is the main reason some people
avoid OEM versions; if the PC dies or is otherwise disposed of (even
stolen), you cannot re-use your OEM license on a new PC. The only
legitimate way to transfer the ownership of an OEM license is to
transfer ownership of the entire PC.

2) Microsoft provides no free support for OEM versions. If you
have any problems that require outside assistance, your only recourse is
to contact the manufacturer/builder of the PC or the vendor of the OEM
license. This would include such issues as lost a Product Key or
replacing damaged installation media. (Microsoft does make allowances
for those instances when you can prove that the OEM has gone out of
business.) This doesn't mean that you can't download patches and
service packs from Microsoft -- just no free telephone or email support
for problems with the OS.

3) An OEM DVD cannot be used to perform an upgrade of an earlier
OS, as it was designed to be installed _only_ upon an empty hard drive.
It can still be used to perform a repair installation (a.k.a. an
in-place upgrade) of an existing WinXP installation.

4) If the OEM DVD was designed by a specific manufacturer, such as
eMachines, Sony, Dell, Gateway, etc., it will most likely only install
on the same brand of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature. Further,
such DVDs are severely customized to contain only the minimum of device
drivers, and a lot of extra nonsense, that the manufacturer feels
necessary for the specific model of PC for which the DVD was designed.
To be honest, such DVDs should _not_ be available on the open market;
but, if you're shopping someplace on-line like eBay, swap meets, or
computer fairs, there's often no telling what you're buying until it's
too late. The "generic" OEM DVDs, such as are manufactured by Microsoft
and sold to small systems builders, don't have this particular problem,
though, and are pretty much the same as their retail counterparts, apart
from the licensing, support, and upgrading restrictions.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
 
Mark said:
It's not just tied to the PC you install it on. It is tied to the
configuration. If you change something, like update your BIOS, you may no
longer be able to activate it.
Click to expand...


That's news! When did this happen? Can you provide a link to the
Microsoft announcement of the new EULA?



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
 
Bruce said:
There are some very important reasons that an OEM license costs so
much less than a retail license. OEM licenses are very limited:

1) OEM versions must be sold with a piece of non-peripheral
hardware (normally a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC) and
are _permanently_ bound to the first PC on which they are installed. An
OEM license, once installed, is not legally transferable to another
computer under any circumstances. This is the main reason some people
avoid OEM versions; if the PC dies or is otherwise disposed of (even
stolen), you cannot re-use your OEM license on a new PC. The only
legitimate way to transfer the ownership of an OEM license is to
transfer ownership of the entire PC.

2) Microsoft provides no free support for OEM versions. If you
have any problems that require outside assistance, your only recourse is
to contact the manufacturer/builder of the PC or the vendor of the OEM
license. This would include such issues as lost a Product Key or
replacing damaged installation media. (Microsoft does make allowances
for those instances when you can prove that the OEM has gone out of
business.) This doesn't mean that you can't download patches and
service packs from Microsoft -- just no free telephone or email support
for problems with the OS.

3) An OEM DVD cannot be used to perform an upgrade of an earlier
OS, as it was designed to be installed _only_ upon an empty hard drive.
It can still be used to perform a repair installation (a.k.a. an
in-place upgrade) of an existing WinXP installation.

4) If the OEM DVD was designed by a specific manufacturer, such as
eMachines, Sony, Dell, Gateway, etc., it will most likely only install
on the same brand of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature. Further,
such DVDs are severely customized to contain only the minimum of device
drivers, and a lot of extra nonsense, that the manufacturer feels
necessary for the specific model of PC for which the DVD was designed.
To be honest, such DVDs should _not_ be available on the open market;
but, if you're shopping someplace on-line like eBay, swap meets, or
computer fairs, there's often no telling what you're buying until it's
too late. The "generic" OEM DVDs, such as are manufactured by Microsoft
and sold to small systems builders, don't have this particular problem,
though, and are pretty much the same as their retail counterparts, apart
from the licensing, support, and upgrading restrictions.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bruce,

Here's the precise scenario:

I have a Hard Disk that has a legitimate installed version of Vista
Ultimate 64. It was installed by a Vista Ultimate Upgrade. That
version was activated. The machine on which it boots no longer exits,
although the disk does. I'm going to build my own PC (different
architecture), but I'd like to keep the disk as is. I want a
legitimate version.

a) Can I buy a Vista Upgrade and Upgrade Ultimate to Ultimate? and
keep everything in place?
b) If not, and I do a clean install, can I at least keep the data?
c) If I buy my own OEM version from a software vendor on the Web, can
I do an clean install and keep my data?
d) Say I have a PC running an activated copy of Vista, and I want to
get rid of that machine and build another. What mechanism allows me
to use the full version DVD to install a new machine, but disallows
the OEM DVD to to the same? That is how is the OEM version
permanently bound? And what does it mean to "transfer ownership of the
entire pc?"
 
You are wrong. Except for changing the MOBO, you can change other equipment
and do any updates you need. You may have to reactivate but your license is
good. I should add, that in addition to the other mentioned items, the
retail version allows you to switch to the 64-bit or 32-bit version, for at
most a fee for the disk (comes with Ultimate), the OEM version is for one or
the other. Make sure you buy the version you want to stick with.
 
:-) You don't miss anything. Thanks for tying it together with the EULA...

Okay, based on other posts and problems noted through Google and forums:

"A preinstalled OEM copy, like HP or Dell, is generally BIOS-locked by the
manufacturer. These can rarely be installed on anything other than the system
they come with. This differs greatly from the generic OEM license which is
basically a copy of the retail disk that is intended for a single machine
without support from Microsoft."
I was generic in my statement (making it incorrect) because the original
post did state that they were looking to purchase the OEM version which means
the above likely could not apply. But, keep in mind, OEM versions are not
typically sold as "stand alone" disks.

Additionally, activation is based on a hardware signature which also
includes the BIOS string. Updates _may_ change this string making activation
of OEM versions difficult since Microsoft will not typically support OEM
versions. If you get the typical person on the end of phone activation, you
_may_ succeed.

Per my original statement, "may" is the key word.
 
Robert said:
Thanks Bruce,

Here's the precise scenario:

I have a Hard Disk that has a legitimate installed version of Vista
Ultimate 64. It was installed by a Vista Ultimate Upgrade. That
version was activated. The machine on which it boots no longer exits,
although the disk does. I'm going to build my own PC (different
architecture), but I'd like to keep the disk as is. I want a legitimate
version.

a) Can I buy a Vista Upgrade and Upgrade Ultimate to Ultimate? and keep
everything in place?
Click to expand...

If you already have the Vista Ultimate 64 Upgrade, why would you think
you need to buy another license? Was this a special OEM Upgrade? At
any rate, you would at least need to have or obtain an older, qualifying
OS on the new computer so that it would qualify for the use of an
Upgrade license.

But, to answer your specific question, yes, you should be able to
"upgrade" Ultimate with itself, and it should leave your applications
and data intact. However, back up any important data first, just in case.

b) If not, and I do a clean install, can I at least keep the data?
Click to expand...


Only if you first back up the data to another partition or media. By
definition, a clean installation entails formatting the target partition
or drive, erasing everything.

c) If I buy my own OEM version from a software vendor on the Web, can I
do an clean install and keep my data?
Click to expand...


Again, only if you first back up the data to another partition or
media. By definition, a clean installation entails formatting the
target partition or drive, erasing everything.

d) Say I have a PC running an activated copy of Vista, and I want to get
rid of that machine and build another. What mechanism allows me to use
the full version DVD to install a new machine, but disallows the OEM DVD
to to the same?
Click to expand...


The retail (to which you're inaccurately referring as "full") license
is more expense, in large part, because it is legitimately transferable;
it's EULA allows it to be moved from one computer to another, so long as
it is only installed on one computer at a time. Not so for the much
less expensive OEM license.

As for a "mechanism," for a generic, unbranded OEM license Microsoft
relies on Windows Product Activation (WPA) and - most heavily - on the
integrity of the licensee. A dishonest individual could transfer a
generic, unbranded OEM license to another computer, in violation of the
EULA, and then lie to the telephone activation personnel to get it
activated. For factory-installed OEM licenses, the manufacturers
generally rely on BIOS-locking. These won't even install on any
computer other than the one with which the license was purchased

That is how is the OEM version permanently bound?
Click to expand...


Again, it's bound by the terms of the OEM license, and the integrity of
the licensee. A software product is a piece of copyrighted intellectual
property. By law, the copyright holder sets the terms and conditions
under which others may use his product. Software companies specify
those terms in each product's license.

And
what does it mean to "transfer ownership of the entire pc?"
Click to expand...

Say you wanted to give someone your OEM copy of Windows. You would
also have to give that person the computer to which that license is bound.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
 
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