G
Guest
I see retailers selling oem versions at a reduced price. Whats does it mean? What is different?
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wayne
oem means it comes with a computer or Motherboard. people selling it alone
are selling it illegally! Some vendors will send you an old piece of junk
to "make it legal"
Wayne
are selling it illegally! Some vendors will send you an old piece of junk
to "make it legal"
Wayne
mean? What is different?Linda said:I see retailers selling oem versions at a reduced price. Whats does it
C
Carey Frisch [MVP]
OEM versions of Windows XP:
-- cannot upgrade over an existing Windows installation
-- cannot be transferred to a different computer in the future
-- the license cannot be sold or transferred to another user
-- are not eligible for free Microsoft technical support
-- must be purchased with some type of computer hardware
-- any problems whatsoever with the installation CD or Product Key
is not eligible for Microsoft support....you have to deal with the "seller".
-- cost less than "retail versions" due to the above limitations/risks
Should you purchase an OEM license version of XP?
http://www.tek-tips.com/gfaqs.cfm/pid/779/fid/4004
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
-- cannot upgrade over an existing Windows installation
-- cannot be transferred to a different computer in the future
-- the license cannot be sold or transferred to another user
-- are not eligible for free Microsoft technical support
-- must be purchased with some type of computer hardware
-- any problems whatsoever with the installation CD or Product Key
is not eligible for Microsoft support....you have to deal with the "seller".
-- cost less than "retail versions" due to the above limitations/risks
Should you purchase an OEM license version of XP?
http://www.tek-tips.com/gfaqs.cfm/pid/779/fid/4004
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
B
Bruce
Just to put my own 2 cents in: OEM stands for Original Equipment
Manufacturer.
I see retailers selling oem versions at a reduced price. Whats does it mean?
What is different?
Manufacturer.
I see retailers selling oem versions at a reduced price. Whats does it mean?
What is different?
S
SwagThing
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. It signifies that the
particular version of that product does not come with a retail box.
Installation instructions are typically loaded on a disk or CD rather than
in a printed manual, although, depending on the manufacturer, you may
receive a printed manual as well. OEM software products are generally
required to be sold or bundled with hardware - Hard Drives, CPUs, etc. OEM
does NOT mean an item is recycled or refurbished. We encourage you to
contact the product manufacturer if you have any further questions or
concerns regarding OEM products.
particular version of that product does not come with a retail box.
Installation instructions are typically loaded on a disk or CD rather than
in a printed manual, although, depending on the manufacturer, you may
receive a printed manual as well. OEM software products are generally
required to be sold or bundled with hardware - Hard Drives, CPUs, etc. OEM
does NOT mean an item is recycled or refurbished. We encourage you to
contact the product manufacturer if you have any further questions or
concerns regarding OEM products.
mean? What is different?Linda said:I see retailers selling oem versions at a reduced price. Whats does it
B
Bruce Chambers
Greetings --
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer.
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 hardware (normally
a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC, although Microsoft
has greatly relaxed the hardware criteria for WinXP) 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 CD 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 CD 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 CDs 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 CD was
designed. (To be honest, such CDs should _not_ be available on the
open market; but, if you're shopping someplace like eBay, swap meets,
or computer fairs, there's often no telling what you're buying until
it's too late.) The "generic" OEM CDs, 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:
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer.
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 hardware (normally
a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC, although Microsoft
has greatly relaxed the hardware criteria for WinXP) 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 CD 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 CD 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 CDs 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 CD was
designed. (To be honest, such CDs should _not_ be available on the
open market; but, if you're shopping someplace like eBay, swap meets,
or computer fairs, there's often no telling what you're buying until
it's too late.) The "generic" OEM CDs, 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:
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
it mean? What is different?Linda said:I see retailers selling oem versions at a reduced price. Whats does