Windows XP or OEM

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cyberdog
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Cyberdog

Hi All,
Apart from the price, is their any operational differences in the full
Windows XP home and the OEM version. Thanks.
 
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

Other than the above noted exceptions, an OEM version of Windows XP
does not operationally differ from a "retail version".

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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


| Hi All,
| Apart from the price, is their any operational differences in the full
| Windows XP home and the OEM version. Thanks.
 
Other than the above noted exceptions, an OEM version of Windows XP
does not operationally differ from a "retail version".
Click to expand...
I am thinking of the OEM for the new computer that I have just built.
My existing computer already has XP installed on it.
 
In
Cyberdog said:
Apart from the price, is their any operational differences in the full
Windows XP home and the OEM version. Thanks.
Click to expand...



Assuming that you're talking about a generic OEM version, not one
customized for a particular OEM, no, they are identical as far as
the software they contain.

The OEM version can only legally be sold with hardware, although
these days, any piece of hardware, even a power cord, qualifies.
Although if you get a complete generic OEM version, it contains
the same software, it has the following disadvantages as compared
with the retail version:

1. Its license ties it permanently to the first computer it's
installed on. It can never legally be moved to another computer,
sold, or given away.

2. It can only do a clean installation, not an upgrade.

3. Microsoft provides no support for OEM versions. You have to
get any needed support from your OEM, and that may range anywhere
between good and non-existent.
 
Greetings --

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 installed 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/model of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature.
Further, such CDs are often 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, eastern European web sites, 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
 
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.
Click to expand...
The OEM I am looking at is very cheap from a major computer retail
outlet.
 
Just remember, there is no Microsoft support for an OEM version
of Windows XP. Although you shouldn't have a problem installing it,
you will be charged between $35 - $99 per support call to Microsoft
if you do encounter installation issues. That cheap OEM version can
quickly cost more than the retail version that includes free installation
support.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
 
Carey said:
Just remember, there is no Microsoft support for an OEM version
of Windows XP. Although you shouldn't have a problem installing it,
you will be charged between $35 - $99 per support call to Microsoft
if you do encounter installation issues. That cheap OEM version can
quickly cost more than the retail version that includes free
installation support.
Click to expand...

Ive been using Microsoft products since the late '80s, and have never called
them on the phone for "support". Paying Microsoft another $150 for a
phonecall I will never use is just putting another $150 into Bill's
already-filled pockets. If you were thinking clearly, you too would realize
that paying $300 for Windows XP Professional is highway robbery, no matter
how you rationalize it.

I will continue to use OEM Windows, because I don't mind a little extra
work, and I appreciate the price break I get.

--
Donald L McDaniel
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