Hi everyone.
I was wondering what the difference is between buying Windows XP OEM
vs retail as I see both versions offered on different websites. I'm
interested in getting XP because I just purchased a MacBook and want
to still play some of my computer games, etc. I know that if you buy
the OEM version you need receipts showing you purchased a motherboard,
etc. Does that mean my receipt showing a Mac purchase won't be legit?
Thanks for your help.
-Kevin
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, 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 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 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
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