If by OEM instead of an OEM DVD, you mean an OEM purchase of a pc with an
OEM Vista preinstalled on it then there is a helluva difference unless that
particular OEM named partner (there are about 300 of them with names like
Dell, HP, Acer, etc.) is going to ship or give you in the store a Vista DVD.
I'd definitely get a retail DVD however you do it, buy it, twist the arm of
the sales person of that new pc on line or in the store to give you one for
your $1000-$4000 expenditure with up to a 1100% mark-up:
Dell has promised to ship a Vista DVD with every pc. I hope this is
happening:
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/10/17/3132.aspx
Every one of the 300 OEM named partners of MSFT and MSFT should be taking
this approach. Unfortunately that is far from the case on Vista-release
eve:
From Dell in the above link:
"For U.S. consumer and small business customers, all systems will now ship
with an operating system disc. This change will take effect in Europe by
later next month. In Asia, things are unchanged—we've always shipped OS
discs with systems there."
Here's why if you mean the diffrence between buying an OEM box from Dell,
HP, Acer, Sony etc. with a pre-loaded Vista and a retail DVD getting in your
hands it has to do with your being limited without a DVD from fixing major
problems in Vista when you have them whether they involve your inability to
boot or not:
Top line: (That's why this is on the top)
You want a Vista DVD with that new PC. If you don't have one, you aren't
going to be able to access the Win RE environment and if you can't you won't
be using\
1) Startup Repair from it
2) System Restore from it which sometimes works when the VSS System Restore
from Vista does not
3) The Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment in Vista
References for using these tools are below in the addendum;
I have this to say. The form it will probably take, and one you should
insist on it NOT TAKING is the standard crap that Microsoft and OEM
manufacturers have conspired in to screw you. Avoid it.
Normally, you get Vista or XP preloaded and a recovery disc I wouldn't use
for a frisbee for any dog on the planet. The recovery disc despite few
successes is bell shape curve worthless. If you have a no boot vista, or
you need to fix a major broken component in Vista, and system restore or
other means (*and I know most of those other means) doesn't work, then you
will want to try Win RE's Startup Repair.
And here's the deal: You cannot reach Startup Repair unless you have that
OS DVD. Dell says they are going to ship an OS DVD with every box. That's
admirable and that's also the way things should be. To access startup
repair, which is helpful even when you don't have a BSOD stating a problem
that keeps you booting to Vista, you are going to need an OS DVD. It was
common practice during XP that when you bought a preloaded computer, you
didn't get a CD. Many OEMs at the urging of MSFT will not supply you one.
Make sure if you pluck down your hard earned $1000-$3500 for that new
computer where the stores are throwing in little goodies like USB drives or
color photo printers that you insist you get a Vista DVD. If not, you're
going to get no way to access Startup Repair.
During the Beta, when we asked the Beta Setup Teams and Win RE teams about
this they went in typical Redmond mode and said
"Well there will be solutions that are customized to reach Win RE's Startup
Repair and other features."
Those solutions will not be provided to Johnny and Mary walk-in customer to
Best Buy, Comp USA, Circuit City, Staples or comparable stores in some other
country I'm not in.
Those solutions are provided to enterprises who buy hundreds and thousands
of volume licesnses who have special MSFT enterprise team representatives to
collaberate with them and cater in a partnership to their needs. If your a
single buyer for your family on the street--pssst--"that ain't you."
My motive in typing this is trying to look out for the average buyer on the
street. Colin Barnhorst intimated that MSFT was trying a new tack and
making sure people had the Vista DVD, but if what I'm looking at from my
Sunday papers from all these stores reflects what I'll see if I go in them
later in the week, that ain't happenin'.
Why am I concerned?
I want you to have the benefit of Win RE's environment --
mainly Startup Repair
mainly System Restore
mainly Bootrec.exe
because they will fix things that you cannot fix otherwise, and often cannot
fix from the Volume Shadow Copy System Restore. SR from the Recovery link
on that DVD works when SR from Vista doesn't some times. Startup Repair can
fix a broken shell for example or other major malfunctions in Vista even
when they aren't interfering with your ability to boot to Vista.
I want you to have access to these.
Bottom line (that's why it's on the bottom):
You want a Vista DVD when you buy that new pc.
_________________________
Addendum: Startup Repair References:
http://blogs.msdn.com/winre/archive/2006/09/20/763901.aspx
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/5c59f8c1-b0d1-4f1a-af55-74f3922f3f351033.mspx
A Stop error occurs, or the computer stops responding when you try to start
Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925810/en-us
How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to
troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392/en-us
You can run Startup Repair by putting your Vista DVD in after the
language screen in setup. You can also run System Restore from the same
location. It fixes Vista in other situations besides a BSOD no boot:
You run the startup repair tool this way (and system restore from here is
also sometimes effective):
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925810/en-us
How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm
Note The computer must be configured to start from a CD or from a DVD. For
information about how to configure the computer to start from a CD or from a
DVD, see the information that came with the computer.
2. Restart the computer. To do this, click Start, click the arrow next to
the Lock button, and then click Restart.
This usually means that you enter bios setup by whatever key or keys
(sometimes there is more than one key that will do it for your model--go to
pc manufacturer site) and configure CD to be first in the boot order.
See for ref:
Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm
Note If you cannot restart the computer by using this method, use the power
button to turn off the computer. Then, turn the computer back on.
3. Set your language preference, and then click Next.
Note In most cases, the startup repair process starts automatically, and you
do not have the option to select it in the System Recovery Options menu.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click the operating system
that you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options menu, click Startup Repair to start the
repair process.
7. When the repair process is complete, click Finish.
Additional References for Startup Repair With Screenshots:
How to Use Startup Repair:
***Accessing Windows RE (Repair Environment):***
1) Insert Media into PC (the DVD you burned)
2) ***You will see on the Vista logo setup screen after lang. options in the
lower left corner, a link called "System Recovery Options."***
Screenshot: System Recovery Options (Lower Left Link)
http://blogs.itecn.net/photos/liuhui/images/2014/500x375.aspx
Screenshot: (Click first option "Startup Repair"
http://www.leedesmond.com/images/img_vista02ctp-installSysRecOpt2.bmp
How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm
3) Select your OS for repair.
4) Its been my experience that you can see some causes of the crash from
theWin RE feature:
You'll have a choice there of using:
1) Startup Repair
2) System Restore
3) Complete PC Restore
Good luck,
CH
