Difference between OEM & Retail version of Xp Pro

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob S.
  • Start date Start date
B

Bob S.

I,m considering purchasing XP Pro from an online retailer and was wondering
what the difference is between OEM and Retail versions.

Bob
 
Bob said:
I,m considering purchasing XP Pro from an online retailer and was
wondering what the difference is between OEM and Retail versions.
Click to expand...


Simplest terms:

OEM cannot be transferred (according to the agreement) to another PC once
installed on one. Even if that machine dies and you buy a new Dell or
soemthing.. You have to purchase a new copy of the OS.

OEM can only be used for CLEAN installs, not upgrades.

OEM copies are not supported directly by Microsoft - only the people you
purchased from.
 
Bob said:
I,m considering purchasing XP Pro from an online retailer and was
wondering what the difference is between OEM and Retail versions.

Bob
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 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
 
Thanks for the info, it was very helpful. I think I'll splurge and buy the
retail version, since I have plans to build my next PC, and I'll be able to
use that OS.

Bob
 
Not disputing any responder's and I certainly have no
argument about OEM and Retail of MS (?) os's but
sometime ago I purchased a Compaq with the XP
Home OEM CD which stated it could only be
re-installed on this PC. Since then I have several times
put it on HP, a Gateway and 2 home builds with
absolutely no problem. Just luck I guess.
: Thanks for the info, it was very helpful. I think I'll splurge and buy the
: retail version, since I have plans to build my next PC, and I'll be able
to
: use that OS.
:
: Bob
:
: : > Bob S. wrote:
: > > I,m considering purchasing XP Pro from an online retailer and was
: > > wondering what the difference is between OEM and Retail versions.
: > >
: > > Bob
: >
: >
: > 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
: >
: >
: >
:
:
 
fineas said:
Not disputing any responder's and I certainly have no
argument about OEM and Retail of MS (?) os's but
sometime ago I purchased a Compaq with the XP
Home OEM CD which stated it could only be
re-installed on this PC. Since then I have several times
put it on HP, a Gateway and 2 home builds with
absolutely no problem. Just luck I guess.
Click to expand...

No.. OEM copies of Windows XP cannot be installed on other systems once they
are installed on the first one "due to the agreement", not for technical
reasons.

You can install (usually) an OEM copy on any machine you want - just like
Retail and Upgrade - the difference comes when you are activating it, the
120 day activation time spacing and how you feel about the agreement you
agreed to when installing.
 
Bob said:
Thanks for the info, it was very helpful. I think I'll
splurge and buy the retail version, since I have plans to
build my next PC, and I'll be able to use that OS.

Bob
Click to expand...


You're welcome.

--

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
 
fineas said:
Not disputing any responder's and I certainly have no
argument about OEM and Retail of MS (?) os's but
sometime ago I purchased a Compaq with the XP
Home OEM CD which stated it could only be
re-installed on this PC. Since then I have several times
put it on HP, a Gateway and 2 home builds with
absolutely no problem. Just luck I guess.
Click to expand...


The non-transferability of an OEM license is a primarily matter of
licensing and both copyright and contract law, not a technical issue.

--

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
 
Thanks for your response. I think if I get the retail version, I'll avioid
any headaches in the future.

Bob
 
Bob said:
I,m considering purchasing XP Pro from an online retailer and was wondering
what the difference is between OEM and Retail versions.
Click to expand...

OEM is restricted:

It will only do a clean install, not an upgrade

It carries no support from Microsoft, only from the vendor (judge what
you will get)

It is licensed solely to the machine where first installed, unlike
Retail which can be transferred to another successor machine.

And generally, when buying on-line software, buyer beware. There is a
lot of fake stuff around. I would go to a reputable local discount
store
 
Back
Top