OEM Install Restrictions

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Bruce said:
How so? You'd paid significantly less for that OEM license than you
would have paid for a retail license. By paying less, you purchased less.
Click to expand...

Most people don't know that and are very surprised when they find out. I
wonder why?

Alias
 
Carey said:
There is no limit as to the number of times you can
activate a "legitimate" OEM version of Windows XP.
If Microsoft said your OEM Product Key is blocked,
the seller of your OEM version probably likely sold you
a pirated, illegal OEM version. Go back to the vendor
and demand a legitimate Windows XP license!
Click to expand...

Fat chance of THAT happening, you out-of-the-loop moron!
 
When I was building my PC three years ago and ordered Windows XP Home
OS along with the parts, my parts dealer sent me an OEM disc. Was assuming
I'd get a retail box. Not so. Had I known what I know now, would have passed
on the parts dealer's OEM and purchased a full retail version at a computer store.
The OEM disc was only $40-50 less than a full retail box. Thankfully, I've never
had to perform a repair or reinstall.

I feel for all the millions have had OEM software installed on their PCs by vendors.
 
Alias said:
Most people don't know that and are very surprised when they find out. I
wonder why?

Alias
Click to expand...


Intellectual laziness, pure and simple. No one's fault but their own.


--

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
 
Kerry said:
My understanding is that Microsoft did this in response to requests from the
large OEMs. I agree that it is a rip off but I think we need to look at who
is actually doing the rip off. Personally I'd only assign part of the blame
to Microsoft. I'm not apologising for Microsoft just trying to be realistic.
Dell, HP and other OEMs are every bit as greedy and unscrupulous as
Microsoft.

Kerry
Click to expand...


Don't. talk rubbish. I have first edition of Dell's OEM OS CD and it
installs fine on any machine I want even if the machine in question is
non DELL made.

I also have SP1 and SP2 versions of DELL's OS CD and both of these are
incapable of installing on any other systems.

So it looks like somewhere down the line MS decided that it can make
money by forcing these large OEMs to lock their CDs to their BIOS' so
that customers get "value for money" by buying OS at a reasonable price
from these titans shaping the future of our technologies!

The mistake MS made was to allow OEM CDs to be sold in the shops. This
creates confusion and "bad will" and customers think they have been
ripped off by MS when in fact it is the store that has ripped them off
for selling them "incomplete" CD! This now gives incentives to pirate
the product because of misinformation and unhelpful MS call center
staff.

Perhaps VISTA will be quite different how it is sold that is assuming it
will be as popular as XP. I very much doubt it as businesses are
exploring different technologies such as MAC which has plans to run on
Intel chipset (but not on AMD). i have to see it to believe it!

hth
 
Tim said:
Maybe so. But remember that the OEM version costs substantially less
than the full retail version. This non-portability is one of the
reasons for that.
Click to expand...

Excuse me. why is everybody talking about price when it has nothing to
do with how many times you can or you can't install. Price is dependent
on functionality of the product.

If, for example, Amazon sells me a retail version of XP for $10 because
the box was damaged and by implication the CD may also be damaged, are
you saying that there will be restriction on what I can do with it?
That is completely silly argument.

The fault lies with MS. PERIOD. They should not distribute products to
create confusion in the mind of paying customers! The term OEM should
be restricted to products distributed and INSTALLED with complete
systems. Not like as it is today where you can buy from the shop not
knowing that there are restrictions attached to it.

In fact, I would go further by saying that no CDs should be distributed
with new systems as OEMs should image the HDs before shipping them.
This would reduce piracy to nil! This assumes that OEM Cds are used to
pirate the software but the reality may be quite the opposite!
 
Uncle

Fat chance of that happening?.. why so?.. because some computer vendors are
unscrupulous?.. because they do not disclose all that they should to their
customers?..

-
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User
 
ANONYMOUS said:
Don't. talk rubbish. I have first edition of Dell's OEM OS CD and it
installs fine on any machine I want even if the machine in question is
non DELL made.
Click to expand...

I'm not talking rubbish. I have heard this directly from several different
Microsoft employees at different times over a period of years. Have you
actually talked to anyone at Microsoft or are you just guessing? They could
have lied to me but that would imply that there is a conspiracy at Microsoft
to lie to customers. I'm sure if this was case a disgruntled employee would
have said something by now. Dell was one of the last large OEM's to jump on
the BIOS locked bandwagon. I am sure Microsoft did pressure them to do
something about the huge grey market in Dell OEM software. They weren't
forced. It was a combination of cost (they had to compete with the HP/Compaq
merger) and pressure from Microsoft to do something about the grey market.
Pressure to make a customer do something is quite normal in the electronics
industry of which computers are a small part. This is quite different from
forcing someone to do something.
I also have SP1 and SP2 versions of DELL's OS CD and both of these are
incapable of installing on any other systems.

So it looks like somewhere down the line MS decided that it can make
money by forcing these large OEMs to lock their CDs to their BIOS' so
that customers get "value for money" by buying OS at a reasonable
price from these titans shaping the future of our technologies!
Click to expand...

Microsoft does not force any OEM to purchase any particular OEM version.
That is a decision made by the OEM. The same versions are available to all
OEM's. There is a cost difference and Microsoft will certainly suggest which
version they prefer you to use.
The mistake MS made was to allow OEM CDs to be sold in the shops.
This creates confusion and "bad will" and customers think they have
been ripped off by MS when in fact it is the store that has ripped
them off for selling them "incomplete" CD! This now gives incentives
to pirate the product because of misinformation and unhelpful MS call
center staff.
Click to expand...

This is being rectified by the new OEM rules that came out last August.

Your other point about call centers is wrong as well. How many calls have
you made to the call center? In the last year I have made somewhere around
10 - 20. In all cases they were very helpful and pleasant to deal with. Only
a couple of times did I identify myself as an OEM customer so I didn't get
any special treatment. I am sure a certain percentage of people are not
satisfied or misinformed when calling. The percentage is quite low from my
personal experience and talking to others in the industry.
Perhaps VISTA will be quite different how it is sold that is assuming
it will be as popular as XP. I very much doubt it as businesses are
exploring different technologies such as MAC which has plans to run on
Intel chipset (but not on AMD). i have to see it to believe it!

hth
Click to expand...

I still don't understand why you think Micosoft is at the root of all
computer problems. Ninety percent of my customers are business'. None of
them are going from PC to Mac. Several are in the process or have moved from
Mac to PC. The reason is because that's what everyone else was using and/or
their was no local support for Macs.

Why do you think large companies like HP, Dell, eMachines, Gateway, etc. are
any more ethical than Microsoft? They all answer to stockholders who only
care about short term gain. It's the way the corporate world works.
Microsoft is no better or no worse than any of them. They all use similar
tactics, bait and switch, overly expensive upgrades, lock you into
properitary systems (Apple is the worst at this), etc..

It appears to me you are repeating rhetoric you have heard from others not
personal experience. Tell us your own experience or back up your rhetoric
with facts.

Kerry
 
Uncle Joe said:
When I was building my PC three years ago and ordered Windows XP Home
OS along with the parts, my parts dealer sent me an OEM disc. Was assuming
I'd get a retail box. Not so. Had I known what I know now, would have passed
on the parts dealer's OEM and purchased a full retail version at a computer store.
The OEM disc was only $40-50 less than a full retail box. Thankfully, I've never
had to perform a repair or reinstall.
Click to expand...

A generic OEM version (the type supplied by Microsoft to smaller OEMs
and assemblers) is fully capable of doing a repair install, booting to
recovery consoler, and being reinstalled.

It is the major brand OEM versions, which normally only come with a
System Recovery partition on the hard drive, which are the major
problem in terms of repair and recovery.
I feel for all the millions have had OEM software installed on their PCs by vendors.
Click to expand...

Approximately 99 and 44/100 percent of new computer purchasers have 10
main concerns with regard to their computer purchase - price, price,
price, price, price, price, price, price, price and price.


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
 
ANONYMOUS said:
Excuse me. why is everybody talking about price when it has nothing to
do with how many times you can or you can't install. Price is dependent
on functionality of the product.
Click to expand...

It is also legitmate for price to be related to the different terms
and conditions of the license. Thus a license to do A is worth one
amount whereas a license to do A plus B plus C is legitimately worth
somewhat more.

If, for example, Amazon sells me a retail version of XP for $10 because
the box was damaged and by implication the CD may also be damaged, are
you saying that there will be restriction on what I can do with it?
That is completely silly argument.
Click to expand...

They won't.

The fault lies with MS. PERIOD. They should not distribute products to
create confusion in the mind of paying customers! The term OEM should
be restricted to products distributed and INSTALLED with complete
systems. Not like as it is today where you can buy from the shop not
knowing that there are restrictions attached to it.

In fact, I would go further by saying that no CDs should be distributed
with new systems as OEMs should image the HDs before shipping them.
This would reduce piracy to nil! This assumes that OEM Cds are used to
pirate the software but the reality may be quite the opposite!
Click to expand...

No it wouldn't. Ever hear of disk imaging programs? Buy a new
computer, make an image of the hard drive and use that image on
computer after computer after computer.......

It has been done. That is why we have licensing control mechanisms in
the form of product keys, product activation, and so forth.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
 
Good points. Thanks.

Ron Martell said:
A generic OEM version (the type supplied by Microsoft to smaller OEMs
and assemblers) is fully capable of doing a repair install, booting to
recovery consoler, and being reinstalled.

It is the major brand OEM versions, which normally only come with a
System Recovery partition on the hard drive, which are the major
problem in terms of repair and recovery.

Approximately 99 and 44/100 percent of new computer purchasers have 10
main concerns with regard to their computer purchase - price, price,
price, price, price, price, price, price, price and price.


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
Click to expand...
 
I still don't understand why you think Micosoft is at the root of all
computer problems. Ninety percent of my customers are business'. None of
them are going from PC to Mac. Several are in the process or have moved from
Mac to PC. The reason is because that's what everyone else was using and/or
their was no local support for Macs.
Click to expand...


I planning on going to a mac or linux system.
When my xp and 98se quit

Greg Ro
 
Grass is rarely greener on the other side of the fence.. it only looks that
way from whichever side you are standing..
 
GregRo said:
I planning on going to a mac or linux system.
When my xp and 98se quit

Greg Ro
Click to expand...

Are you running a business with your computer? The context was the OP had
said that business' were exploring moving to Apple technology. My experience
shows a different trend. I use and like both Mac's and Linux. I encourage
you to try a Mac or Linux box. They are excellent systems. If they are
suited for you, or a business you have, only you can tell.

Kerry
 
Alias said:
Bruce Chambers wrote:

Most people don't know that and are very surprised when they find
out. I wonder why?
Click to expand...


In my view, because the OEMs who sell the OEM versions (or preinstall them
on systems they sell) hide that information to the best of their ability.

The don't advertise "Buy my system. It comes with Windows XP. This version
has a bunch of disadvantages as compared to a retail version, but buy it
anyway." They just advertise ""Buy my system. It comes with Windows XP."
 
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