Question about OEM rules.

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Guest

If I buy an XP OEM cd from some random company, I can
install that on my computer, and then it will take an
inventory of the hardware in my pc and not let me use that
key anywhere else?
How does this work?
Would it send all of my hardware specs to Microsoft?
 
In (e-mail address removed)
If I buy an XP OEM cd from some random company, I can
install that on my computer, and then it will take an
inventory of the hardware in my pc and not let me use that
key anywhere else?
Click to expand...


Yes, when you activate it. This is true of retail copies of
Windows XP as well as OEM copies.

How does this work?
Would it send all of my hardware specs to Microsoft?
Click to expand...


Sort of. It doesn't send the entire hardware inventory. Instead,
it calculates a single hash number from all of your components
and sends that.
 
I would be very surprised if you could buy an OEM cd. A true
OEM version comes already installed on a PC, and is proprietary
to that system. They are usually tied to the BIOS, and absolutely
cannot be installed on another PC. Any standalone cd you could
buy would therefore be, by definition, not an OEM version.

Dam
 
That's not right...
With a full retail copy, I can uninstall it and put it on
a different computer entirely.
One of my questions is: If I use an OEM version, how does
it know what computer this is installed on?

I want to buy a version of XP for a new computer I am
building, but dont want to shell out $250 on a full copy
of windows, I just need to install it on this computer, I
don't care if I can't put it on other computers. I am not
planning on upgrading the computer, and being a college
student, $250 is a little much for software...

Will an OEM version bought from any random company out
there for 90 bucks suit my purpose?
 
OEM CD will forever be tied to the first PC you installed it on. The
license is only for the first PC and only that one.

As to use is elsewhere, none of the version of Windows allowed you to
install it on more than one PC and use the Windows on both at the same time.
Only now in XP, does Microsoft have a method of tracking the XP licenses and
enforcing the ONE PC / ONE WINDOWS policy.

As for send info to Microsoft, that still questionable?

Y.
 
No it sends a "fingerprint". Ywo dissimilar computers could have the same print but the chances are they will be different - but some in the world will be the same.

Your name appears to be anonymous, mine is David (I rate a capital cos I'm real)

We could FP it to say first three letters - You'd be ano and I'd be Dav, If someone was named after the tree davidia they would also be Dav. So noone knows if I'm a tree or a giant killer and jewish king.

MS uses something a bit different than first three letters but the principal is the same. A common computer technique is to discard the most significant bits (or more usually use binary logic like XOR rather than add - but I ain't explaining xor) eg

10
05
13
23

so add 10 and 5 = 15 and discard the 1 = 5
add 5 and 13 = 18 and discard the 1 = 8
add 8 and 23 = 31 and discard the 3 = 1
so the above numbers would have a FP of 1.

But knowing its FP is 1 doesn't help in knowing what the original numbers were.

All data on your hard disk is fingerprinted like this so it can be checked for corruption every time it's read or written.
 
In that case, yes. I was thinking you were refering too the fact that it
generates a hash based on the hardware you have. This happens will all
copies (OEM or retail) Once enough major hardware is chnaged it will ask
you to re-activate.
 
You can't buy OEM without buying hardware. So that's US$90 plus the cost of the hardware you buy.
 
No, Ms does not get the data, it stored in the WPL file.
Install it as many times as you can, at least every 120
days, that's when their info self destructs.
 
You can purchase a MS OEM version of XP. By license, it is only sold with
the purchase of hardware. In function, it is the same as the retail version
except it can't be used for and upgrade and is permanently tied to the first
computer it is installed on. Also, there is no support from MS.

JAX
 
oh, really and just how is it tied ???









-----Original Message-----
OEM CD will forever be tied to the first PC you installed it on. The
license is only for the first PC and only that one.

As to use is elsewhere, none of the version of Windows allowed you to
install it on more than one PC and use the Windows on both at the same time.
Only now in XP, does Microsoft have a method of tracking the XP licenses and
enforcing the ONE PC / ONE WINDOWS policy.

As for send info to Microsoft, that still questionable?

Y.




.
Click to expand...
 
My OEM was sold with a "Non functioning" processor. They didn't send me the
processor, boy am I ticked about that! (tong in cheek)
JAX
 
I would be very surprised if you could buy an OEM cd. A true
OEM version comes already installed on a PC, and is proprietary
to that system.
Click to expand...


No, this isn't correct. *Some* OEM versions come preinstalled.
Others are sold, presumably with some piece of hardware, but many
vendors don't bother enforcing that rule and sell them
separately. It's very easy to find OEM copies for sale.

They are usually tied to the BIOS, and absolutely
cannot be installed on another PC.
Click to expand...


Even if preinstalled, they are only *sometimes* tied to the BIOS.

Any standalone cd you could
buy would therefore be, by definition, not an OEM version.
Click to expand...


As I said, not at all true.
 
That's not right...
With a full retail copy, I can uninstall it and put it on
a different computer entirely.
One of my questions is: If I use an OEM version, how does
it know what computer this is installed on?

I want to buy a version of XP for a new computer I am
building, but dont want to shell out $250 on a full copy
of windows, I just need to install it on this computer, I
don't care if I can't put it on other computers. I am not
planning on upgrading the computer, and being a college
student, $250 is a little much for software...

Will an OEM version bought from any random company out
there for 90 bucks suit my purpose?
Click to expand...

Being a college student, you qualify for the academic pricing. Check the
universities policy on supplying academic versions. Many universities charge
as little as $5.00 for XP Pro and about the same for Office.

--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
 
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