Vista OEM versions

[Philip Nicholls]

I know this is not a vista group but this concerns custom build
machines.

Has anyone heard anything about OEM pricing for VISTA?

I'm trying to decide if I want to upgrade to vista at some point or
just chuck windows for linux finally.

 

[RussellS]

I know this is not a vista group but this concerns custom build
machines.

Has anyone heard anything about OEM pricing for VISTA?

I'm trying to decide if I want to upgrade to vista at some point or
just chuck windows for linux finally.

Here is the latest OEM version price List from a major official Microsoft
distributor (in USD):

Windows Vista Home Basic Edition OEM DVD: $89
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition OEM DVD: $113
Windows Vista Business Edition OEM DVD: $142
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition OEM DVD: $191

These prices could be a couple of dollars higher from online retailers, and
pricing could change between now and January 30th, but this should give you
a good idea. Retail version prices will be significantly higher, of course,
from $189 to $375

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

 

[DaveW]

OEM pricing will be somewhere around 50 -60 % for Vista. BUT, Vista OEM
disks will NOT allow you to upgrade ANY major components (motherboard,
harddrive, etc.) from your original configuration without purchasing a NEW
Vista OEM disk each time you upgrade. (When you attempt to reactivate your
Vista installation Microsoft will refuse you.) So, as a practical matter
you have to buy the RETAIL version of Vista if you plan on ever changing out
any components.

 

[John]

OEM pricing will be somewhere around 50 -60 % for Vista. BUT, Vista OEM
disks will NOT allow you to upgrade ANY major components (motherboard,
harddrive, etc.) from your original configuration without purchasing a NEW
Vista OEM disk each time you upgrade. (When you attempt to reactivate your
Vista installation Microsoft will refuse you.) So, as a practical matter
you have to buy the RETAIL version of Vista if you plan on ever changing out
any components.

Source for this?

 

[RussellS]

Source for this?

Well, technically, the OEM Vista EULA has not yet been released, so any
discussion regarding this is strictly conjecture until the OEM EULA is
officially published. Having said that, If system upgrades on a computer
with an OEM version of Vista are significant enough to cause the computer to
look like a new PC, you'll be required to reactivate within 30 days (this
was previously 3 days for XP.) Different components are assigned different
re-activation trigger values, with the motherboard and hard drive housing
the operating system being the highest-weighted components in a system. The
operating system must remain with the system that retains the motherboard.
Per Microsoft, other PC components (such as RAM and hard drive) may be
upgraded without requiring a new operating system license. The operating
system may be installed on a new/replacement hard drive as long as the
operating system is first removed from the old hard drive. Re-activation
policy may be stricter when upgrading a motherboard as opposed to other
components; we'll have to wait and see how Microsoft will train their
telephone activation representatives to handle such re-activation requests
for a system with a different motherboard.

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

 

[Philip Nicholls]

Well, technically, the OEM Vista EULA has not yet been released, so any
discussion regarding this is strictly conjecture until the OEM EULA is
officially published. Having said that, If system upgrades on a computer
with an OEM version of Vista are significant enough to cause the computer to
look like a new PC, you'll be required to reactivate within 30 days (this
was previously 3 days for XP.) Different components are assigned different
re-activation trigger values, with the motherboard and hard drive housing
the operating system being the highest-weighted components in a system. The
operating system must remain with the system that retains the motherboard.
Per Microsoft, other PC components (such as RAM and hard drive) may be
upgraded without requiring a new operating system license. The operating
system may be installed on a new/replacement hard drive as long as the
operating system is first removed from the old hard drive. Re-activation
policy may be stricter when upgrading a motherboard as opposed to other
components; we'll have to wait and see how Microsoft will train their
telephone activation representatives to handle such re-activation requests
for a system with a different motherboard.

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

This is more or less how the current EULA works. Unofficial ( or
perhaps officially) if there is no major hardware change after 120days
the activation system resets itself and you get to start over again.
Right now the only thing on my system that was arround when I first
installed it is my floppy drive. I've never purchased a whole new
system, I just keep swapping parts. I imagine the number of people
who do this is small relative to the number of folks who have XP
preinstalled and who never reinstall again.

I guess we will just have to wait and see. I would par 115 for the
Home Premium OEM and do my own tech support.

 

[Rod Speed]

OEM pricing will be somewhere around 50 -60 % for Vista. BUT, Vista
OEM disks will NOT allow you to upgrade ANY major components
(motherboard, harddrive, etc.) from your original configuration without purchasing a NEW Vista OEM
disk each time you upgrade. (When
you attempt to reactivate your Vista installation Microsoft will refuse you.)

You dont know that, and even MS knows what the law has to say on that anyway.

 

[Rod Speed]

Well, technically, the OEM Vista EULA has not yet been released, so any discussion regarding this
is strictly conjecture until the OEM EULA is officially published.

And the EULA is irrelevant to the law on that.

Having said that, If system upgrades on a computer with an OEM version of Vista are significant
enough to cause the computer to look like a new PC, you'll be required to
reactivate within 30 days (this was previously 3 days for XP.)

Different components are assigned different re-activation trigger
values, with the motherboard and hard drive housing the operating
system being the highest-weighted components in a system. The
operating system must remain with the system that retains the
motherboard. Per Microsoft, other PC components (such as RAM and hard drive) may be upgraded
without requiring a new operating system license. The operating system may be installed on a new/
replacement hard drive as long as the operating system is first removed from the old hard drive.
Re-activation policy may be stricter when upgrading a motherboard as opposed to other components;

Nope, there is the tiny matter of the law on that if they are stupid enough to try that.

we'll have to wait and see how Microsoft will train their telephone activation representatives to
handle such re-activation requests for a system with a different motherboard.

Nope, the most we will have to see is that even MS
wont be stupid enough to try flouting the law on that.

 

[Geoff]

I guess MS is overlooking one thing, if I buy it, it is mine, everything
else is bs. Seems like MS has such a large installed base that they feel or
think they can get away with this kind of thing. However, they may wake up
to a surprise someday.

-g

 

[SteveH]

And the EULA is irrelevant to the law on that.



Nope, there is the tiny matter of the law on that if they are stupid
enough to try that.


Nope, the most we will have to see is that even MS
wont be stupid enough to try flouting the law on that.

So its to do with the law, is it?

 

[Ed Medlin]

OEM pricing will be somewhere around 50 -60 % for Vista. BUT, Vista OEM
disks will NOT allow you to upgrade ANY major components (motherboard,
harddrive, etc.) from your original configuration without purchasing a NEW
Vista OEM disk each time you upgrade. (When you attempt to reactivate
your Vista installation Microsoft will refuse you.) So, as a practical
matter you have to buy the RETAIL version of Vista if you plan on ever
changing out any components.

That was the original claim from Redmond (or someone just talking BS). MS
has since said that all will be about the same as XP OEM and Retail
versions. The final EULA for Vista has yet to be released.

Ed

 

[Philip Nicholls]

That was the original claim from Redmond (or someone just talking BS). MS
has since said that all will be about the same as XP OEM and Retail
versions. The final EULA for Vista has yet to be released.

Don't you just get tired of it all? Between Microsoft spokespeople
who don't seem to know what the are talking about and the rabid "I
hate microsoft" crowd, it can be hard to get information straight.

Microsoft has always said that EULA restricted OEM sales but looked
the other way at OEM sales with a hard drive cable or some such minor
piece. How many sales of windows are to system builder, after all. A
very small percentage ot total sales?

 

[John Doe]

Microsoft has always said that EULA restricted OEM sales but
looked the other way at OEM sales with a hard drive cable or some
such minor piece. How many sales of windows are to system
builder, after all. A very small percentage ot total sales?

It's probably just counting on the difference between home users
that upgrade over their current operating system and more
technically inclined users that can at least format the hard drive
first (while maintaining a copy of their personal files of course).
Otherwise, why would OEM sell for nearly the same price as UPGRADE
at stores.

 

[RussellS]

It's probably just counting on the difference between home users
that upgrade over their current operating system and more
technically inclined users that can at least format the hard drive
first (while maintaining a copy of their personal files of course).
Otherwise, why would OEM sell for nearly the same price as UPGRADE
at stores.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Agreed, and since MS revised their OEM OS purchase requirement to no longer
require a qualifying hardware component to be bought at the same time, it's
easier than ever for anyone to get an OEM CD/DVD. As a related side note,
for Vista, it looks like the OEM versions will even be less expensive than
the upgrade versions, especially when you're talking about Ultimate Edition.

-Russell

 

[sauron]

--------------------------------------------------------------
Agreed, and since MS revised their OEM OS purchase requirement to no longer
require a qualifying hardware component to be bought at the same time, it's
easier than ever for anyone to get an OEM CD/DVD. As a related side note,
for Vista, it looks like the OEM versions will even be less expensive than
the upgrade versions, especially when you're talking about Ultimate Edition.

-Russell

"One registration system to rule them all.... "

 

[Ed Medlin]

Microsoft has always said that EULA restricted OEM sales but looked

the other way at OEM sales with a hard drive cable or some such minor
piece. How many sales of windows are to system builder, after all. A
very small percentage ot total sales?

That is the scary part. I just recieved a letter from MS letting me know
that Vista Ultimate will be available soon to MSDN folks. No prices yet, but
I will post as soon as that is available. I am mostly interested in the OEM
pricing and restrictions since I am a hobby builder and I really want to
know how upgrades etc. are addressed in the EULA.

Ed