Vista Retail vs Vista OEM

[~~Alan~~]

So I'm ready to purchase Vista Home Premium from my neighborhood computer
store (Microcenter in Cambridge, MA) and I'm confused with the options. I
can buy Vista upgrade for $129.00 or Vista Full for $159.00 or Vista OEM for
$129.00. Looking at the different options
1) What is involved if I purchase the upgrade and I want to rebuild (fresh
install) my machine down the road. Do I need to install XP MCE first then
Vista or can I install Vista directly by inserting the XP DVD to prove I
actually qualify for an upgrade.
2) If I want to do a fresh install, what is the actual difference between
the full retail vs the OEM besides the $30.00 difference?

Thanks,
~alan

 

[C.Skaggs]

Retail provides you with installation support, OEM doesn't.
as far as the products themselves go, just consider OEM to be the
Equivalent of Full.

 

[Steve Thackery]

Don't forget the licensing restrictions: you aren't supposed to move the OEM
version between machines (e.g. when you upgrade your hardware).

Thack

 

[~~Alan~~]

I have no plans to upgrade my hardware short of adding more memory or adding
a disk drive maybe.

Can I do a fresh install with a Vista Upgrade as long as I have my original
XP DVD?

~alan

 

[Hurricane Andrew]

1) What is involved if I purchase the upgrade and I want to rebuild (fresh
install) my machine down the road. Do I need to install XP MCE first then
Vista or can I install Vista directly by inserting the XP DVD to prove I
actually qualify for an upgrade.

There is a well published workaround to do a clean install using an upgrade
version. Paul Thurrott has a good article on it:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp

2) If I want to do a fresh install, what is the actual difference between
the full retail vs the OEM besides the $30.00 difference?

As previously stated, the main difference is support. OEM and you're on
your own. The other difference is that OEM discs WILL NOT permit an
upgrade, you can ONLY do a clean install. So be aware of that difference as
well.

 

[Michael Jennings]

uh huh: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Today, ~~Alan~~ made these interesting comments ...

So I'm ready to purchase Vista Home Premium from my
neighborhood computer store (Microcenter in Cambridge, MA) and
I'm confused with the options. I can buy Vista upgrade for
$129.00 or Vista Full for $159.00 or Vista OEM for $129.00.
Looking at the different options 1) What is involved if I
purchase the upgrade and I want to rebuild (fresh install) my
machine down the road. Do I need to install XP MCE first then
Vista or can I install Vista directly by inserting the XP DVD
to prove I actually qualify for an upgrade.
2) If I want to do a fresh install, what is the actual
difference between the full retail vs the OEM besides the
$30.00 difference?

Spend the $30 for the full retail license, do NOT buy an OEM.
First, you get no MS support and second you cannot legally transfer
the license. It is a small price to pay for a clean install and a
full unincumbered CD, a fraction of your total system price.

 

[Joe Guidera]

OEM is supposed to be for installation on new pc's only by Original
Equipment Manufacturers (I.e. people who sell PC's)

Your choices are relay upgrade and full.

Joe

 

[John Barnes]

and if you decide to go for 64-bit processing you can get the disk for about
$10. OEM you have to buy the whole system over.

 

[norm]

OEM is supposed to be for installation on new pc's only by Original
Equipment Manufacturers (I.e. people who sell PC's)

Your choices are relay upgrade and full.

Vista oem versions are for sale to home users. Check this site (one of
many selling oem): http://www.newegg.com/msvista/Vista_Products.html
Whether or not they are suitable in terms of support for an average home
user can be questioned, but the option to purchase is available.

 

[Hurricane Andrew]

Today, ~~Alan~~ made these interesting comments ...

Spend the $30 for the full retail license, do NOT buy an OEM.
First, you get no MS support and second you cannot legally transfer
the license. It is a small price to pay for a clean install and a
full unincumbered CD, a fraction of your total system price.

I somehow doubt the prices quoted. Newegg lists Home Premium Full Retail at
$224.99 and Home Premium OEM at $119.99. The upgrade Home Premium is
$153.99, which is just below MSFT suggested retail price for Full and
Upgrade. That makes it closer to a $100 difference between OEM and Full
Retail. Seriously, when was the last time you called MSFT for anything
other than activation issues?

 

[AlanRRT]

OEM is supposed to be for installation on new pc's only by Original
Equipment Manufacturers (I.e. people who sell PC's)

Your choices are relay upgrade and full.

Joe







- Show quoted text -

I bought the OEM version of Vista Home Premium. I guess building my
own computer makes me an "original equipement manufacturer." There's
no restriction on how many computers you have to build to be an OEM.

 

[Dennis_N]

So I'm ready to purchase Vista Home Premium from my neighborhood computer
store (Microcenter in Cambridge, MA) and I'm confused with the options. I
can buy Vista upgrade for $129.00 or Vista Full for $159.00 or Vista OEM for
$129.00. Looking at the different options
1) What is involved if I purchase the upgrade and I want to rebuild (fresh
install) my machine down the road. Do I need to install XP MCE first then
Vista or can I install Vista directly by inserting the XP DVD to prove I
actually qualify for an upgrade.
2) If I want to do a fresh install, what is the actual difference between
the full retail vs the OEM besides the $30.00 difference?

Thanks,
~alan

A clean install is IMHO much better than an upgrade. A lot less
problems, "leftovers", and issues.

Then you have two options: Full package or OEM.

If you go for the OEM, be aware that its hardware binding. You have
limited options for changing your hardware and still being able to
activate. - And no support of any kind unless you pay. Big time.

The full package, go ahead and build a new PC once a week.

That said, there are ways to make a clean install, using an upgrade
version. But i don't know if that option somehow will be disabled by
MS in the future - who knows...
Anyway it's a violation of the EULA.

Regards.

 

[Ed.]

A clean install is IMHO much better than an upgrade. A lot less
problems, "leftovers", and issues.

Then you have two options: Full package or OEM.

If you go for the OEM, be aware that its hardware binding. You have
limited options for changing your hardware and still being able to
activate. - And no support of any kind unless you pay. Big time.

The full package, go ahead and build a new PC once a week.

That said, there are ways to make a clean install, using an upgrade
version. But i don't know if that option somehow will be disabled by
MS in the future - who knows...
Anyway it's a violation of the EULA.

Regards.

If you did get an OEM, do you know if down the road you can slipstream it
with Service Packs like we have done in the past? I have done in the past
slipstreamed Service Packs to the XP CD with programs like Auto-Streamer.
Recently I have been doing Update Packs from RyanVM.net using his Integrator
and also using the nLight integrator. I don't know if OEMs would work for
these.

Just thought I would ask since someone here may have experienced it. I guess
I should just also go ahead ask the guys that put out the two integrators.

Thanks for any info,
Ed.

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Today, Hurricane Andrew made these interesting comments ...

[snip]

I somehow doubt the prices quoted. Newegg lists Home Premium
Full Retail at $224.99 and Home Premium OEM at $119.99. The
upgrade Home Premium is $153.99, which is just below MSFT
suggested retail price for Full and Upgrade. That makes it
closer to a $100 difference between OEM and Full Retail.
Seriously, when was the last time you called MSFT for anything
other than activation issues?

I think I have called MS about 4 or 5 times in my lifetime. Each
time, my warranty was either up somehow or it was the one time I
had an OEM license, so my Visa got dinged. But, MS will allow you
to call back as many times on the same issue as you need, and one
really knotty one, whose details I blocked out of my memory, took
3 calls. Another one, that I just ate, MS tried 2 or 3 times and
gave up! So, they refunded my money that time, I think it was $30
or $35.

Other than buying an entire "OEM" PC, I don't think I want
another OEM Windows license if I buy from a PC builder. The
reason is less that I will need to call MS and more that it
simplifies things greatly if the HW changes or I want to chuck
the old box and transfer the license legally. My belief is that
someday, don't know when, Big Brother in Redmond will be able to
detect if you attempt to illegally transfer a license - retail or
OEM - and either stop you or threaten some onerous legal action.
With WGA and other schemes being "tested" as we speak, Vista
doing some secret things maybe, and rumors of Vienna being
partially web-based, the chances of getting caught seem to me to
be increasing. And, whether any of us like it or not, the very
same code ALL developers use to "help" customers by monitoring
updates can be just as easily used to monitor their usage
activity. I imagine there are some state and Federal laws
regulating that kind of spyware, but the notification would be
buried in the EULA, and we would find outselves "agreeing" to be
spied on.

Bottom line for me: pay the freight for retail, even if it is
$100. My PCs all the way back to a very early Apple ][, always
seem to be in the $2,500-3,000 range, so that $100 is only about
3.5%, which is small, and may even be zero if I can re-use it for
a newer PC before I perceive it is obsolete.

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Today, Joe Guidera made these interesting comments ...

OEM is supposed to be for installation on new pc's only by
Original Equipment Manufacturers (I.e. people who sell PC's)

Your choices are relay upgrade and full.

What I find so fascinating in these discussions is the debate about
legality and morality. Some folks care little or none about either
when it comes to saving even a few bucks. And, there are "computer
warehouse" stores all over that do very little "background
checking" to see if you are a "legit" OEM builder. Do you see a
circular proof here?

It was once said that door locks on your car or house only keep out
the law-abiding folks, and the professional thieves can get past
either in 10 seconds. The moral here is that millions of ostensibly
honest folk get higher priced products to pay for all the backroom
investigations and code necessary to detect bootlegging, the real
criminals are hardly deterred, and the SW gets more and more
bloated and more and more likely to have bugs, such as false-
positives.

No, I do not know a good solution. Mine is to pay for what I use,
and only use what I pay for, thus the debate is both academic and
moot for me, but interesting to discuss.

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Today, Dennis_N made these interesting comments ...

A clean install is IMHO much better than an upgrade. A lot
less problems, "leftovers", and issues.

I highly agree! I will never do an upgrade again, certainly not
something as large as XP to Vista. However, I might buy an upgrade
license, start the clean install, and stick in the XP CD for
"verification of authenticity", unless that option has been
removed.

 

[Alias]

Today, Dennis_N made these interesting comments ...


I highly agree! I will never do an upgrade again, certainly not
something as large as XP to Vista. However, I might buy an upgrade
license, start the clean install, and stick in the XP CD for
"verification of authenticity", unless that option has been
removed.

Yes, it's been removed but you can install Vista and not put the product
key in and then install it again and put the product key in and it will
fool Vista and install correctly.

See:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp

Alias

 

[~~Alan~~]

Support? Support from Who? To be honest, this and other forums have been
my support for a long long time and without the scripts on eusually gets
from phone support. These forums have been wonderful and not enough thanks
and appreciation are given to the many dedicated people who peruse and
contribute.

Thank you!

~alan

 

[~~Alan~~]

I originally asked the question from memory of what I saw. I did not have
the Microcenter flyer in front of me at the time. I do stand to be
corrected.

~alan