Widows OEM won't upgrade help needed

[Guest]

I need to upgrade from Windows ME and went on to Amazon to look for the upgrade version of XP. I followed the link to the Market Place and bought a cheaper version, which described itself as a Full version. What I have been sent is an OEM version and when I run it the only option is to do a new install. The upgrade option isn't there! I certainly don't want to do a clean install or I will lose all my files. The seller won't accept it back because I have opened the package, and because they don't accept that it won't do what I want, but basically the rely was almost illiterate. Do I put this down to a bad experience or is there any way to get an OEM version to upgrade?

 

[Jim Macklin]

OEM version are designed to install on new computers, new
hard drives or after a format of the C: drive. You need to
buy what is specifically listed as UPGRADE or FULL RETAIL to
have the ability to do an upgrade of an existing
installation. You can probably sell your XP OEM with all
the paperwork and the COA sticker for what you paid on eBay.
If you think you might build a computer you could use it for
that.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


message
| I need to upgrade from Windows ME and went on to Amazon to
look for the upgrade version of XP. I followed the link to
the Market Place and bought a cheaper version, which
described itself as a Full version. What I have been sent is
an OEM version and when I run it the only option is to do a
new install. The upgrade option isn't there! I certainly
don't want to do a clean install or I will lose all my
files. The seller won't accept it back because I have opened
the package, and because they don't accept that it won't do
what I want, but basically the rely was almost illiterate.
Do I put this down to a bad experience or is there any way
to get an OEM version to upgrade?

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Bad experience. Put it up for sale to recover your money, try to advertise
it for what it truly is. Most full OEM versions do not do upgrades, this is
a limitation of the cheaper license they use to sell it. There are no
workarounds that I know of.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Windows
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Mike]

The OEM version is a full version.. it is just not the 'retail' full
version.. if you have a cdrw, use Nero or whatever cd writer software to
save your user generated files and anything else that is important to you..
do not forget to 'export' your mail messages and Windows address book to
files that can be imported when the install is completed.. while you are
doing this, just keep in mind how much you saved by buying the cheaper
version.. you will also save on MS support as they do not support OEM
versions.. see, you are a winner after all..

I need to upgrade from Windows ME and went on to Amazon to look for the

upgrade version of XP. I followed the link to the Market Place and bought a
cheaper version, which described itself as a Full version. What I have been
sent is an OEM version and when I run it the only option is to do a new
install. The upgrade option isn't there! I certainly don't want to do a
clean install or I will lose all my files. The seller won't accept it back
because I have opened the package, and because they don't accept that it
won't do what I want, but basically the rely was almost illiterate. Do I put
this down to a bad experience or is there any way to get an OEM version to
upgrade?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

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 installed 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/model of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature.
Further, such CDs are often 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, eastern European web sites, 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

--
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having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I need to upgrade from Windows ME and went on to Amazon to look for
the upgrade version of XP. I followed the link to the Market Place
and bought a cheaper version, which described itself as a Full
version. What I have been sent is an OEM version and when I run it
the only option is to do a new install. The upgrade option isn't
there! I certainly don't want to do a clean install or I will lose
all my files. The seller won't accept it back because I have opened
the package, and because they don't accept that it won't do what I
want, but basically the rely was almost illiterate. Do I put this
down to a bad experience or is there any way to get an OEM version to
upgrade?

Sorry, if you can't get the seller to take it back, you're out of
luck. OEM versions won't do upgrades.

 

[Guest]

I've seen XP OEM disk that has the "upgrade" option and the "new installation" option when you're booted into the installed OS on that machine.