SuSE_Linux_Guy said:
Please excuse me if This is in the wrong forum, or if this is a stupid
question, but I am having a tough time finding information on the
Internet about this.
Windows XP Professional OEM, If I were to buy this for my Laptop and I
need to reformat after the initial installation, is this possible with
the OEM version?
Certainly. I'm not sure why you'd think otherwise; can a SUSE Linux
installation CD be used only once?
There's no limit to the number of times you can reinstall and activate
the same WinXP license on the same PC. Nor is there ever a charge. Nor
does a Product Key (so long as it's not an evaluation license) ever
expire. If it's been more than 120 days since you last activated that
specific Product Key, you'll most likely be able to activate via the
Internet without problem. If it's been less, you might have to make a 5
minute phone call.
Here are the facts pertaining to activation:
Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/
Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm
Second Question, if I have Windows XP Home pre-installed in my computer
already, and I am needing the Professional version (for programming
reasons), can I buy OEM version or do I have to buy one of the more
expensive versions? (please take into consideration of the first
question when answering the second question.)
You could use the OEM WinXP Pro, but not to perform an in-place
upgrade; OEM CDs are specifically designed to perform clean
installations only. If you have applications that you do not wish to
have to reinstall, the WinXP Upgrade license would be a better choice.
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 non-peripheral
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 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 of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature. Further,
such CDs are 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 on-line like eBay, 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.
Once in a great while, I sometimes reformat my hard drive for a clean
installation. That is why I am asking question one.
It's your time.
--
Bruce Chambers
Help us help you:
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
