Windows XP version question???

[Pat]

Hi,

I am in the process of buying Windows XP and was wondering
what is the main diffrence between;

Windows XP full edition retail box
Windows XP OEM full edition

I know that full edition can only be installed on a newly
formated harddrive and this is what I am looking for.

I was told by someone that I should stay away from OEM
version as they are restrictive. They can only be
installed on one computer, what he means is that IF I buy
or build a different computer this OEM version could not
be install (tranfer) on the newly build computer. Is this
true and can someone tell me or point me in the right
direction

Thanks

Pat

 

[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) Unlike a full version retail CD, 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
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH

 

[dev]

/Pat/ said:

I am in the process of buying Windows XP and was wondering
what is the main diffrence between;

Windows XP full edition retail box
Windows XP OEM full edition

I know that full edition can only be installed on a newly
formatted harddrive and this is what I am looking for.

I was told by someone that I should stay away from OEM
version as they are restrictive. They can only be
installed on one computer, what he means is that IF I buy
or build a different computer this OEM version could not
be installed (transferred) on the newly built computer. Is
this true and can someone tell me or point me in the right
direction?

OEM versions are supported by the manufacturer of the PC, not by MS, and
they may be tweaked.

For the standard implementation, and best flexibility, consider either the
upgrade or full edition. This article, though dated, provides more
insight...as does http://microsoft.com ...

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

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I am in the process of buying Windows XP and was wondering
what is the main diffrence between;

Windows XP full edition retail box
Windows XP OEM full edition

I know that full edition can only be installed on a newly
formated harddrive and this is what I am looking for.

No, that's not correct. That's true of the OEM version, but the
Full retail version can do either a clean installation or an
upgrade.

Also note that, despite what many people think, the Upgrade
version can *also* do either a clean installation or an upgrade.
The only difference between the Full and Upgrade versions that,
in order to do a clean installation, you need to insert a
previous qualifying version's installation CD (not a restore
CD)as proof of ownership when prompted to do so. If you own an
installation CD of Windows 98 or Me, the UPgrade version is
probably your best choice.

I was told by someone that I should stay away from OEM
version as they are restrictive. They can only be
installed on one computer, what he means is that IF I buy
or build a different computer this OEM version could not
be install (tranfer) on the newly build computer. Is this
true and can someone tell me or point me in the right
direction

Yes, that's true.

The OEM version can only legally be sold with hardware, although
these days, any piece of hardware, even a power cord, qualifies.
Although if you get a complete generic OEM version, it contains
the same software, it has the following disadvantages as compared
with the retail version:

1. Its license ties it permanently to the first computer it's
installed on. It can never legally be moved to another computer,
sold, or given away.

2. It can only do a clean installation, not an upgrade.

3. Microsoft provides no support for OEM versions. You can't call
them with a problem, but instead have to get any needed support
from your OEM; that support may range anywhere between good and
non-existent. Or you can get support elsewhere, such as in these
newsgroups.

 

[Alex Nichol]

Windows XP full edition retail box
Windows XP OEM full edition

I know that full edition can only be installed on a newly
formated harddrive and this is what I am looking for.

You have that the wrong way round. A Full retail edition can be
installed clean, *or* can do an upgrade (the 'upgrade' edition needs to
be shown evidence of a qualifying product to allow a clean install).

OEM ones have restrictions:
*They* will only do clean installs

They carry no support from Microsoft, you have to get it from the OEM
vendor - estimate in a particular case how much you will get

They are licensed solely to the machine where first installed, and may
not later be transferred to another