XP Pro Versions

[\(Joseph]

Would someone know what are the differences between XP Pro Corporate, XP Pro
Retail and XP Pro OEM?

Thank you

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

"XP Pro Corporate" is slang for a non-genuine, pirated
and illegal "copy" of Windows XP Pro. Avoid!!!

"XP Pro Retail" is a genuine version of Windows XP
that is sold in a sealed box and can be used to upgrade
over an older versions of Windows, such as Windows 2000.
This version is preferable since its license may be
transferred to a different PC in the future.

The Windows Genuine Advantage
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx?displaylang=en

"XP Pro OEM" is designed for System Builders who
wish to install XP on a system that has no previous
Windows operating system installed. Its license
is bound to the first PC it is installed on and cannot
be transferred to a different PC in the future.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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:

| Would someone know what are the differences between XP Pro Corporate, XP Pro
| Retail and XP Pro OEM?
|
| Thank you

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Joseph

Take a look at this for the differences..

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

This site does NOT include info on the 'Corporate' variety..

The five versions of XP are here, however..

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/compare.mspx

You will notice that XP Pro 'Corporate' is not included here either..

XP Pro 'Corporate' is a pirated version and should not be considered..

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Would someone know what are the differences between XP Pro Corporate,
XP Pro Retail and XP Pro OEM?

First, there is no such thing as XP "Corporate." The name "Corporate" is one
used by software pirates for pirated versions. You may be thinking of the
way XP Professional is sometimes sold with a volume license to large
corporations, but that just affects how they pay for multiple licenses.

Regarding the difference s between OEM and retail versions, an 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 by
itself.

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.

 

[\(Joseph]

Thank you for the explanations, that clears it up!

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Would someone know what are the differences between XP Pro Corporate, XP Pro
Retail and XP Pro OEM?

Well, to start off, there is no such thing as WinXP "Corporate
Edition." That is a term applied exclusively to pirated (iow, stolen)
copies of the Volume Licensed WinXP Pro by the "warez" aficionados.

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.



--

Bruce Chambers

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[Jared Foster]

Excellent breakdown of the differences...I even learned a few things .