OEM or Retail

Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I have a home built PC, on which I've been using Ubuntu as the main OS.
I will be buying Windows 7 Home Premium when it becomes available.
My question is, if I purchase the OEM version, will I be able to install the OS exactly as I would if I purchased the Retail version?
As the OEM is considerably cheaper, I wonder what it doesn't have compared to the retail version.
 
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
133
Reaction score
29
Hi there

Yes you can install as you would the retail version. The difference between the two is not within the operating system but within the licencing terms and agreement. OEM versions are intended for system builders for placing on new computers. With an OEM version the operating system is tied into the motherboard and cannot be transferred to another system. When you purshase an OEM you must purchase the right variation (32 bit or 64 bit). With OEM there is no software support from Microsoft, it is provided by the system builder. On the other hand a retail version is transferable to another system (but you must only have the operating system installed on one computer at any time.) Support is available via Microsoft and you get both 32x and 64x disc with the package.
 

Kougar

OCing one chip at a time
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
588
Reaction score
116
Cookieman pretty much summed everything up!
 
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
....and you get both 32x and 64x disc with the package.
ooooo did not know that, I was gonna pick up the OEM from Newegg (promo for $99 atm) but I was debating if I want 32 or 64 (well, i WANT 64, just not sure if its gonna work with all my stuffs), now I think I'll splurge and get retail and cover all my bases.

Just joined the forums 5 minutes ago and already its paid for itself. Well...ok its free but...my time is valuable...yea, thats it.....

*\o/*
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
multiple home PC's

We have 3 PC's on our home network. Currently 2 running XP Pro and the newest build running VISTA Ultimate. I make money with the Vista build, the other two are used for Internet surfing and digital audio processing respectively.

If I did my math correctly, $300 per retail licence, it would cost me "only" $900 to upgrade all three to Win 7? Can someone confirm this :eek:. Has anyone seen a three pack?

I don't think I will try the upgrade path. Only fresh installs for me.
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
family pack deactivated in the US

I just GOOGLED the family pack. Apparently Newegg.com has it listed as an item but is not available as it is deactivated.

Also, it would seem only the Home Premium version is available. I need the Pro version to run legacy engineering software from home on my home network.

It would appear MS is not catering to odd balls like me. Ah well, what else is new? :rolleyes:
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2009
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Okej, I have order a OEM x64 version of Windows 7 and should get it soon. So if I understand right I can just can put the disc in and install the OS. I don´t have to format the hard drive before I install?
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
925
Reaction score
362
You should reformat before you install. If it's Windows XP, you will have to reformat before you install.
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
OEM explained by MS in depth.....finally....well sorta?

Read both these articles....most interesting....

here is just one interesting paragraph:

"Although it is possible for an individual/hobbyist to buy a System Builder copy of Windows 7 and install it on a new PC, that scenario is specifically prohibited by the license agreement, which requires that the software be installed using the OPK and then resold to a non-related third party. (As I noted in a September 2008 post, Microsoft once allowed “hobbyists” to use OEM System Builder software to build their own PCs, but the company switched to a hard-line stance on this issue sometime after Vista shipped in early 2007.)"

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1514&tag=content;col2

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=535&tag=col1;post-1514

....this should stir the pot just a little....I'm still confused about my place as a "hobbyist" using OEM system builder Win 7. My interpretation of the license agreement is that I'm not allowed to use it.

BTW, anyone know what an OPK kit, what does it do?

Back to my research trying to understand this stuff more than just on the surface.
 

davehc

Microsoft MVP
Joined
Jul 20, 2009
Messages
1,958
Reaction score
502
I (think) it is under discussion on the Technet forums right now. I seem to remember seeing a post title or two yeterday. I don't know how interested Microsoft are as, by whatever method, it gets there product distributed and advertised, but it seems the consensus is that it is illegal to sell the OEMs as standalone programs. They should only be sold, as installed, on new computers. So if you see one, grab it before Microsoft close the door.
 
Last edited:

Nibiru2012

Quick Scotty, beam me up!
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
4,955
Reaction score
1,302
BTW, anyone know what an OPK kit, what does it do?
OEM Preinstallation Kit

The OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) of the Microsoft Server Appliance Kit (SAK) tells Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) how to use the tools provided by the SAK to create server appliances based on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. It is intended to be a used alongside the SAK Hardware Development Kit and the SAK Software Development Kit, which provide details on how to develop specialized hardware and software used to create a server appliance. For more information about the OEM documentation supplied with the SAK, see Microsoft Server Appliance Kit 3.0 (StartHere.chm).
The Server Appliance Kit OPK is intended to be a companion to the Microsoft Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit User's Guide and the Windows Preinstallation Reference. The Server Appliance Kit OPK does not attempt to provide detailed information on how to preinstall, customize, and deploy Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Instead, the Server Appliance Kit OPK focuses on how to use the SAK tools and frameworks as part of the overall process of creating a server appliance running Windows Server 2003. It relies on the Windows OPK to provide the details on how to preinstall Windows Server 2003 and prepare the resulting image for manufacture. If you are not already familiar with the process of preinstalling Windows, you are strongly encouraged to study the Windows OPK before continuing with the Server Appliance Kit OPK.
To learn more about the Server Appliance Kit OPK and how to use the SAK to develop a server appliance, see OPK Overview.
 

Nibiru2012

Quick Scotty, beam me up!
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
4,955
Reaction score
1,302
....this should stir the pot just a little....I'm still confused about my place as a "hobbyist" using OEM system builder Win 7. My interpretation of the license agreement is that I'm not allowed to use it.
I used XP Pro OEM version for several years with no problems at all.

Windows 7 OEMs are available at Newegg and other websites. It used to be that in order to purchase an OEM install disc, one had to buy a piece (that's one only) of hardware also, such as a hard drive, video card, case, DVD burner, USB cable, etc. Then things changed and you weren't required to buy the hardware, besides the fact that not many of the retailer selling OEM were requiring that.

I think what has upset M$ is the fact that some people who buy OEM discs expect M$ to give tech support for it; they don't period! M$ expects the "system builder" to provide the support for it.

Basically it boils down to this: If one is not experienced enough to deal with no software support from M$ for an OEM purchase, then don't buy it!

Get the full retail version or upgrade version instead.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
925
Reaction score
362
Not only that, it is not legal to install OEM licenses on a new system. Once it has been installed, that's it. That's the only computer it can ever be run on. If you do a motherboard swap, the EULA specifies that it must be the same replacement part, which is what OEMs do when your mobo breaks.
 

Nibiru2012

Quick Scotty, beam me up!
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
4,955
Reaction score
1,302
The following is from the Microsoft Windows 7 OEM System Builder License:

Authorized Distribution and Acceptance. To distribute the Software or Hardware in this Pack, you must be a System Builder
and accept this license. “System Builder” means an original equipment manufacturer, an assembler, a refurbisher, or a software
pre-installer that sells the Customer System(s) to a third party. You accept this license when you open this Pack. If you choose not
to accept this license, promptly return the unopened Pack to your distributor
What I gather from the above is that if one is an assembler, then its perfectly legal to build a system as a hobbyist or Do-It-Yourself build.

The following is a little more complicated. I understand this to mean that if a motherboard is defective, then you can replace it with a the same make & model of motherboard or the motherboard manufacturer's equivalent upgrade or replacement. Switching to a different brand of motherboard would require a new OEM license product key.

Q. Can a PC with an OEM Windows operating system have its motherboard upgraded and keep the same license? What if it was replaced because it was defective?
A. Generally, an end user can upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on a computer—except the motherboard—and still retain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created. Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to the new computer, and the license of new operating system software is required. If the motherboard is replaced because it is defective, you do not need to acquire a new operating system license for the PC as long as the replacement motherboard is the same make/model or the same manufacturer's replacement/equivalent, as defined by the manufacturer's warranty.
The reason for this licensing rule primarily relates to the End User Software License Terms and the support of the software covered by that End User Software License Terms. The End User Software License Terms is a set of usage rights granted to the end user by the PC manufacturer and relates only to rights for that software as installed on that particular PC. The system builder is required to support the software on the original PC. Understanding that end users, over time, upgrade their PCs with different components, Microsoft needed to have one base component "left standing" that would still define the original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the "heart and soul" of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created. The original system builder did not manufacture this new PC, and therefore cannot be expected to support it.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Top