MB upgrades and Vista

[rileychris]

SO i am currently running a socket 939 system, which should last me a little while. I have a free copy o fVista I would like to install (thanks to the hot deals forum). Should I wait until after my next MB upgrade to install Vista? Is the installation really tied to your processor and MB, or can I continue using it even if it change out my cpu and/or MB?

 

[LintMan]

It depends on what version of Vista you have... OEM, Upgrade, or Full.

The OEM version is historically tied to your MB, but in practice that hasn't been really enforced. Some say that might change, though. If your copy is OEM, you might want to wait to install it until you upgrade.

Full version is not tied to any hardware, so you can move it when you like (as long as you only run it on one machine). If your copy is Full version, go ahead and install if you like.

Upgrade version requires an old XP installation, and I believe it inherits the OEM status and limits if your XP was OEM.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Crap.. can anyone confirm is that is true about it inheriting the OEM status?

 

[LintMan]

That's just what I read in some other thread here, but that might have been how people assumed it would work because XP Upgradewas like that... But that was before the whole story came out about how Vista Upgrade requires an actual previous installation on you disk (rather than checking the key like previously). With the announced workaround, though, it may not matter, since if what I've recently read is correct, with the double install method, apparently the Upgrade effectively functions as a Full since you can install it without it ever seeing your original XP.