OEM vs Retail Vista

[timot]

Hey guys, i know this has been discussed lots of times, but there are mixed discussions about this, so i need to know which one is real.

First of all, i purchased OEM vista HP last year and now i m thinking of reformatting my hd. So, can i still use my OEM vista cd key to install?

Second, if i m going to built a new computer and install the same vista on it, would i still be use it? AND of course, i wont be using my old computer.

 

[Jax Omen]

1) As long as the hardware is the same, yes, you can use an OEM copy to reinstall.

2) No, OEM copies are tied to the hardware they were initially installed on.

 

[timot]

damn it.. i knew it... dang... but i m assuming it's different for XP? no?

 

[Griffinhart]

Nope, OEM vs retail licensing hasn't changed from XP to Vista. OEM software can only be installed on one machine. Typically it's tied to the Motherboard.

 

[timot]

Hmm i c.... and there's no way to tackle it?

 

[EQTitan]

I've changed motherboards and had to reactivate XP over the phone, I even told the operator that I had replaced my motherboard. They had no problem with that and just gave me my activation key.

 

[timot]

ahh nice.... what if i bought my vista in other country and call the tech support here in canada? can they detect that?

 

[Drsignguy]

If I may, Question about the OEM.... I have not used it yet, was planing to but decided to upgrade first. Only thing is that I now have a e2160 which is X64 and the Os is X32. Could I still install it using this architecture ? And if so, would it be difficult to configure due to drivers and such.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Originally posted by: Drsignguy
If I may, Question about the OEM.... I have not used it yet, was planing to but decided to upgrade first. Only thing is that I now have a e2160 which is X64 and the Os is X32. Could I still install it using this architecture ? And if so, would it be difficult to configure due to drivers and such.

Ok, first it's impolite to thread hijack. I would never do that.
Second, your OS will install just fine on the e2160 and third, you will not have to do any configuring of drivers or anything else because a 64 bit processor will work just fine with a 32 bit OS.

 

[TigerMonsoonDragon]

weird i have an oem xp and had no problems installing it on my laptop when i switch to pro on my desktop where the oem was initially installed on

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer

Originally posted by: Drsignguy
If I may, Question about the OEM.... I have not used it yet, was planing to but decided to upgrade first. Only thing is that I now have a e2160 which is X64 and the Os is X32. Could I still install it using this architecture ? And if so, would it be difficult to configure due to drivers and such.

Ok, first it's impolite to thread hijack. I would never do that.
Second, your OS will install just fine on the e2160 and third, you will not have to do any configuring of drivers or anything else because a 64 bit processor will work just fine with a 32 bit OS.

Greatly Sorry! I did however move this to another thread ( of course after) and I also appriciate the valued information.

 

[timot]

Originally posted by: kyubi
weird i have an oem xp and had no problems installing it on my laptop when i switch to pro on my desktop where the oem was initially installed on

Hmmm... see.... this is one of the mixed reviews i;ve been getting........ dang... and btw Drsignguy, it's ok, it's just a question... lol

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: timot

Originally posted by: kyubi
weird i have an oem xp and had no problems installing it on my laptop when i switch to pro on my desktop where the oem was initially installed on

Hmmm... see.... this is one of the mixed reviews i;ve been getting........ dang... and btw Drsignguy, it's ok, it's just a question... lol

Thanks! And I have been getting the same reviews. But heck with it. Got to install it sometime I guess.

 

[Chiropteran]

There are two different questions here.

1- Can you install an OEM copy of XP or Vista onto a different computer than it originally came with?

You can install it, sure. But if the hardware is significantly different, you will probably fail at activation. Though, I have heard you get one "grace" activation every 12 months, so even if the computer is completely different if you haven't activated recently it may successfully activate.

2- Can you legally do so, according to the license?

Probably not, depends how much of the old computer is being used as the new one. I have heard that the license is tied to the motherboard, case, and hard drive, but I have also heard conflicting stories. For example, I know if you have a faulty motherboard and get it replaced you are not obligated to buy a new copy of windows just because you changed motherboards. IANAL, so don't take this as serious legal advice, but I personally don't think Microsoft could ever prove you broke an OEM license as long as you are using some portion of the original computer and the sticker is on the computer using the license.


This is a bit off topic, but Microsoft's dreamy OEM license is just unrealistic and every OEM manufacturer will go directly against the license agreement if computer repairs require, so I don't see it as being enforceable. What I am talking about is warranty service. If you have a Dell, and *any* part of it fails under warranty, you can get the part replaced and Dell will reload windows if required. Dell will *never* buy a second OEM license, or make you pay for a second OEM license, even if the hard drive and motherboard both fail. So, either Dell is conducting software piracy, or the rumors about OEM licenses being tied to any one piece of a computer are slightly exaggerated.

 

[timot]

ummmm actually, i bought a copy of OEM vista that didnt come with my pc.....

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: timot
ummmm actually, i bought a copy of OEM vista that didnt come with my pc.....

The place that sold it to you was supposed to only sell it with hardware. The hardware you buy it with is considered the PC it is attached to. As far as what I said in the above post, just consider the first computer you installed vista on as the original PC.

So. You reformat hard drive, you should be fine legally and activation-wise installing vista on it again.

you want to use vista on a second computer... well, it will probably fail activation unless the original install was longer than 12 months ago, and it's probably not legal unless your second PC is sharing some key parts with your first PC. If it's a totally new computer and you aren't using any of your old parts, it's not legal to use the same OEM copy according to Microsoft's license. If it's mostly a new computer but you are using the same hard drive and case or something, it's debatable.

 

[timot]

i will be using 1 of my hard drive i guess.... but yeah i guess i'll have to try it... if it didnt work, i'll let u know and i'l have to get another vista..... sigh.....

 

[Scooby Doo]

Originally posted by: Griffinhart
Nope, OEM vs retail licensing hasn't changed from XP to Vista. OEM software can only be installed on one machine. Typically it's tied to the Motherboard.

I.E. changes to other equipment (video/memory/hard drives) are valid though, correct?

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: Scooby Doo

Originally posted by: Griffinhart
Nope, OEM vs retail licensing hasn't changed from XP to Vista. OEM software can only be installed on one machine. Typically it's tied to the Motherboard.

I.E. changes to other equipment (video/memory/hard drives) are valid though, correct?

Sure. And like I said, it's not even really tied to the motherboard in all cases, for example a Dell PC with a faulty motherboard gets the motherboard replaced and Dell reloads the OS without buying a new license.

Hmm, I found some info-

Thank you for your post, Michael. Generally, you may upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on your customer's computer and the customer may maintain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software, with the exception of an upgrade or replacement of the motherboard. Unless upgraded or replaced under warranty, if the motherboard is upgraded, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required. The original Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to another computer.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/oemeula.htm

Sounds about right, but I can still see gray areas. For example, if a small PC maker decided to sell computers with a 50 year warranty on the motherboard, that would be a way around the rule- any motherboard change could just be considered to occur "under warranty".

There are people, like me, who build their own PC and purchase an OEM copy of window. What is to prevent me from saying I gave myself a warranty on my computer and any replacements are done under that warranty?

 

[badnewcastle]

I was able to move an oem version of xp to a home built computer no problem... 5 years ago... a lot has changed.

I would be careful about moving the oem to another computer because I have some issues that MS says are limited to OEM...

 

[timot]

so.... what if i upgraded everything else, but i re use my hdd (windows still inside)? will it still detect and thus i couldnt go into windows?

 

[Chiropteran]

I'd require you to activate windows again. If you have activatedi n the last year, it'll probably fail that activation and not work.

 

[badnewcastle]

I believe windows keys are locked to chipsets not HDD's but I could be wrong.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Also can the 32bit oem licence be upgraded to 64bit oem latter without having to pay another $100?

 

[ViRGE]

32bit and 64bit are one license, there are no different licenses that you need to upgrade to to use the other version. You only need the media.