Vista System Builder Licensing

[MotF Bane]

http://oem.microsoft.com/downloads/Public/sblicense/2007_SB_Licenses/English.pdf

I got a headache from trying to read that.

All I wanted to know was if we can buy the System Builder pack and build our own computers, and then go and keep using that same copy of Vista every time we upgrade the computer (including a whole new computer, made via complete destruction of the previous computer)?

Edit: Secondly, can you still slipstream (I think that's the term for it) Vista with all of the drivers for your hardware and such?

 

[SKORPI0]

Vista Retail vs. Vista OEM whats the difference?

OEM software is also tied to the motherboard it is first installed on. Unlike the retail versions of Windows which can be transferred to a new computer, OEM versions are not transferable. What about upgrading hardware? Microsoft says that anything is fair game, except the motherboard. Replacing the motherboard in a computer results in a "new personal computer," which the company considers to be synonymous with a transfer. It's not permitted with an OEM edition of Windows.

 

[stash]

Edit: Secondly, can you still slipstream (I think that's the term for it) Vista with all of the drivers for your hardware and such?

Yes, and it is a lot easier. Here's an overview of imagex: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/aa905070.aspx

edit: copied wrong quote 🙂

 

[tcsenter]

All I wanted to know was if we can buy the System Builder pack and build our own computers, and then go and keep using that same copy of Vista every time we upgrade the computer (including a whole new computer, made via complete destruction of the previous computer)?

No. A retail upgrade does not transform an underlying OEM OS into a full and initial retail license. You can take the retail upgrade with you from computer to computer, but not the underlying OEM operating system that was upgraded.

Edit: Secondly, can you still slipstream (I think that's the term for it) Vista with all of the drivers for your hardware and such?

Sure, for your own use. It cannot be distributed.