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WinXP OEM vs Retail vs Upgrade?

R

RajunCajun

Senior member
Just built a new system - again! I've installed Win98SE but am looking at going the XP this time (I have XP Home on my desktop & laptop). It's an AthlonXP 2000+, nForce2 Ultra MB, 512K, CD-RW, 80gig HD, etc. The PC will be used for wordprocessing, gaming, internet, etc - general work and play. One concern is that newer games need XP or 2000 to play - 98SE ain't gonna work! I have a retail 2800+ still unopened if the 2000+ can't cut it (especially gaming).

I can purchase XP Pro Academic Edition for $84 from Newegg (both my daughters are in college - this PC is for one of them). Alternatively, I can buy XP Home OEM from several vendors at around $65. The upgrade route is $90. Not concerned about potential problems - only thing installed is 98SE without any apps at this time.

My question is - will there be problems calling MS if I install OEM? I've never had to activate XP (both Dell's I own didn't need this done). I know what OEM OSs are - bought Win95b & Win98SE like this. But they didn't have to be "activated". My concern is if the OEM is linked to certain vendors; the PC is home-built. Also, would there be problems down the road if/when I do another build - would have to call MS again to reactivate with major hardware changes.

I know this sounds elementary for someone who builds PC regularly, but I have NO experience building with XP!

Thanks for any help!!
 
Whew,
Good to hear the OEM works.
Just bought XP Pro from Newegg OEM and will be installing this week when the CPU gets here to complete the system.

Nick
 
Getting a OEM liscence is perfectly OK.

The difference in OEM vs Retail is that the OEM liscence is tied to your computer, and the Retail is tied to you.

That is if you buy a computer and install OEM on it is perminately attatched to that computer once you activate it. Technically MS will not activate it if you try to install it on a different computer. If there is doubt to what constitutes a "new computer", then in MS's policy a motherboard is the deciding factor. New Motherboard, new OEM liscence is needed.

With the retail you should be able to install it on many different computers, provided you format the drives of all of them except one.

Plus owning the retail version makes you eligable for a upgrade liscence to a newer OS, which is something you cannot get using OEM versions.
 
Originally posted by: drag
With the retail you should be able to install it on many different computers, provided you format the drives of all of them except one.
Click to expand...

You can install a retail OS on one machine at a time. If you want to install it on a second machine. Officially, you must remove it from the first machine.
 
be sure they check to see if microsoft offers them discounted software at their school. they have partnerships with many colleges.
 
Originally posted by: Navid
Originally posted by: drag
With the retail you should be able to install it on many different computers, provided you format the drives of all of them except one.
Click to expand...

You can install a retail OS on one machine at a time. If you want to install it on a second machine. Officially, you must remove it from the first machine.
Click to expand...

That's what I ment by needing to have all the drives formatted except one. 😛
 
Now were square on that

It would really suck to activate it and then the MLB go bad, then you would need another MLB and another license.

Nick
 
Everyone seems to be on key about the different versions of WindowsXP, but there is one thing I'd point out about the copy for $65. According to Microsoft contact people I have met through my wholeseller, watch out for vendors selling OEM copys of Windows much cheaper than other vendors, like NewEgg. The going rate is about $85-90 for an OEM copy of WindowsXP Home. Vendors may vary slightly, within about $5. Microsoft claims that if someone is selling it for much cheaper, like $65 ($20-25 cheaper,) it may not be a legal copy, as their prices should all be in line. I can only speak for my wholesellers, who sell them for about $85-90. Microsoft claims, unless someone is an authorized Microsoft reseller, make sure you know the vendor.
 
Thanks for all the help. I'll probably go OEM route - hope there won't be any problems when I upgrade down the road. This was my main concern!

Unfortunately, I called the book store and they told me they don't sell software. I'll have my 19 year old ask around McNeese State University. She stated people are getting software from somewhere on campus.

Dennis
 
Hey Dennis, I thought you might be in Lafayette, with 'RajunCajun' name. I live in Lake Charles near McNeese. I've heard in the past, the campus bookstore there sells "Academic Edition" of software, but I can't confirm. I'll ask a couple of friends going to school there to see if they know. Good luck!
 
Hi ya tkistre!

I actually live in Jennings, but work 5 days a week in Lake Charles at Memorial Hospital! Both my girls (and way too much of my $$$) go to McNeese State. Like I stated above, that yoyo I spoke with at the book store said "we don't sell software"! My daughter going to check around/ask questions on campus - may have to go somewhere else on campus instead of the beloved book store!

I thought that the price differential was way off. When I bought 98SE OEM, all I paid was $50 new, but by then ME had already been out for awhile, and it wasn't a current OS. Will be picky and careful where I buy, as we all should!!

I just hate to give MS more of my money! I actually LOVE 98SE - it flies on my Dimension when I boot into it via a small partition on my 2nd HD. I always hear how more stable XP is, but I've had NO problems on current hardware running 98SE! And my experience shows 98SE to run games faster and more reliably, although with mostly older games. Some new games require XP or 2000.
 
Well, Win98SE did treat me well, but as a PC builder, WindowsXP has been a GOD send. Although you can run into problems with it, as other OS's, WinXP has been the most stable, reliable OS I have put on PC's I've built. I started building them as Win95 rolled out. Might be luck, but I'm happy with it!
 
I have an additional question on this topic. There are some vendors online (Pricegrabber) selling XP OEM software which they say is genuine, give you the CD, product key and code and say it is registerable with Microsoft but do not sell with a COA (Certificate of Authenticity). Should I be concerned about this? For $50 more I could get OEM with a COA but if the COA is just an insurance policy is it worth it?
 
Directly from Microsoft's site,
"The Certificate of Authenticity is a security device that accompanies all Microsoft products distributed with a computer by an OEM (original equipment manufacturer). The Certificate of Authenticity is used to assure the end user that the software program(s) accompanying the computer system is legally licensed Microsoft software."

I'm not sure what "insurance" you are talking about. If you mean in terms of support, Microsoft doesn't offer support for OEM products for free. It will cost you, if you need it. Will the OEM XP with no COA still work? Most likely, yes, but it may not be legally licensed through Microsoft.

Hope this helps.
 
Originally posted by: drag
Getting a OEM liscence is perfectly OK.

The difference in OEM vs Retail is that the OEM liscence is tied to your computer, and the Retail is tied to you.

That is if you buy a computer and install OEM on it is perminately attatched to that computer once you activate it. Technically MS will not activate it if you try to install it on a different computer. If there is doubt to what constitutes a "new computer", then in MS's policy a motherboard is the deciding factor. New Motherboard, new OEM liscence is needed.

With the retail you should be able to install it on many different computers, provided you format the drives of all of them except one.

Plus owning the retail version makes you eligable for a upgrade liscence to a newer OS, which is something you cannot get using OEM versions.
Click to expand...

I've gone through three different motherboards with my same OEM XP Home.
 
After you activate, a record of your system will be stored in a database. If you attempt to activate again on a different hardware with more than 3 items different, you will not be able to activate unless you make a phone call and explain why you are entitled to activate.

I understand that the record will be removed from the database after 4 months. So, if you attempt to activate after 4 months, you will not have any problems even if you activate it on a completely different hardware. But, this does not mean that it is legal! This may be why you were able to activate multiple times with different hardware.

Another possibility is that you did not change more than 3 items.

This is how hardware items are monitored.
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx


"Specifically, product activation determines tolerance through a voting mechanism. There are 10 hardware characteristics used in creating the hardware hash. Each characteristic is worth one vote, except the network card which is worth three votes. When thinking of tolerance, it's easiest to think about what has not changed instead of what has changed. When the current hardware hash is compared to the original hardware hash, there must be 7 or more matching points for the two hardware hashes to be considered in tolerance. If the network card is the same, then only 4 additional characteristics must match (because the network card is worth 3, for a total of 7). If the network card is not the same, then a total of 7 characteristics other than the network card must be the same. If the device is a laptop (specifically a dockable device), additional tolerance is allotted and there need be only 4 or more matching points. Therefore, if the device is dockable and the network card is the same, only one other characteristic must be the same for a total vote of 4. If the device is dockable and the network card is not the same, then a total of 4 characteristics other than the network card must be the same".

"The changes are cumulative; however, if a user is asked to reactivate, the hardware profile is reset to that new configuration".

"The 10 hardware characteristics used to determine the hardware hash are: Display Adapter, SCSI Adapter, IDE Adapter, Network Adapter MAC Address, RAM Amount Range (i.e. 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc), Processor Type, Processor Serial Number, Hard Drive Device, Hard Drive Volume Serial Number, CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD-ROM".

 
Originally posted by: pelikan
Originally posted by: drag
Getting a OEM liscence is perfectly OK.

The difference in OEM vs Retail is that the OEM liscence is tied to your computer, and the Retail is tied to you.

That is if you buy a computer and install OEM on it is perminately attatched to that computer once you activate it. Technically MS will not activate it if you try to install it on a different computer. If there is doubt to what constitutes a "new computer", then in MS's policy a motherboard is the deciding factor. New Motherboard, new OEM liscence is needed.

With the retail you should be able to install it on many different computers, provided you format the drives of all of them except one.

Plus owning the retail version makes you eligable for a upgrade liscence to a newer OS, which is something you cannot get using OEM versions.
Click to expand...

I've gone through three different motherboards with my same OEM XP Home.
Click to expand...

Just because it works doesn't mean it's legal 😉
 
Originally posted by: MrChad
Originally posted by: pelikan

I've gone through three different motherboards with my same OEM XP Home.
Click to expand...

Just because it works doesn't mean it's legal 😉
Click to expand...

How could it be illegal if Microsoft re-activated that same copy of XP every time?

I think Navid explained the situation for us.

 
Originally posted by: pelikan
Originally posted by: MrChad
Originally posted by: pelikan

I've gone through three different motherboards with my same OEM XP Home.
Click to expand...

Just because it works doesn't mean it's legal 😉
Click to expand...

How could it be illegal if Microsoft re-activated that same copy of XP every time?

I think Navid explained the situation for us.
Click to expand...

It might re-activate, but that doesn't mean it's compliant with the OEM license agreement.

Text

In general, OEM software may not be transferred from one system to another system. However, the computer system can certainly be updated with new components without the requirement of a new software license. The only exception to this is the motherboard. If the motherboard is replaced, the computer system is deemed "new" and a new license would be required. Other PC components may be upgraded, including a hard drive. Though if the hard drive is replaced/upgraded, the operating system must first be removed from the old hard drive. To restate: the operating system is "married" to the computer system on which it is originally installed.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: pelikan
Oh. That's not very sporting of MS. 🙁
Click to expand...

It's one of the reasons that OEM versions are cheaper than their retail counterparts. When you buy a retail copy of XP, the license is tied to you, not the hardware.
 
🙂Well, now I've got a much better understanding of differing various incarnations of XP. But this raises another question??

=================================================
When you buy a retail copy of XP, the license is tied to you, not the hardware
=================================================

Ok, I understand this to mean RETAIL copies allow me to install XP on ANY computer as often as I want, so long as there's only 1 PC running at a time, without having to activate again, since it's tied to me?

But OEM & DSP are tied to the PC, meaning that if I sold the PC to someone else that copy of XP must go with the PC? If said PC dies, technically speaking the installed XP is suppose to die with it. But if you call MS and explain you've installed new MB they will reactivate it on the new PC.

Correct me if I'm wrong, retail XP once activated for the first time will not need to be reactivated again.

Sidebar - What if said PC is never connected to the net and never will? My next build will probably never get on the net - will use it only for gaming (online gaming doesn't appeal to me) and wordprocessing. Too many other PCs in my house are already on the net.

BTW, thanks for all the input from everyone.


Dennis
 
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