XP OEM vs Retail Question

[Rainsford]

I have a quick question about this. I did a search and the answers that came up were slightly confusing, and the posts in the "pirates" thread have different answers.

So here's my question, I was to buy a copy of Windows XP Professional that I will be able to install on my current computer, then put on a new computer when I build one (which should be pretty soon). The old computer won't use Windows XP when I upgrade, so it will be 100% legal. I upgrade relativly often, and I don't want to have to worry about "running out" of reactivations or anything. So, with all that in mind, is there any reason to get the retail version over the OEM version that NewEgg is selling? I don't care about the manual and pretty box, but are there any other differences? Thanks.

 

[aka1nas]

The retail or OEM version shouldn't matter. As far as Activation goes, I believe(correct me if I'm wrong) that they keep your hardware on file for 60 days after you activate. So if you have at least 2 months until you build the new comp, then you shouldn't even need to worry about not being able to reactivate it.

 

[mastertech01]

The primary purpose of activation is to prevent you from putting it on multiple machines. I have called in for reactivation 3 times due to so many hardware changes. It takes 5 to 10 minutes of your time and they never once asked me if it was OEM, retail, or anything. They never asked for even the key code. All they want is the numbers that are displayed on the screen when activation is prompted by the OS, and for you to tell them what changes you made. Then they give you a code to type in and your off to the races. I have even changed motherboards with the same chipset but different onboard hardware configurations and didnt have to call in. You pretty much have to make some large changes, like Intel to AMD, or many devices changed. I believe there like 6 main items they look for to alert them that it may be setup on a different machine. I have added many items and not been bothered, like scanner, cdroms, printers, etc. As long as you are honest about it and dont carry an attitude I think they are happy to help you out. I have to activate my Office 2000 SP1 at the same time, and the same person can do both for you at the same time. What I do is install, and use the 30 day grace period to get my configuration setup just as I like it, then do the activation, unless of course I can accomplish it in less time. But so far I have never had a single problem and it only takes a few minutes.

 

[Rainsford]

Cool, sounds not too bad. I think I'll go for it.