Windows Se7en

[Richard Stevens 1116018]

Howdy All,

 

Im ordering parts for my first PC build, and I've a question about ordering which windows 7 os.

On newegg.com they have what appears to be the same software only in different packaging and a $50 difference. One is retail packaging and the other is OEM. What am I missing here? Any advice will be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

P.S. This is the link if its needed.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006816%2050001149&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=368%7C32-116-716%5E32-116-716-S01%2C32-116-754%5E32-116-754-S01

[Ross Carlson]

I had the same question when I built my win7 PC. I didn't get a definitive answer from anywhere, but the various forum posts I found suggested that Newegg can sell you the "system builder's" OEM version as long as you are buying it along with some computer hardware. I even saw a post where a guy said he bought the OEM version along with a tube of heat sink paste in order to qualify.

 

I ordered the OEM version of win 7 pro with my components and saved quite a bit on the OS cost.

[Ian Oliver]

Very simply the OEM version is sold to "the original equipment manufacturers" with the restriction that it can not be transferred between machines, ie: the license is tied to that motherboard/cpu combination (or some serial number combination). Too many hardware changes will cause the OEM version to stop working* and you'll either need to persuade Microsoft to renew the license or buy a new copy for the next machine.

 

How many changes depends, basically it tends to be a motherboard swap, but can be caused but a change of graphics card, disk controller etc.

 

If you do change the motherboard (for example) then W7 will not validate its license with Microsoft when it registers itself and you'll have to call Microsoft to get a renewal - the usual excuse is the original machine failed and you replaced the motherboard.

 

*I actually have no idea what happens, either it'll revert to some "basic edition" or refuse to login - never happened to me despite a few major hardware changes.

 

Given that a machine will last 3-4 years then its is normally the case that your next machine will need a new release of the operating system anyway, so, most of the time the OEM version suffices unless you really are planning to move your single copy around a number of machines (one at a time - no piracy here please, even if it is Micro$oft).

 

t.

 

Ian

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

ive been using the same XP home CD i got for several years now that came with my old HP system. been using it on several systems, ive had no issues getting a new registration code from MS. after i built my new machine, it finally decided to void the original key, so had to call them up, they were actually nice enough to put HP on a 3 way call since the CD originally came from them. didnt take long to get a new key theyll ask for the reg code on the CD to verify you have a valid windows CD

 

on winXP all it does is you wont be able to get past the key validation window during setup until you enter a valid key. same as win98 did. not sure about vista or win7, havent done anything with those yet.

 

anywho, as far as OEM and "retail", thought i also read somewhere that one had XP compatibility and one didnt, or somethin like that? that true?

[Garry Morris 920567]

Same here Ernesto. Had the same OEM copy of XP Pro for a decade now. I bought it, it's on one machine and one machine only, and I'm not going to buy a new copy of the OS just because I swap out a few components to update them.

[Erhan Atesoglu 1050499]

Lets just put it this way... retail is for suckers!

 

There is no difference between an OEM and Retail version, the differences in the OS are your typical Starter, Home, Pro, Enterprise, Ultimate, and the European editions of Home and Pro. They're all found on the same disc, and your serial key decides which version you end up running.

 

 

Also you can pretty much change any hardware you want, the OS tracks your equipmenet in a hardware key. The OS tracks validation using the product key stored on your harddrive. If you change harddrives you will always have to reactivate!

[Darrol Larrok 1140797]

OEM is cheaper, and doesn't come in the fancy packaging.