Differences

[bertodude]

Hy all, i wanna buy Vista Home premium but i dont know wich, i saw that the OEM version is much cheaper than the retail, i must say that im a home user, gamer, and only one PC. I must also say that i live in Romania so the shipping may rise the prices and I dont want that, so im asking for advices on wich version should i buy and what about the shipping.

thx and srry for my eng

[ripken204]

get the oem if you dont plan on ever upgrading your hardware..

[nitroshift]

As ripken said, get the OEM version. There are quite a few stores now in Romania selling Vista.

[bertodude]

Ok, what do u mean by "if u never plan to upgrade your hardware" ? Offcourse im gonna upgrade my hardware, just today ive just got an 160gigs HDD and 1gig of RAM.

U mean the OEM its working only with the PC that came with ? i know OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer or something like that and its a version bundlded with specific equipment, but i wanna now if there is any differences in what the OS have between the OEM and Retail ?

thx

[cluberti]

The OS itself will be identical between OEM and retail versions - it's the "strings" that come attached to the cheaper OEM license.

1. You can't remove it from the machine you install it on - it becomes tied to that machine forever. If you buy a new machine, you have to buy a new copy of Windows (well, legally).

2. You cannot receive phone or email support from Microsoft, period. You have to call the vendor who sold you the OEM copy of Windows for suppoort (and if it's an online store, YOU become the OEM you need to call. You can see how this would become a problem when you need support, from... you... ).

3. You have to purchase an OEM license with hardware, and in most countries, this is an actual PC. Power cords, screw sets, or even hard drives do not technically qualify as a qualifying OEM purchase. You can still do it, but you will technically violate the EULA, and although they've never been heavy-handed with those types of things, there's no saying it won't happen in the future.

[bertodude]

Ok, im clear, strage cause i saw in many shops that theyre selling OEM versions of OSes without buying any harware, so thats a trick?

Thx a lot guys, im gonna get the retail version then.

[Keris]

Ok, im clear, strage cause i saw in many shops that theyre selling OEM versions of OSes without buying any harware, so thats a trick?

Some of those shops toss in some cheap piece of "hardware" like a molex Y adapter to try to cover the hardware purchase requirement. Technically doesn't cover it, but at least they try to cover their behinds.

[Bezalel]

You have to purchase an OEM license with hardware, and in most countries, this is an actual PC.

MS considures individuals who are building their own computers to be "System builders" and has always provides such uses with the ability to purchase OEM software. Previously they allowed the sale of such software (Operating Systems only) only in instances where non-peripheral hardware was also being purchased or in sealed multi-pack. Now they no longer require the purchase of non-peripheral hardware but they only allow the sale of sealed single or multi-packs.

[cluberti]

I'm not so sure that is still true. The license agreement changed in September of 2005, in that you must sell a PC to sell an OEM license, and you must be buying a PC to buy an OEM license unless you are a royalty OEM. Therefore, buying an OEM license from a store, whether online or off, must also include the purchase of a PC. If someone sells you an OEM copy of Windows without qualifying PC hardware (see below), they've technically violated the license agreement, and your copy is not valid. Again, I don't believe Microsoft has ever tried to uphold this, but they could decide they want to at any time.

Section 4.1:

"We grant you a nonexclusive right to distribute an individual software license only with a fully assembled computer system. A "fully assembled computer system" means a computer system consisting of at least a central processing unit, a motherboard, a hard drive, a power supply, and a case."

Section 6:

"When you distribute an individual software license for a desktop operating system or application software, you must preinstall it on the fully assembled computer system’s hard drive using the OEM Preinstallation Kit ("OPK") provided in this package or otherwise made available by us."

Section 15.1:

"You must not advertise, provide a separate price for, or otherwise market or distribute individual software licenses, or any part of them, as separate items from the fully assembled computer system as applicable."

So, in short, a whole PC, or you can't legally acquire or sell OEM software. If you're unsure about the vendor, check the Authorized OEM software distributor list from Microsoft.com.

[Bezalel]

This is in excerpt from paragraph 1 of the SBLA.

If you do not open this package, you may distribute it to another system builder. “System builder” means an original equipment manufacturer, or an assembler, reassembler, or installer of software on computer systems.

and this one of from the OEM site:

With the new 1-pack, the unopened package can be distributed to another system builder by itself, without any hardware requirement.

and this quote is from the OEM site clearly states Microsoft's position:

OEM system builder software packs are intended for PC and server manufacturers or assemblers ONLY. They are not intended for distribution to end users. Unless the end user is actually assembling his/her own PC, in which case, that end user is considered a system builder as well.

All of these quotes are from after the SBLA change.