urluckyday Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 Hey guys. I have a really quick question. What will I be losing by getting the OEM version of WinXP/Vista compared to the full/retail version? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChAiNz.2da Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 The box for the most part However, depending on the company.. you may or may not receive the re-install disk (assuming the OEM comes pre-installed). Also, I *think* OEM has limited amounts of re-activation on a computer.. though in all honesty, I'm not that familiar with it. Could be just hearsay, but I've heard of the issue coming up in the past. Functionality wise, there shouldn't be any difference though, so if you're not planning on buying multiple license or installing it on many computers.. OEM works rather nicely and is definitely easier on the pockets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 Chainz is right, the box is the only difference I believe. My friend bought WinXP Home OEM for the computer I recently built him and it was the same CD, it just came in a cardboard sleeve instead of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urluckyday Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 Well, that's what I think, but I've also heard that you don't get full technical support like you do with the Retail version. Also, in terms of Windows, I've heard rumors that it doesn't qualify for WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage)...honestly, I don't know whether any of it is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrotoy7 Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 It all really depends on the product. OEM means original equipment manufacturer and technically is only sold to system builders. Still, it has become a normal practise to sell oem items to anyone simply because they are cheaper and will sell better. In the case of OEM windows OS - you are limited to *ONE license per machine ie. if you have a system crash or need to reformat etc and reinstall, you will need to call MS to be able to reactivate your copy. *In some cases, limited support. This is simply because the onus of support gets put on the manufacturer that acquired the OEM license. eg. Dell, Acer etc *I always use OEM copies for rigs I build. They are simply MUCH cheaper. mtfbwya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urluckyday Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 hey, thanks for the information guys. I'm glad someone could clear it up for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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