OEM vs. Retail

[mattaggie]

When building a PC for someone, should one use OEM or Retail? OEM is cheaper, but in reading the description it says that the OS cannot be transfered to another computer in the future. Only retail can be transfered. Obvisouly not knowing the future, I'd hate for someone to pay for an OS and then not be able to use it on a different pc one day. Why does Microsoft make this so complicated with all the different versions? I just want to buy Vista and am completely confused by all the different choices (and I consider myself pretty computer savy).

[mikeL]

Why not ask the customer which one he / she would prefer, Retail or OEM. Explain the differences then the cost. That way you will be in the clear.

I agree with you on the Vista choices it is ridiculous what they have half a dozen versions, what were they thinking.

[Negeva]

Simple way to look at this:

OEM means it is tied to that machine and cannot be transferred (normally) to another machine.
Retail means you can transfer it to another machine, but only have it installed on one machine per time: useful if you wish to upgrade machines often like I do.

[bd1886]

OEM/The machine owns it. Retail/You own it.

If you can buy Vista/Retail on the secondary market for a good price,that's a great way to go. (You do have to watch out for fake copies though.)I have been fortunate in finding several for well less than a C-note. Peoples confusion with the hardware compatibility needs, switching back to XP, or deciding to stick with XP after purchase, has lead to plenty of retail copies being sold by individuals.

OEM offers great value and is perfect for people who don't upgrade extensively or just purchase a new computer every couple years. No MS service on OEM.

[Strider]

I'll add my .02 cents. I've always stuck with OEM when it comes to the OS and I have in the past gotten lucky where I have transferred the OEM to another computer with only a call to Micro$illy. If you can catch a Microsoft representative on a good day you might be able still be able to transfer the OS, but in most cases they'll turn you down. It's worth a shot for you got nothing to lose and in my opinion Microsoft isn't the big evil empire that is portrayed by some people. I use my computer anywhere from 3-4 years and by the time I ready to build a new computer I also looking in buying a new OS anyways.

[bd1886]

Guess with Vista, they have tightened things up (in the legality mumbo jumbo) from Vista's time of launch. Very few concessions made concerning OEM and "re-using".
(I agree with you Strider on the "Evil Empire" thing. As time goes on they will have to loosen up on their aggressive practices to adapt to the changes that are beginning to outpace there original concepts of what computing is too.)

[stymie222]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the OEM version does not carry any live tech support for issues other than istallation. Only the retail version

I have purchased several OEM versions and was told by tech support my options were FAQ's, forums and data base information.

As a new user then, I would have spent the extra bucks to solve some issues I had.

[hudson80]

If I replace the mainboard in my Vista oem machine, Is that considered another rmachine?
If I take the boot SATA drive with oem Vista OS to another machine with no OS how does Vista know/

[Peli]

Simple answer is, Yes you CANNOT change your Motherboard and expect any Windows OEM version to work.

OEM Basically means, you cannot transfer the software to another computer, and that includes motherboard changes.

How do they know? Because your windows is software, and software is in the hard-drive, and your hard-drive is connected to your Motherboard, and if you connect it to another Motherboard it will detect that the hardware and drivers do not match up with it's current saved information about your system.

Windows always wins, but it's been known that sometimes you can get away with swapping Motherboards, it's a small chance.

[bd1886]

A signature of components is generated and stored by Microsoft that corresponds to your certificate. The motherboard's chipset is the main identifier but... all changes are indexed and can effect the re-installation.
Grey areas exist but aren't too open any more.