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General discussion

OEM or Retail?

Jul 24, 2007 10:43PM PDT

What are the pros and cons of installing them in an not new computer?
Will OEM be riskier in case of reactivation or change of components?
TIA

Discussion is locked

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Three main differences...
Jul 24, 2007 11:21PM PDT

1.) OEM copies are forever locked to the motherboard, so they cannot be 'moved' to another computer and the motherboard cannot be replaced.

2.) You can perform a clean installation only, not an upgrade.

3.) You receive no technical support from Microsoft beyond that standard updates, knowledge base, etc.

It's not riskier, but you need to be committed to the computer you're buying/building and capable of handling most problems yourself, with the help of others like in these forums. That's the trade-off in price.

John

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That's a no no for me
Jul 25, 2007 1:05AM PDT

John
#1 is the reason to go for the retail version.
Thank you and Bob for your concise answers

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First timer? Retail.
Jul 25, 2007 12:31AM PDT

Old hand at installing Vista? You can take the chances with OEM since you've been through the mill a few times and don't need support.

The first time Windows installer is usually unaware about drivers and more that don't come from Microsoft so they need all the help they can find. One of the most common obstacles in all versions of Windows has been the drivers. Even with that retail version you can't expect Microsoft to supply the missing driver but at least you can confirm it.

Bob