Retail??

[Fisheagle]

When buying a hard drive what does "Retail" mean?

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Tomorrow will be here yesterday!

[tjaymadison]

It usually means that, in addition to the drive itself, you get a full manual, hardware kit to install the drive in a 5-1/4" bay if you want to, a drive cable, and a software diskette with "Disk Manager" type software and utilities. It's the same unit you could buy over the counter at CompUSA or BestBuy. OEM, or "brown box" packaging, usually means just the drive, maybe the diskette, and probably just a one-page simple instruction sheet. Sometimes this can depend on the vendor.

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
(Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[Fisheagle]

Thanks for getting back so fast,

How about the warranty, is it usually the same between OEM and Retail?

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Tomorrow will be here yesterday!

[tjaymadison]

Depends on the manufacturer. I've seen some retail packages with up to three years. OEM is often just one year. Your vendor should be able to furnish this info.

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"When I nod my head, hit it with the hammer."
(Moe, holding nail, to Curly, holding hammer)

[Fisheagle]

Thanks!

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Tomorrow will be here yesterday!

[gossamer]

I have bought HDD's retail and OEM and the manufacturer has always provided the full warranty (typically 3 yrs) if I had to send it back for some reason.

[Fisheagle]

Thanks Gossamer http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Tomorrow will be here yesterday!

[This message has been edited by Fisheagle (edited 04-23-2001).]