Win XP home edition-OEM

[andreadebiase]

I found this OS on newegg for $90, assuming i install it and activate but then few month down the road i want to upgrade mobo or hard drive or need to format am i going to be able to re-install it? will M$ grant me multiple activations if i call and explain?

[beauness]

I'm reall no expert, having some XP problems myself, but in the past I've done just what you are asking with no problems. Once I had to call Microsoft and explain, some lady did some keyboard clicking, and done!

Beau

[mjc]

Reformat and reinstall to the same hardware...no problem.

Upgrade motherboard...once.

XP retail has more/easier upgrades. OEM allows some, but you WILL need to reactivate it if you make too many changes to the hardware.

OEM XP (pre-installed) is tied to the machine it came on...think Dell, HP, Compaq, etc...

Basically when you are buying Windows you are paying a couple of bucks for the OS itself (and a minuscule amount for the disk) and the rest of what you are paying is for a package of 'rights to use it'. The more you pay, the more you are allowed to do.

[andreadebiase]

mhhh
i thought retail and OEM were the same thing except that one comes in a fancy box with instructions whereas the other one just a bare CD (with the key i hope). But you are saying that the OEM comes with a lower number of future allowed installations? the point here is that one is $90 and the other $199, a big difference!!!
I am not a fanatic when it comes to upgrade but i will need to upgrade my mobo and cpu and RAM since i am still with a 2003 one.
which should i get?

[mjc]

As far as operation of the different packaging of Windows goes there isn't one...but as far as the LEGAL rights to use it...yes.

For hardware, yes OEM means lacking the fancy packaging and sometimes 'bonus' programs or driver disks. For Windows, it means you have less ability to transfer it to new hardware...the full retail version has the most rights.

As for reinstalling on the same hardware....do it everyday for five years if you want, it doesn't matter, but start changing hardware with an OEM version and then you can run into trouble. But, it can be 'fixed' by doing a manual Activation (phone call) and depending on how well MS keeps track after the one allowed change in major hardware...who knows. Heck, you can even run into Activation problems with the full retail version...

And of course all of that is set to get worse with Vista (they were going to cut the full retail version down to ONE major change...but that was shot down).

I would probably go with the OEM and 'save' it until after the new items were ready to assemble.

[andreadebiase]

i agree! thank you for all the hints