Windows XP OEM and OPK

[willie45]

Hi

Following some discussion on here I decided to buy the OEM of XP to install on my mac. It has arrived today but on the box it says I must use an OPK (preinstallation kit) to put it on my desktop. Can anyone explain what this is and if I really have to do this or not.

I need to know before I open the box.

Thanks


Edit: Also can anyone confirm that you can install the OEM software more than once ( on the same mac of course ) if it is necessary for whatever reason. I have read that you can only install it once and then you are stuck if it goes wrong.

Willie

 

[hopejr]

Hi

Following some discussion on here I decided to buy the OEM of XP to install on my mac. It has arrived today but on the box it says I must use an OPK (preinstallation kit) to put it on my desktop. Can anyone explain what this is and if I really have to do this or not.

I need to know before I open the box.

Thanks


Edit: Also can anyone confirm that you can install the OEM software more than once ( on the same mac of course ) if it is necessary for whatever reason. I have read that you can only install it once and then you are stuck if it goes wrong.

Willie

If it's in a shrink wrap packet, with the CD, a quick start manual, and the certificate of authentication (COA) on the outside of the shrink wrap, then just install it like normal. OPK's are only for OEM's that want to image lots of machines with a particular image that they create with the OPK.

It should activate on the same hardware more than once. If not, just call them.

 

[willie45]

Hmm Its in a brown box with a sticker saying if you open this you accept the licence agreement. It then says its for system builders and I should use the OPK to install it.

I'm not sure what to do

Thanks

Willie

 

[balamw]

IANAL, but my interpretation of the current EULA (last I checked) is that you are only required to use the OPK if you intend to redistribute the license. (Which also means that you need to support it, so consider removing XP if you sell your Mac.)

The OPK also allows the system builder to customize the install a bit, insert logos, etc... AFAIK it's free to sign up as a system builder and get your own system builder ID code, so if you feel the need to preinstall, just do that.

http://www.microsoft.com/oem

B

 

[willie45]

Thank you for your help here. That clarifies things. Will I definitely be able to reinstall on the same machine if need be in the future though?

Willie

 

[RichardI]

Thank you for your help here. That clarifies things. Will I definitely be able to reinstall on the same machine if need be in the future though?

Willie

Yes. I have done that many times.

Rich

 

[willie45]

Thanks for this. I will install it with no doubts

Willie

 

[Rapmastac1]

When you say OEM, what do you mean? Is it just like any one that you buy from the store, or did you order for another computer that you had? I had an OEM version of windows from my older computer and it wouldn't install past a certain point becuase of the fact that it was OEM. I had to buy the FULL version at the store, aka the Retail Version.

 

[TBi]

When you say OEM, what do you mean? Is it just like any one that you buy from the store, or did you order for another computer that you had? I had an OEM version of windows from my older computer and it wouldn't install past a certain point becuase of the fact that it was OEM. I had to buy the FULL version at the store, aka the Retail Version.

OEM disks that come with PC's can be different from standard OEM disks. The ones for Dell, for instance, will only install on a Dell.

However a standard OEM disk that you buy in a shop will install on any machine.

So you didn't have to buy a full version. You could just have bought a standard OEM version.

 

[Craiger]

I have an OEM disk from dell, which says on the disk, "to reinstall the operating system on a Dell computer." I don't use that computer anymore though, ever, so i don't feel I am doing anything illegal. I installed it using bootcamp, but I havn't activated it yet. Will this be a problem?

 

[TBi]

I have an OEM disk from dell, which says on the disk, "to reinstall the operating system on a Dell computer." I don't use that computer anymore though, ever, so i don't feel I am doing anything illegal. I installed it using bootcamp, but I havn't activated it yet. Will this be a problem?

Moving an OEM license to another computer is illegal. About the same as downloading it from the internet.

Licensing is stupid that way.

 

[Craiger]

oops, I didn't realize that. What will happen to my partition after the 30 days, or when I try to activate?

 

[balamw]

oops, I didn't realize that. What will happen to my partition after the 30 days, or when I try to activate?

Illegal is such a strong word. It certainly doesn't seem to be a right granted to the user within the scope of the EULA that comes with XP OEM. However, Microsoft is free to interpret the EULA in whatever way they want to. They can grant you additional rights that are not explicitly granted to you in the EULA.

So, it all seems to depend on who is on the other end of the line when you call MS to (re)activate. Many have reported that MS has given them an activation code when they have called, which gives the impression that MS only conditionally means what they say in the EULA.

EDIT: To rephrase. The EULA basically says "don't count on moving your license to another machine", while the guys on the phone generally seem to allow it.

B

 

[MAW]

Any luck?

OP, I'm curious to know if the installation was successful for you as I am tempted to go that route myself.

 

[willie45]

OP, I'm curious to know if the installation was successful for you as I am tempted to go that route myself.

Hi

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.

I haven't installed windows yet. I decided to wait until Leopard came out since it was only going to be a couple of weeks and then install. I am going to get a copy of Leopard before too long and have saved my OEM of XP until then.

I thought it might be best to wait and then install when I had a reasonable chance of saving it and even if I had to reinstall at least Windows would recognise the OS etc etc

I will let you know how it goest though

Thanks

Willie

 

[AJsAWiz]

Hi

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.

I haven't installed windows yet. I decided to wait until Leopard came out since it was only going to be a couple of weeks and then install. I am going to get a copy of Leopard before too long and have saved my OEM of XP until then.

I thought it might be best to wait and then install when I had a reasonable chance of saving it and even if I had to reinstall at least Windows would recognise the OS etc etc

I will let you know how it goest though

Thanks

Willie

I have Leopard and would like to know how your Windows install went.

 

[willie45]

I have Leopard and would like to know how your Windows install went.

Hi

I decided not to install leopard for the time being due to so many problems with users.

By the by, as a new convert to mac I am really disappointed to see that all he same issues that surfaced wtih vista are coming with Leopard. Of course the fanboys will blame everyone else but the issues are exactly the same. I do really wish mac apologists would grow up and stop being pathetic about Microsoft and so insanely groveling about Mac. It does make me more than a little queasy and i understand completely why windows enthusiasts despise these ridiculously simple people.

I chose mac because everyone told me it "just works" HAH!!!

Anyway the point is that I still prefer mac despite the efforts of the imbecile faithful to make me vomit but I do wish they would crawl in a hole and not come back.

Willie

 

[webgoat]

i installed and activated windows xp pro sp2 oem via leopard boot camp (no problems at all with leopard btw) and then installed vmware fusion build 61385 and ran my boot camp partition with fusion and got the normal message that my hardware changed and i needed to reactivate windows... first i installed vmware tools, restarted, then i then activated by phone and followed the sequence of automated questions... (1. i only installed it on 1 computer.. 2. yes i've installed it more than once... 3. yes i upgraded my hard drive... 4. no i did not upgrade the motherboard) and the automated voice spit me out a new activation number... running mac os x 10.5 leopard and windows xp pro sp2 oem via boot camp and vmware fusion no problems at all

 

[ctakim]

Hi

I decided not to install leopard for the time being due to so many problems with users.... [snip]

Willie

Well you may have a lot of problems with Mac users, but with their machines and Leopard, I'm not sure what you are talking about. I just installed a family pack of Mac OS X on an iMac, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and a G5 iMac and I'm not having any problems with the operating system. Are you sure you are cut out to be a Mac user with all that talk about crawling back into holes and all?

 

[willie45]

Are you sure you are cut out to be a Mac user with all that talk about crawling back into holes and all?

I think this illustrates my point fairly well. the attitude that you "have to be one of us " if you use mac and if you're not then you're not "cut out" to be a mac user is laughable.

I have found these forums to be a source of help and encouragement from the mac users here. I do not in any way wish to offend these fine people, but there is a minority of windows - hating mac propagandists who are really off putting. They usually jump to the defence of Apple whatever the cirucmstances and no matter how badly, in the opinion of many, Apple provide a service.

As I said above I still prefer the mac to windows and don't regret switching but I find the attitudes of this odd minority obnoxious.

So if its all the same to you, ctakim, I will keep my mac but also reserve the right to be critical of Apple in the same way as any major multinational to whom I give my money in return for a service.

Willie

 

[willie45]

got the normal message that my hardware changed and i needed to reactivate windows... and the automated voice spit me out a new activation number... running mac os x 10.5 leopard and windows xp pro sp2 oem via boot camp and vmware fusion no problems at all

Hi Webgoat. Does this always happen if you install via boot camp and then again in a virtual machine If so, once you enter the new activation code on the virtual machine version, does the boot camp version just run normally without any need for inserting a new code or do you need to do anything else?

excuse my ignorance

Willie

 

[bigandy]

Moving an OEM license to another computer is illegal. About the same as downloading it from the internet.

Licensing is stupid that way.

It's not illegal, it's against the terms in the EULA. You can't be charged with a criminal offence for breaking terms, for example by way of installing on a computer other than the Dell/HP/Whatever it came with, but you could be indicted to a civil case. However unlikely that may be

 

[TBi]

It's not illegal, it's against the terms in the EULA. You can't be charged with a criminal offence for breaking terms, for example by way of installing on a computer other than the Dell/HP/Whatever it came with, but you could be indicted to a civil case. However unlikely that may be

Using it against it's EULA is technically piracy. If you want a version that can be installed on different computers then you pay extra for the retail version.

From what i know piracy is illegal. Well that's what everyone says anyway.

Basically, moving the license is against the EULA and downloading it from the internet is against the EULA. So you are breaking the same "law" either way and you can be charged the same way in either case. That's just the point i was trying to make.

 

[jackc]

So if an OEM Windows is tied to a machine, you can always sell it along with your machine, right? It wouldn't matter that you erased the drive?

 

[webgoat]

Hi Webgoat. Does this always happen if you install via boot camp and then again in a virtual machine If so, once you enter the new activation code on the virtual machine version, does the boot camp version just run normally without any need for inserting a new code or do you need to do anything else?

excuse my ignorance

Willie

this always happens the first time you run your boot camp partition in vmware fusion, however after installing vmware tools and then getting the new telephone activation number you only need reactivate by internet in the boot camp partition one more time and you will no longer have any activation issues in boot camp or fusion... from what i understand vmware fusion does not have a workaround for the activation issues with vista atm, only xp