Windows XP OEM = Single Use?

[Shadowspirit6]

I was looking around for Windows XP and I came across a Windows XP OEM.

It was much cheaper(around $85) than the ones I would find at Bestbuy/Circuitcity, which would be around retailed at $200 dollars. There has to be a catch to it since the price is so low, so somewhere i came across that an OEM is only a single use. But if something happened and caused you to reinstall the OS's, does that mean you have to buy another Windows XP?

Im sorry if the information above is stated wrong, im just really confused at the moment

 

[greenbreadmmm]

i bought vista oem and have installed it on 4 computers, as long as i dont validate more then one i dont see how it would matter

 

[bigandy]

Single Use means installed/used on only one machine at a time.

You should also note that the OEM license should only be sold with a fully assembled computer. Any other way than described in that blog entry is technically breaking the terms of the License Agreement.

 

[Mindflux]

i bought vista oem and have installed it on 4 computers, as long as i dont validate more then one i dont see how it would matter

good luck when it forced validation later.

 

[webgoat]

good luck when it forced validation later.

its very easy to get around with a phone call to microsoft

 

[Bob Jensen]

Running XP with Parallels

I found a source for an oem xp ops sys which stated it would not run on Parallels. So why would this be? And it was not an upgrade either. So why wouldn't it run using Parallels?

 

[Shadowspirit6]

Wait, so the real difference between an OEM windows XP and a retail windows XP(bestbuy etc..) would be that on a OEM, you can only install them on one machine but as for a retail you can install XP on multiple machines?

 

[webgoat]

I found a source for an oem xp ops sys which stated it would not run on Parallels. So why would this be? And it was not an upgrade either. So why wouldn't it run using Parallels?

if you purchase an oem copy of windows xp such as this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116400) it will work with parallels no prob. certain oem copies of windows are tied to specific hardware though and will not work... like the discs that you get when you buy a new dell or hp or something like that... those oem install discs will not work

 

[Shadowspirit6]

if you purchase an oem copy of windows xp such as this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116400) it will work with parallels no prob. certain oem copies of windows are tied to specific hardware though and will not work... like the discs that you get when you buy a new dell or hp or something like that... those oem install discs will not work

So if i order one of those OEM Windows XP discs, its only a matter of luck if it will work with bootcamp?

 

[CanadaRAM]

The difference between OEM and Retail is that the OEM is mandated to be sold only together with hardware.

In both cases, you can install and use it on only one computer. Installation on more than one computer (regardless if you have circumvented validation) is a breach of the user license. Parallels and VMWare installations each count as one additional computer. If you deinstall it from one computer and install it on another that's OK.

The other type of Windows license mentioned is a bundled version -- such as you get when you buy a Dell or Acer or HP computer. This version is tied to that computer and cannot be installed on any other computer ever, regardless if the original computer it was bundled with is still functioning or deinstalled. Accepting this restriction is what makes the OS affordable when bundled with a $300 budget machine.

 

[The Flashing Fi]

Wait, so the real difference between an OEM windows XP and a retail windows XP(bestbuy etc..) would be that on a OEM, you can only install them on one machine but as for a retail you can install XP on multiple machines?

NO!

OEM means that the computer you originally install it on, the license is tied to it. The license is more specifically tied to the motherboard. Essentially, you get rid of the motherboard/computer, you get rid of the license.

Retail (like what you'd get at Best Buy) means that the license isn't tied to one computer. You still can't have multiple computers using the license at the SAME time. That doesn't mean that if you shut down a computer, that you can turn the other one on and be in the clear. The Retail key is great in certain situations, such as if you replace your computer annually.

Yes, there are ways to get away with breaking the OEM EULA, such as with a call to MS and lie. You're still breaking the EULA that you agreed to when you bought the software.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070130-8730.html
http://windows.about.com/od/buyupgrade/f/vista_oem.htm

 

[esvee]

Licensing aside , if you have trouble activating windows xp for one reason or another, don't bother trying to solve your problem with the cracks, just use the telephone activation they offer you when the online activation fails. Its an automated system, theyll ask you how many computers you've installed the copy on, say one, and so on, and they'll generate an id for you that will activate the software. Its an automated system now, and in my 6 years as a pc tech I've never been denied an activation.

This is the only hitch you may encounter installing xp on more than one computer.