Windows 8 Might Not Be Sold in Stores

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
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The guys over at WinSuperSite are saying that Microsoft may be going the way of Apple in pushing out new OS releases mainly in digital downloads over the Internet, pre-installed at the factory or order a physical edition for system builders. Gone will be the days of shopping through multi-versions of an OS in brick and mortar stores.

The days of buying Windows in a box may have ended.
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Well when retail copies are twice the price of OEM copies, Im surprised anybody would actually be shopping for a copy at a B&M store. I dont even think my Best Buy has anything other than upgrade packs. In fact, last time I was at Office Depot, I dont think they had anything on their shelf other than the upgrade packs.
 
The last time I was in a store near the PC software section, it just had Win7 boxes that didn't contain a disk, just a code to download it from Microsoft's website. So I don't really think it matters to have a hard copy anymore for the masses.
 
Always been curious about how people on newer Macs reformat their computers. If you can only get the OS when you buy the computer and you want/need to replace a failed hard drive what are the options? Download option if fine when you have a working OS and a thumb drive/ DVD to put it on, but I can foresee some instances where it might be a pain in the ass.
 
Probably so they can control the prices and have a bigger share of the profit. As much as people go on and on about $5 sales, digital downloads tend to be way more expensive than physical copies, especially when they are coming from one location.

bucket said:
Always been curious about how people on newer Macs reformat their computers.
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They just buy a new one... :D
 
MacLeod said:
Well when retail copies are twice the price of OEM copies, Im surprised anybody would actually be shopping for a copy at a B&M store. I dont even think my Best Buy has anything other than upgrade packs. In fact, last time I was at Office Depot, I dont think they had anything on their shelf other than the upgrade packs.
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When a OEM copy is limited to the motherboard you first installed it on, i am surprised anyone on this forum would actually buy OEM version. And yes, while technically you are able to activate OEM version on a different board after you changed it, technically you have no Windows licence at that point, even if your Windows says it's genuine (you are in breach of EULA at this point).
 
bucket said:
Always been curious about how people on newer Macs reformat their computers. If you can only get the OS when you buy the computer and you want/need to replace a failed hard drive what are the options? Download option if fine when you have a working OS and a thumb drive/ DVD to put it on, but I can foresee some instances where it might be a pain in the ass.
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http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

Lion Internet Recovery

If you happen to encounter a situation in which you cannot start from the Recovery HD, such as your hard drive stopped responding or you installed a new hard drive without Mac OS X installed, new Mac models introduced after public availability of OS X Lion automatically use the Lion Internet Recovery feature if the Recovery HD (Command-R method above) doesn't work. Lion Internet Recovery lets you start your Mac directly from Apple's Servers. The system runs a quick test of your memory and hard drive to ensure there are no hardware issues.
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DeathPrincess said:
Probably so they can control the prices and have a bigger share of the profit. As much as people go on and on about $5 sales, digital downloads tend to be way more expensive than physical copies, especially when they are coming from one location.



They just buy a new one... :D
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I was going to say that LOL. Besides, the hard drive is soldered on the board anyway. :p
 
Imagine trying to download it on release day with millions of others vying for the same few GIGABYTES of data. It would be like when you had to wait back in the dial up days.
 
faugusztin said:
When a OEM copy is limited to the motherboard you first installed it on, i am surprised anyone on this forum would actually buy OEM version. And yes, while technically you are able to activate OEM version on a different board after you changed it, technically you have no Windows licence at that point, even if your Windows says it's genuine (you are in breach of EULA at this point).
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True but spending $100 for an OEM copy thatll last you 1-2 years is a little better prospect than dropping $200 on a retail copy. Id rather just spend the $100 every time I upgrade motherboards. That comes out to $100 every 2.5 years on my current pace.
 
Better be a way to burn it onto a DVD or bootable USB stick. I don't know about you guys but when the shit hits the fan, it's usually easier to grab the Windows CD and reinstall the OS. I haven't done this to my PC in a couple of years honestly, but I know a lot of family members and friends who happen to download lots pr0n, I mean viruses.

Everyday I wish I could just install Linux and be done with it.
 
I would hope it comes in ISO format at least. You need to boot off something to be able to install it. CD/DVD's are still the easiest. Sure there's hacks and stuff to make a bootable USB, but if you don't want to screw around with that, a CD/DVD always works.
 
Microsoft lets you choose between ISO and .exe when you download Windows 7 so I don't see why MS would change for Windows 8.
 
Red Squirrel said:
I would hope it comes in ISO format at least. You need to boot off something to be able to install it. CD/DVD's are still the easiest. Sure there's hacks and stuff to make a bootable USB, but if you don't want to screw around with that, a CD/DVD always works.
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It's not really a "hack" when MS is the one that offers it, it's also insanely easy (and not to mention faster). You pick the ISO, pick the USB drive, and press go, that's it. :rolleyes:

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
 
BoogerBomb said:
Imagine trying to download it on release day with millions of others vying for the same few GIGABYTES of data. It would be like when you had to wait back in the dial up days.
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Maybe not. Considering the negative buzz 8 has been getting the wait might not be that long.
 
i'm down for this.

gimme iso, and i'll burn it myself. Less waste and paper products. save the forest
 
Eventually, with cloud, you'll only need to log on, as cloud will grant you access to any OS your little heart desires to play with. They will have TOTAL CONTROL over every person who wants to play on the internet. :D
 
Really dumb move Microsoft, limiting the number of places to sell your products.
They seem to be basing this on a number of trends that say the younger crowd like digital downloading and not owning physical copies..
 
bucket said:
Always been curious about how people on newer Macs reformat their computers. If you can only get the OS when you buy the computer and you want/need to replace a failed hard drive what are the options? Download option if fine when you have a working OS and a thumb drive/ DVD to put it on, but I can foresee some instances where it might be a pain in the ass.
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1) Install the OS at an Apple Store. Yes this is an actual option.

2) If your hardware is new enough you can Open Firmware boot the computer and install off the internet. Think PXE booting but on the internet to pull the OS down.

3) There are ways to burn the downloaded OS to DVD or write to a flash drive. Just none officially reported by Apple.

Also if you reformat your computer you do not format the hidden restore partition. The above options are only if you completely replace the HDD.
 
Red Squirrel said:
I would hope it comes in ISO format at least. You need to boot off something to be able to install it. CD/DVD's are still the easiest. Sure there's hacks and stuff to make a bootable USB, but if you don't want to screw around with that, a CD/DVD always works.
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It is actually stupidly easy to make a USB device boot a Windows Vista or higher.

Granted yes you do need another computer to pull it off but the instructions to do it are VERY easy to follow.

Clean the drive, Make a partition, Mark it active, Copy DVD to new media.
 
bucket said:
Always been curious about how people on newer Macs reformat their computers. If you can only get the OS when you buy the computer and you want/need to replace a failed hard drive what are the options?
Click to expand...

OS X 10.7 is $30, just buy another copy if you are missing the disc.

Download option if fine when you have a working OS and a thumb drive/ DVD to put it on, but I can foresee some instances where it might be a pain in the ass.
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Use a Linux boot disc for a fully operational GUI, then go to town on it.
 
BoogerBomb said:
Imagine trying to download it on release day with millions of others vying for the same few GIGABYTES of data. It would be like when you had to wait back in the dial up days.
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you know, nowadays you don't have one big server anymore. you have a content delivery network with servers around the globe that you can scale easily because you rent as many as you need. also, noone cares about windows 8.
 
faugusztin said:
When a OEM copy is limited to the motherboard you first installed it on, i am surprised anyone on this forum would actually buy OEM version. And yes, while technically you are able to activate OEM version on a different board after you changed it, technically you have no Windows licence at that point, even if your Windows says it's genuine (you are in breach of EULA at this point).
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Yeah and meanwhile back in reality.........:D

My XP Pro OEM ended up on around 5 different builds. It was only ever used on one PC at a time however.

MS is fully aware of what goes on there but they would rather get $100 from a customer than nothing for a pirated copy or linux.

I bought full retail copies for 7. That was the first time I'd ever purchased the retail (always been OEM) but that was because it had 50% off as a pre-order.
 
faugusztin said:
For home use, while not entirely legal, it is acceptable. But in any business use, you are asking for trouble.
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Of course but in business its cheaper to throw out the old IBM/Dell and get in a new one.

Plus if you are large enough you have a corporate volume license anyway and just stick the corporate base build on it.
 
They should still sell it in stores, but for a marked up package preloaded on a usb flash drive. Any later service pack iso's could later be reimaged to the flash drive from online download.
 
faugusztin said:
When a OEM copy is limited to the motherboard you first installed it on, i am surprised anyone on this forum would actually buy OEM version. And yes, while technically you are able to activate OEM version on a different board after you changed it, technically you have no Windows licence at that point, even if your Windows says it's genuine (you are in breach of EULA at this point).
Click to expand...

Microsoft has never and will never enforce that. It is nothing more than a means to cover their ass if someone is truly trying to abuse the OEM license. Also when you activate it too many times and it gets locked (all versions), when you call them there is no mention of OEM or not. They ask only if it is a hardware upgrade, and then they unlock it. Frankly anyone who buys a full retail copy knowing this is a moron.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Frankly anyone who buys a full retail copy knowing this is a moron.
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Then i am a moron :D. But to be fair, the most i paid for W7HP was ~120 euros, which is just a bit more than 90 euros for the OEM version. And retail comes with both 32 and 64-bit discs.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Microsoft has never and will never enforce that. It is nothing more than a means to cover their ass if someone is truly trying to abuse the OEM license. Also when you activate it too many times and it gets locked (all versions), when you call them there is no mention of OEM or not. They ask only if it is a hardware upgrade, and then they unlock it. Frankly anyone who buys a full retail copy knowing this is a moron.
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^This. I'm shocked by the number of tech minded people who don't know that MS is very benevolent with the OEM eula.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Microsoft has never and will never enforce that. It is nothing more than a means to cover their ass if someone is truly trying to abuse the OEM license. Also when you activate it too many times and it gets locked (all versions), when you call them there is no mention of OEM or not. They ask only if it is a hardware upgrade, and then they unlock it. Frankly anyone who buys a full retail copy knowing this is a moron.
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I always went for the upgrade retail versions since MS allows clean installs with well known "tricks." Last time I bought OEM was an XP Home Edition license, and I installed that thing on many different computers (not at the same time) without ever having any activation issues. I am waiting to see if MS will eliminate the "double install" on the W8 upgrade.
 
bucket said:
Always been curious about how people on newer Macs reformat their computers. If you can only get the OS when you buy the computer and you want/need to replace a failed hard drive what are the options? Download option if fine when you have a working OS and a thumb drive/ DVD to put it on, but I can foresee some instances where it might be a pain in the ass.
Click to expand...

Create a restore disk. Same way you do on most Dells and HPs that come without disks. If you don't create a restore disk on any computers you buy that's pretty much your bad. You might get lucky finding a support representative that'll ship you a restore disk for the cost of shipping.
 
Rami100735 said:
Really dumb move Microsoft, limiting the number of places to sell your products.
They seem to be basing this on a number of trends that say the younger crowd like digital downloading and not owning physical copies..
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When's the last time you seen anyone - older or younger - pick up a copy of Windows in a brick and mortar store? And why are we still talking about "older crowds"? The "younger crowd" from 20 years ago when this whole internet and computer thing started is now the "older crowd". There is much less non-tech-savvy "older crowd" now than ever before.

The average consumer, I think you're trying to say, buy their computers pre-installed with its operating systems.
 
faugusztin said:
Then i am a moron :D. But to be fair, the most i paid for W7HP was ~120 euros, which is just a bit more than 90 euros for the OEM version. And retail comes with both 32 and 64-bit discs.
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If you are getting them for that price difference, I will withhold the moron comment for you. Over here though, it is the difference between $180 for the everything version and $300+. That said, I don't care too much about 32bit. I haven't installed 32bit since XP and have no plans on doing so again.
 
Amazon UK is selling retail W7HP for 110 GBP now, which thanks to the bad EUR/GBP exchange ratio equals to 140€ (~$170) now, but at the time i was buying few licences up to last year it it was really that 115-120€ (95-100GBP at the time, ~$150) price range. OEM version of Windows were 90€ (~$110) in my country for W7HP, WVHP and XP Home as well. All that including 19-20% VAT of course.

Anyway, i am a bit surprised MS still didn't came out with a annual licencing scheme for their software for home users. Something like 30€ yearly for basic OS subscription per computer, 50€ with Office... I am pretty sure many would switch to that.
 
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