Is the activation similar Vista? As in you activate your keys and snapshot of your hardware is sent along with it? I'm try to decided if I should buy an OEM or retail licnese since I usually update my hardware a lot and usually reinstall at least once or twice a year. Any suggestion on which version (OEM or Retail) I should go with?
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How many times can you activate Windows 7?
- Thread starter alf717
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EquaLiZr
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huh? Ive bought OEM for all my os's and never had a problem activating more than 3 times. (knock on wood) I still havnt had to call MS.
And even if you have to call ms, just say I bought a new hard drive or went with a raid system
EDIT: You can activate 5 times before you have to call them to activate again.
And even if you have to call ms, just say I bought a new hard drive or went with a raid system
EDIT: You can activate 5 times before you have to call them to activate again.
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DeathFromBelow
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IIRC, OEM licenses are tied specifically to the motherboard. He can upgrade whatever else he wants.
Do a clean install, activate, and make an image of the hard drive with Trueimage/Ghost/whatever before you install any drivers.
I bought True Image a couple of years ago and one upgrade version of it even and have not got one penny of value back from it yet. I upgrade my hardware too frequently so the image files are useless to me because I would have to activate again anyway due to hardware changes. But, now that all my HDDs are Western Digital in 2 of my PCs I can use free WD branded version of True Image anyway.
DeathFromBelow
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You never reinstall Windows while using the same motherboard?
Used to but rarely these days. Seems that I've got to the point where I can keep an OS running well for quite some time now. Just moved Win7 from P5K mb to P7P77D mb and didn't even have to reinstall Win7 for that. I made an image file of that install but didn't need it. I still mkae image files but the only time I ever used an image file from True Image was purely to see if it worked as advertised. I used to use Norton Ghost some years back and that did save my butt a couple of times but we are talking Win98 days so image files were needed far more frequently back then.
Deadjasper
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Yea, he's broken the law. Throw him in jail.
EquaLiZr
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If it was against the rules, why do they let you do it? Im doing nothing illegal at all. I bought it, I can do what i want with it in reguards to "my" computer.
I have spoken directly with MS in depth regarding the OEM version and its limitations. Yes, it is tied to the motherboard, however, you can change any part you want and as long as you have a CD key (CD keys from companies like Dell and whatnot do not work this way) you may activate it as many times as you want on one machine at a time. If you change your motherboard you simply call MS to activate the product. Other than that, there are no limitations to activations on Windows 7 OEM.
Cyberbeing
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My experience with WinXP OEM is that your online (no-call) activations will reset if you don't reactivate for something like a couple (few?) years. Though I have no idea if they changed this for Vista and Win7.
For example I had an original 2001 OEM copy of WinXP Pro and by ~2003 (when I retired that computer) I had used up all my online activations and even had to call-in a few times. Come 2008 a friend needed a basic computer, so I did a major overhaul/upgrade (motherboard included) on that retired computer of mine, re-installed my 2001 OEM XP copy which had been gathering dust, and to my surprise online activation actually worked. FYI, that was actually the the third motherboard on that same computer I had activated that copy XP with.
As NExUS1g stated, the OEM license only restricts you to installation on a single computer, and there are no re-activation restrictions (other then possibly being required to call-in) when upgrading any component (motherboard included) on that single computer. What you are not allowed to do (according to the license) is have two physical computers, remove Windows from the first computer, install that same copy of Windows on the second, and then re-activate. That ability is restricted to Retail copies only via the license.
For example I had an original 2001 OEM copy of WinXP Pro and by ~2003 (when I retired that computer) I had used up all my online activations and even had to call-in a few times. Come 2008 a friend needed a basic computer, so I did a major overhaul/upgrade (motherboard included) on that retired computer of mine, re-installed my 2001 OEM XP copy which had been gathering dust, and to my surprise online activation actually worked. FYI, that was actually the the third motherboard on that same computer I had activated that copy XP with.
As NExUS1g stated, the OEM license only restricts you to installation on a single computer, and there are no re-activation restrictions (other then possibly being required to call-in) when upgrading any component (motherboard included) on that single computer. What you are not allowed to do (according to the license) is have two physical computers, remove Windows from the first computer, install that same copy of Windows on the second, and then re-activate. That ability is restricted to Retail copies only via the license.
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wol-va-rine
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dude, what I think you're trying to say is that you can't have it running on two computer simultaneously, if you remove windows from a computer, how could they tell the difference if you had two physical computers or just one that you upgraded everything and reinstalled it on...? that upgraded computer will look like a "second" or "different" computer to them anyway, as long as you take it off the first one it has never mattered in cases where I've done it...
YeOldeStonecat
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With the limited information the OP gave, you cannot state that.
While yes it's true OEM licenses live and die with the computer they came on, you ARE allowed to reinstall your operating system with OEM licenses.
You also are allowed to upgrade some peripherals with an OEM license.
Cyberbeing
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Correct for both Retail and OEM.
Correct, Microsoft can't tell the difference between a major upgrade and a new computer, but you would be breaking the OEM license by moving it to a second computer instead of upgrading the first. It's a purely technical issue and it really depends on the honesty of the person activating when calling in. For the dishonest person, OEM and Retail copies act identically when activating.
Including the mb if the previous mb had a hardware issue. Sure, it should be the same brand and make as the previous one but that is often not possible so they can't even deny you an activation if you changed the mb even. You just say mb failed so had to replace it. Simple.
I don't call it dishonest, I think using your "scruples" is the better word. That being said, I always pay a bit extra for retail upgrade because the price is not much different anyway and with retail you get both 32bit and 64bit. Don't know about Win7 but OEM Vista you had to buy both versions separately if you wanted ability to use either 32bit or 64bit.
True for Vista, but not for Windows 7.
"No OEM For You: Windows 7 OEM Packaging is Not For Individuals"
http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/oem.asp
So according to this, an OEM is not in the EULA for anyone, anymore.
Technically were not "system builders" anymore...LOL!
Freezebyte
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I"m going to use my OEM Win 7 on my main gaming rig for the next several years WITH hardware upgrades as much if I feel like and if Microsuck doesn't like it, they can suck my white scottish dick.
Deadjasper
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I can't help but think you MS fan boys are being paid to sing on MS's behalf. Why the cop mentality???? What someone does with their HW/SW is there business and you have no right to pass moral or legal judgment on them. MS and MS alone has the right to judge and condem, not uninformed posters on message boards like this.
BinarySynapse
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I can't help but think you MS fan boys are being paid to sing on MS's behalf. Why the cop mentality???? What someone does with their HW/SW is there business and you have no right to pass moral or legal judgment on them. MS and MS alone has the right to judge and condem, not uninformed posters on message boards like this.
I haven't seen one person pass judgment on anyone. The intent was to let people know the difference between OEM and Retail licensing. OEM has always been "live and die on the computer (defined as the motherboard) first activated on," while retail has always been "shit, do what you want, as long as you only have it on one computer at a time." Most people won't be bothered with the difference, but there are some that would, or have to be due to business sensitivities.
Does MS care? Probably not, but at some point they could. Do we care? Hell no. We just want people making informed decisions and not have some random forum dweller's "It dunt matta, get the cheap'un" post to come back and bite someone's ass.
They are retail... but with special usage restriction. (again, if you care about things like that).
ProfessorKaos64
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Not if you call them up if it doesnt accept the OEM key on a new PC, you simply tell the robot operator that you had a hardware change. Geez when will ppl learn this
Win7 Upgrade//It does take a snapshot of your hardware and after rebuilding my system with three components//CPU/Mobo///RAM it required me to re-activate over the phone which took about 6 min.