Question about Vista OEM and the future

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damonposey

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Why is it that on newegg.com, the OEM version is what they are pushing as a vista solution, when a large percentage of people who shop at newegg upgrade their computers every few months, including a new motherboard?

So if its illegal(against the EULA) to activate a vista OEM version after getting a new motherboard, why is the OEM version the one that people are getting?

I want to get a version of vista, but I don't want to be screwed if I install a new motherboard and find out vista won't activate anymore. I've heard mixed things. some people say its all good, just get the OEM, others say vista will be useless if you get a new motherboard, or that MS might decide in the future to enforce their EULA more strictly. Are there any concrete facts about this?
 
Concrete facts? No, unfortunately not. However, a good number of people are reporting that it activates after an upgrade.

One possible reason why Newegg pushes OEM licenses is for individual system builders. If I build a PC for a friend or family member who isn't going to be upgrading (usually the not so tech savvy people), I always buy an OEM license.
 
Still unclear. I want to order vista ultimate oem right now, but whats keeping me from doing it is the fear that MS will not let me activate when I install a new motherboard. then its $200 down the drain?
 
damonposey said:
Still unclear. I want to order vista ultimate oem right now, but whats keeping me from doing it is the fear that MS will not let me activate when I install a new motherboard. then its $200 down the drain?
Click to expand...

Yes, if Microsoft will not reactivate your oem copy after a major hardware change, then your out of luck, and money.
Nobody knows for sure what will happen with enforcement of the EULA, but I have seen many accounts on the internet of people claiming that oem reactivation is no problem. Only time will tell.
 
stop it with the oem hate people

it's not that you cant upgrade - it's that you can have it up and running on more than one system

ive personally installed vista oem on 3 different configs and had to call the phone activation for the second two

never did they ask any personal questions - they simply ask for the number and if you have vista on more than 1 machine

you tell them no, they give you a new activation number

then its over - 10 minutes on the phone max

the second time i called the guy was chatting me up about the 8800 vs the r600

i told him i test computers regulary [which i do]

i said that in a few days or a few months hey i might have a different config but vista would never be up on multiple systems

and that hed probably be hearing from me again - he thanked me for calling microsoft and suggested i have a nice day

its painless

so if you are thinking oem vista - do it

ive had it on 3 different hard drives and 3 different motherboards with 3 different processors

the only thing you cant do it bring it up and keep it running, and then do it again while the original copy is going

i mean you can - but that is against the oem license
 
jamhamm said:
stop it with the oem hate people

it's not that you cant upgrade - it's that you can have it up and running on more than one system
Click to expand...
Yikes. That's the retail license as well, that states it can't be installed on more than one PC. We can go back and forth all day about what slips through the OEM licensing cracks, and what doesn't. The point is, there's no guarantees, and you may spend the money on an OEM disc, and find that it may not activate, online or over the phone, when you upgrade. Some people have been able to, but MS says their cracking down on this.

That being said, it's not OEM licensing hatred. It's about being aware of the rules, and the chances you take.
 
Here's the way I look at it:

You can buy two Vista OEM's for less than one retail Vista. You buy one OEM and install it with your new motherboard/computer. In 2 1/2-3 years you upgrade your computer and buy another OEM for it. In 5-6 years another Windows OS comes out, so you upgrade your computer then and buy the new OS. So you actually come out ahead.

People who swap out motherboards every six months or so must have money to burn, so buying the retail Vista should be no problem for them.
 
Fair comment too, for somebody who is in the position of only needing to ever install the OS on two systems. (ie somebody who is only ever going to use a single machine, and is only likely to upgrade once during the OS version's useful lifespan.

There are other patterns of usage, though. People need to purchase in accordance with their actual needs. There's no single 'one answer fits all' solution.
 
jamhamm said:
ive personally installed vista oem on 3 different configs and had to call the phone activation for the second two

never did they ask any personal questions - they simply ask for the number and if you have vista on more than 1 machine

you tell them no, they give you a new activation number
Click to expand...

Since you didn't specifically mention it, I thought I would clarify: The first two machines you installed Vista on would no longer pass WGA validation. (but that doesn't matter in your case since you removed Vista from those systems)
 
I just got the Vista Ultimate Upgrade retail. It's not that much more and contains both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions. I would just go for that. You don't even have to have Windows XP installed when installing as I've heard people who installed Vista as a trial, then activated it with the upgrade serial.
 
ok for the sake of all the replies and to the OP

i [just for grins and giggles] needed to dual boot back to xp and vista

so i broke down a few of the machines and created the monster i have now

during all this ive called phone activation 4 more times

each time i activated vista without so much as a hitch

each time they asked the exact same questions - each time i answered the same way
and each time i got a new code

has anyone using oem vista called and not been able to get activated?

as long as you dont show up having two systems running the same license you are good

cause this is 7 times total ive called them - and the hardware has all been a mix and mash of new and used and old and used again

so to the OP - if you havent already, buying vista oem is fine - you will be able to swap parts in and out and upgrade and reactivate windows

i think my 7 calls 4 mainboards 3 harddrives 2 videocards 6 various memsticks etc - all of that is proof enough what is possible with the oem license
 
jamhamm said:
i think my 7 calls 4 mainboards 3 harddrives 2 videocards 6 various memsticks etc - all of that is proof enough what is possible with the oem license
Click to expand...

I've heard you get 10 free calls before you have to start faxing in paper documentation of your upgrade.
 
Mind-boggling!

I have to wonder if, considering you've had to activate so many times over such a short duration, it is perhaps time to take that PC down to the corner 'pooter shop and get somebody who knows what they are doing to fix it up!

LOL


Did you know that there's a little check box under the install key entry box where you can tell it not to activate? You get 30 days to sort out the stuffups if you do that! :D
 
Catweazle said:
Mind-boggling!

I have to wonder if, considering you've had to activate so many times over such a short duration, it is perhaps time to take that PC down to the corner 'pooter shop and get somebody who knows what they are doing to fix it up!

LOL


Did you know that there's a little check box under the install key entry box where you can tell it not to activate? You get 30 days to sort out the stuffups if you do that! :D
Click to expand...

Even better:

Don't use the key at all and still get 30 days!!! Imagine that!!! :D
 
now i have reinstalled over and over my xp oem on the same computer after multiple formats....all they ask me if this windows is only on this one machine. And it is.....and i usually let them know that i had to reformat due to watever reason.....and they give me the activation code. so how will they know if its a new motherboard?....im assuming its the same way as of now for vista oem
 
Hello,

I hope my question is within the scope of this thread. So, I know that if you buy a x32retail version of Vista you can send later some info to Microsoft and get for a small fee the 64bit version too. Is this also true for the OEM version? Or if I buy OEM I have to make up my mind from the start whether I want 32 bits or 64 since I won't be able to switch later to the other version?
Hope someone knows the answer to this and takes the time to write it down:)

Thanks.
 
rschissler said:
People who swap out motherboards every six months or so must have money to burn, so buying the retail Vista should be no problem for them.
Click to expand...

I don't follow how upgrading frequently, possibly while reselling old hardware, is an indicator of ``having money to burn''?

bbz_Ghost said:
Even better:

Don't use the key at all and still get 30 days!!! Imagine that!!! :D
Click to expand...
How does that work? PM is fine.
 
damonposey said:
Still unclear. I want to order vista ultimate oem right now, but whats keeping me from doing it is the fear that MS will not let me activate when I install a new motherboard. then its $200 down the drain?
Click to expand...

If that is the case then like windows XP, give them a call to explain the change
and I beleive they will allow it. But as mentioned, it's so new at this point, MS
may not have a definite way of intrepreting the EULA in every case the same way.

I purchased the OEM version as a fresh intall for a new box just recently. I don't anticipate
changing any major stuff like the MB. But I'd be in the same boat if it fails and I needed to get
another one.

I'd say stay tuned on this one.
 
Microsoft originally had planned, after a "major" upgrade, your copy would be invalid. The stinker there is even a video card is considered "major".
This is what most people know about. Little people know Microsoft changed this...

Just a short three days after they announced that in their EULA, they revoked it to reflect as XP is... (They actually listened to the users... that isn't something you would ever see Apple doing!!!) Doesn't matter how often you upgrade or anything, you just can only have it on one PC at a time. The revoking of the above EULA terms was not nearly as spread throughout the media or web as the initial announcement of the new terms.

That should clarify a few things reguarding Vista in general.

Now, I have a Compaq notebook which has an OEM peice of XP on it. The disk has SP2 on it. Now when my Dell desktop went down, the Dell disk that came with it was just original XP- Not wanting to screw with all the extra updates and stuff I would have to do to get it up to the SP2 level, I just used my Compaq disk on the desktop.
It did not activate. I just called MS, and 10 minutes on the phone got it activated. Again- you just have to tell them you only have it installed on ONE PC.
 
drizzt81 said:
I don't follow how upgrading frequently, possibly while reselling old hardware, is an indicator of ``having money to burn''?

How does that work? PM is fine.
Click to expand...
Vista will install without you entering a product key. It gives you a menu of versions to choose from, and warns that if you select the wrong one you won't be able to activate Vista without a complete re-install.
 
florinelt said:
Hello,

I hope my question is within the scope of this thread. So, I know that if you buy a x32retail version of Vista you can send later some info to Microsoft and get for a small fee the 64bit version too. Is this also true for the OEM version? Or if I buy OEM I have to make up my mind from the start whether I want 32 bits or 64 since I won't be able to switch later to the other version?
Hope someone knows the answer to this and takes the time to write it down:)

Thanks.
Click to expand...

NO this is incorrect. If you want a 64Bit version of Vista, you need to get another product key. for it. I remember reading that MS was going to offer a $50 dollar extra licensing fee so you could get another key for extra PC's in your house, but when I followed up on it, they still charged you nearly the same as what an upgrade cost!
 
GT98 said:
NO this is incorrect. If you want a 64Bit version of Vista, you need to get another product key. for it. I remember reading that MS was going to offer a $50 dollar extra licensing fee so you could get another key for extra PC's in your house, but when I followed up on it, they still charged you nearly the same as what an upgrade cost!
Click to expand...

Wrong. The product key is tied to the edition of Vista, not the 32/64-bit distinction. If you buy the 32-bit OEM version of anything other than Ultimate, you can go through Microsoft's website and for about $10 get the 64-bit media. They don't offer that as an option for Ultimate since at retail you get both sets of media. (With Ultimate, if you buy the 64-bit OEM you can get 32-bit installation CDs for $10, but not a single DVD.)

The "$50 extra fee" is tied to a purchase of Ultimate: if you bought Ultimate at retail, you can (for a limited time - I think through May) get up to two Home Premium keys for $50 each.
 
LhasaCM said:
Wrong. The product key is tied to the edition of Vista, not the 32/64-bit distinction.
Click to expand...
That bit I agree with.
If you buy the 32-bit OEM version of anything other than Ultimate, you can go through Microsoft's website and for about $10 get the 64-bit media.
Click to expand...
That bit I don't.

It's my understanding that the 'alternative installation' is made available after payment of shipping fees ONLY for retail Vista purchases! When you purchase OEM Vista you don't get the alternative installation offered. The page you've linked (where the 64-bit DVD can be ordered) mentions that the offer is for Retail Vista.


Anybody actually legitimately ordered and obtained the alternative installation from that link, by the way, after entering their OEM install key?
 
Yes, I successfully ordered the 32-bit CD set for Vista Ultimate with my Vista Ultimate OEM key (64-bit purchase) about a month ago. I also had a friend successfully order the 64-bit Vista Home Premium DVD media with his OEM key (32-bit purchase) about a week ago.

Now - does this mean it'll work forever? Who knows - it gets back to the whole activation question where it is perfectly valid to say that just because it has worked for people now doesn't mean it'll always work. But, absent anything more definitive right now: in practice it seems to work.
 
That, then, would negate the contention that Vista OEM does not entitle you to both installations! I knew damn well that it worked with the install key. Plenty enough people have borrowed the alternative installation disk (or downloaded the .ISO) and conducted the installation without problem. But if MS are formally making it available to OEM customers by this precedure then that is legitimisation by anybody's standards!

I don't believe you'd have any activation related issues. There are no eligibility checks in Vista, so no record of any previous installation is retained within the Vista installation. WGA and Activation should not be affected at all. The 'check' would only have been in entering that OEM install key when ordering the disk.
 
Catweazle said:
That, then, would negate the contention that Vista OEM does not entitle you to both installations! I knew damn well that it worked with the install key. Plenty enough people have borrowed the alternative installation disk (or downloaded the .ISO) and conducted the installation without problem. But if MS are formally making it available to OEM customers by this precedure then that is legitimisation by anybody's standards!

I don't believe you'd have any activation related issues. There are no eligibility checks in Vista, so no record of any previous installation is retained within the Vista installation. WGA and Activation should not be affected at all. The 'check' would only have been in entering that OEM install key when ordering the disk.
Click to expand...

Again, it's worth mentioning that just because it works now, who knows what the future holds. They're not quite "formally" making it available - as you pointed out, the website clearly says its for retail customers. However, right now (well, as of a week ago at least), it works for OEM customers, just as re-activation does.

Is it because whatever system they're using to check keys doesn't check OEM versus Retail? Is it because there is no difference in the keys, just in the EULA you accept?
 
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