Stupid newbie question about Operating Systems...

J

JYeager11

Gawd
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
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563
JYeager said:
CanadaComputers.com | Windows 7 Pro 64b OEM : $163
http://www.canadacomputers.com//index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=026489&cid=SW0.815

Best Buy | Windows 7 Pro (Full) : $329
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10126568&logon=&langid=EN

I realize one is OEM and the other one isn't, but isn't that an insane price difference?

What's the downside of the OEM? Just not having the box/docs? Or is there more to it?
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Different licensing, terms of use. In a nutshell, OEM is supposed to be sold to system builders/integrators. Is locked to one system, not allowed to be uninstalled and moved to another system.

Retail, targets the end-user retail market. Can be uninstalled and moved to other systems.
 
Menelmarar said:
Different licensing, terms of use. In a nutshell, OEM is supposed to be sold to system builders/integrators. Is locked to one system, not allowed to be uninstalled and moved to another system.

Retail, targets the end-user retail market. Can be uninstalled and moved to other systems.
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On the OEM, you can change various parts of your system (RAM, CPU, GPU, hardrives) but you can't change your motherboard (I understand an exact replacement is OK though, but I've never had to try it).

For example, with the OEM version you can uninstall the OS from one HD and reinstall it on another HD that you are using with the same system.

With Retail, you can install it on System 1 for a year (or whatever), then buy and install it on an entirely new set of hardware, System 2, after uninstalling it from System 1. You may repeat this process as often as you like.

So which version you get depends on what you plan on doing with your hardware. If you want to swap out your motherboard frequently, you want the retail version. If, on the other hand, you think you'll keep your hardware for quiet a while or sell the system as a unit, OEM is the way to go. (I have an AMD 2100+/Nforce2 system still at work in my household. It's XP Pro license is going on 8 years I think. :eek:)
 
Say I order the OEM version from CanadaComputers.com... what, exactly, is being physically shipped to me? A DVD? How does the DVD know to install itself on one computer and not another? Wouldn't it need info on the motherboard BEFORE being shipped to know to install itself ONLY on the computer with this motherboard?
 
JYeager said:
Say I order the OEM version from CanadaComputers.com... what, exactly, is being physically shipped to me? A DVD? How does the DVD know to install itself on one computer and not another? Wouldn't it need info on the motherboard BEFORE being shipped to know to install itself ONLY on the computer with this motherboard?
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A DVD along with a serial key is being shipped to you. Also, it isn't the DVD that's tied to the motherboard/PC, it's the serial key. You can use the DVD multiple times on different PCs. However you'd need a different serial for virtually each time. When you activate the serial key online, it becomes tied to that motherboard/PC.
 
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