Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips,comp.sys.intel (
More info?)
Note also that MS is also saying the OEM version
is XP Pro, and not XP Home.
>> I guess they dont wont to hear anybody complain about
>> absence of the drivers for their arbitrary systems, not
>> to mention upgrading the old once.
MS is being reasonably clever here. Few existing
AMD64 systems have 64-bit drivers for all the
components in the system. And the do-it-yourself
crowd won't be tying up MS support phone lines,
as OEM Windows probably includes no direct MS
support responsibility.
> That's possible but they're saying you can
> get an OEM version of Win64 just
> by buying some kind of cable.
That's been the case all along, but is a surprising
admission. Normally MS wants individual end users
to think they have to buy the retail products.
Unresolved issues remain:
1. Price. Is this OEM-Pro product priced like the
existing XP32 Pro, or like the version sold for
Itanium workstations? (And we don't know what
the latter is, since it apparently is not sold
separately.)
2. Licensing. Is XP64 an unlimited license, or is
it timed-bombed (subscription). Is access to
WindowsUpdate time-bombed? Any other IP
surprises?
3. Will retail and upgrade XP64 products eventually
be released? If so, will the generic OEM
products remain available? Or will MS force the
OEM path to WHQL-only RecoveryMedia-only?
--
Regards, PO Box 248
Bob Niland Enterprise
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Unless otherwise specifically stated, expressing
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