WINDOWS 7 OEM

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jimbo123

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Nov 25, 2010
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Windows 7 oem is on sale for $85 at newegg. Is it legal to buy and install this? I see that it says you must buy it and install on a pc that you are going to sell. I am not going to sell the pc. I am going to keep it. Is this a difficult process to install the oem? It says you must install your own windows 7 drivers? What is the process for doing this? Should I just buy the regular version?
 
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You would be the builder . . . and you would be the owner. No problem.

There's no difference in the installation.

Only buy the regular version if you want free support for a limited time from Microsoft. In return for a considerable discount, the OEM version means the builder provides the tech support.

That's you :)
 
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The most important benefit you get by buying a retail copy versus an OEM copy is that retail copies of Windows can be removed and installed on another PC (as long as it's only installed on one PC at a time). Great for upgrading your PC's motherboard. However, an OEM copy of Windows dies with the motherboard, it becomes associated with the motherboard it was first activated on and Microsoft does not allow you to move it, that's why it's cheaper than retail.
 
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Actually this is correct. The only change necessary is that the OEM license does not necessarily die if the motherboard dies. If you replace the faulty board with the same model (either by purchasing a new one, or through the manufacturer's RMA service, Microsoft will allow you to re-activate that same OEM copy on what is technically a new motherboard. I know a few people who have done this, and after explaining what happened when speaking with a rep from Microsoft's product activation line, the rep was happy to provide them with the activation key. I have actually yet to hear of anyone having been denied re-activation in this scenario.

@ the OP,

Yes, it is legal to buy and install it, but you are *supposed* to sell the system to someone else if you buy this copy. I bought an OEM copy of Vista when it came out in 2007 for my main desktop system. I was never denied activation (had to re-activate a couple of times due to a couple of components dying on me) from then until the point at which I moved to Windows 7. Technically, you are breaking the license agreement by keeping the system yourself, but Microsoft really doesn't have any way of finding out whether you sold the computer or not, unless you actually tell them.
 
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^^lol and with the amount of money they have i dont think they care... then again they are evil 😛 (sorry google moment) I use OEM for my systems and its great. no different than the N or normal edition is
 
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Yes, I actually did this once, but only because the board died less than two years after original purchase. When boards die after four or five years, the technology is too old for me to try to scrounge a used replacement on ebay, would rather throw the OEM Windows license away and build new.

 
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The fact is, an HD change or a mobo change will trigger the need to re-authorize.

The fact is I've personally swapped two mobos, different brands, and a HD on the same PC and reauthorized three times.

The fact is I don't know of anyone who has ever been denied the first reauthorization on a Windows license.

So I really don't know what you guys are talking about.

Edit: For clarity, I am not talking about Dell, HP, etc OEM stuff - no personal experience there. Just OEM versions I have purchased.
 
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Microsoft generally wont say boo if you were to install an OEM version of Windows that you have purchased. As long as its not like a Dell or HP machine, it is very easy to get away with. I purchased an OEM version of 7 for a family member and about two weeks later, the mainboard was fried, so we got them a new board, and told Microsoft that it was the only machine that it is installed on. I believe Microsoft are actually checking the serials on the HDD that windows is now installed on instead of the mainboard, as its only too easy to have all of your mates have the same mainboard and share around Windows...
 
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^+1 During my 3-reauthorization saga, I called MS at step one. I told them I was debugging a failure that could have been HD or disk controller (which was true). So I was going to need to do this again if this fix didn't work.

The guy asked me "Is this the only PC that this Windows is running on?" Answer: "Yes". He said "No problem, and if you need to replace the mobo, don't call. Use the standard online reauthorization procedure."

I really believe their main interest with OEM software WE purchase is that it not be used on two machines.

The discount is provided because you provide your own support, and will not be calling MS.
 
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OK, you may be right that Microsoft in practice will not deny re-installing an OEM Windows license on another motherboard -- I never actually tried it -- but the fact is that the OEM license is more restrictive, unless they've changed their licensing policy for Windows 7:

http://windowssecrets.com/2007/04/26/01-Save-money-using-OEM-software

The OEM discount also comes with some extra licensing restrictions. In particular, you're limited to installing the product to a single machine — the license cannot be transferred to another machine. Although it's normal for Windows to be limited to a single machine at a time, the EULA for retail versions usually permits Windows to be removed from one computer and transferred to another. (See section 14 of this typical Microsoft EULA for XP.)
 
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^+1 ... Since when did Microsoft dictate law to us? Its stated that its only for one machine. Not 1 Main Board, Not 1 HDD, but 1 machine. If I choose to do a complete upgrade on my pc tomorrow, I wouldn't be buying a new version of Windows. I have my OEM key to use (Well that and my TechNet keys 😛 ), so for all you people out there reading this, it is ok to transfer an OEM license "legally" if it is ONLY going to be run on ONE computer...
 
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Yes, some people do comply with the laws. But Microsoft doesn't. So I couldn't give a #!* about their intellectual property rights.
 
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Actually, now that I know Microsoft doesn't enforce the terms of their OEM license (it dies with the motherboard, despite what the other poster claimed), I don't care either. As long as it's only being used on one computer, MS doesn't seem to care that you're re-installing it on a different motherboard/computer. Since they're a monopoly and charge about five times what it costs them to develop, debug, and maintain each Windows version, I don't feel bad about re-using their OEM licenses.
 
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