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Since I have seen a lot of people asking questions related to the OEM and upgrade versions of Vista, I have put together a FAQ that covers this information. It's not complete yet. I still need to verify a few things, and I may think of more stuff to add. Let me know if you have any suggestions, additions, or corrections, and I or one of the other mods will see about changing it. - Chugworth OEM Editions Sold Online What are the OEM editions of Windows Vista that are sold through companies like NewEgg or ZipZoomFly? These OEM editions are intended for smaller system builders, but anyone can buy them. Do you have to buy any extra hardware when you purchase these OEM editions? This is no longer required. The OEM editions are so much cheaper than the Full Retail editions. Are they missing anything? OEM editions function exactly the same as the Full Retail editions. However, they have two limitations:
If you call Microsoft's activation number and tell them that you have changed hardware in the same PC, they may possibly clear your activation status. However, transferring an OEM installation from one PC to another violates the license agreement, so this is not guaranteed to always work. I see that the 32-bit and 64-bit OEM versions are sold separately. Can the same key work on either one? Yes, the same OEM product key can work on either the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version. Can I enter an OEM key into a Full Retail installation disk, or vice versa? Yes. The differences in the OEM and Full Retail DVDs are very minor. They both accept the same product keys. Can I enter an OEM key into an Upgrade Retail installation disk, or vice versa? <NEEDS VERIFICATION> OEM Editions from Large Manufacturers Is there any difference between the OEM DVDs that you get from NewEgg, and the OEM DVDs that you get from large manufacturers like Dell? Yes, these DVDs do not work the same way. You can not activate a clean Vista installation with a product key that is labeled on a computer from a large manufacturer. In fact, the product key labeled on the computer is not used at all. If I can't perform a clean installation with the product key labeled on my computer, then how do I do a clean install? You must use the Vista DVD provided by the manufacturer. It will not ask you for a product key, and will automatically activate without connecting to the Internet. Woohoo! That sounds like the Vista DVD I need! Don't get too excited. The DVD does this by checking the BIOS of the computer to verify that it is from the correct manufacturer. Can this Vista DVD automatically activate on any new computer from the same manufacturer, whether or not it came with a Vista license? Yes, it should. As long as they don't change the identification code in the BIOS. Clean Install with Upgrade Disks Is the Vista Upgrade DVD bootable? Yes. Can you perform a clean install with a Vista Upgrade disk by letting it verify that you have a CD of a previous Windows version? No. This could be done with previous versions of Windows, but not with Vista. Then how do you perform a clean install with an Upgrade disk? One way is to start the installation from your existing Windows, and have Vista install to a separate partition. There is another way that does not require an existing Windows installation, but it violates the license agreement. That sounds interesting. How is it done?
<NEEDS VERIFICATION> Other Related Questions Help! I have Vista installed on my computer without a product key, but when I enter my key, it won't accept it. This sometimes happens if you are entering your key using the activation warning bubble. If you go to System Properties > Change Product Key, then it should work from there. [Added Jun 17 2007] Clean Install with Upgrade Disks Is the Vista Upgrade DVD bootable? Yes. Can you perform a clean install with a Vista Upgrade disk by letting it verify that you have a CD of a previous Windows version? No. This could be done with previous versions of Windows, but not with Vista. Then how do you perform a clean install with an Upgrade disk? One way is to start the installation from your existing Windows, and have Vista install to a separate partition. There is another way that does not require an existing Windows installation, but it violates the license agreement. That sounds interesting. How is it done?
<NEEDS VERIFICATION> Other Related Questions Help! I have Vista installed on my computer without a product key, but when I enter my key, it won't accept it. This sometimes happens if you are entering your key using the activation warning bubble. If you go to System Properties > Change Product Key, then it should work from there. (Vista_OEM-Retail-Upgrade-ProdKeys.htm) |