What is OEM?
Amazon.com: Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack: Software
I saw this on amazon. Does this lock into motherboard? and the retail version does not? I can barely afford this, let alone the almost twice-as-much retail version...so...what is this? How does this compare to the retail version of 7 pro? I dislike anything 'rooting to my motherboard'; virii do that.
OEM is restricted to the original motherboard.
That link appears to be OEM.
Legal only for PCs intended for resale, but MS apparently does not enforce this often.
Sometimes, MS will allow you to use it on another board since boards do fail--if you are using the same model board replacement or happen to get a sympathetic person on the phone at MS.
Drop back to Home Premium retail unless you know you need features found only on Professional.
It doesn't "lock into" your motherboard. However, Microsoft may refuse to activate it if you try to install it on a different motherboard.
It also seems that you violate the license agreement if you install a System Builder copy on a system for personal use, but there appears to be no enforcement mechanism for that.
I, personally, have used that type of disc before and it activated with no problem, but apparently Micro$oft doesn't like when you buy those copies and use them for personal use. They talk about it, but they have never come really public about it, so they obviously don't care. As the people above have said, they don't enforce it as I can install it and activate it.
If you build your own computer it could be argued that you are a system builder and are therefore entitled to use the cheaper OEM disc.
You need to be aware that this version is tied to the first computer you install it on and cannot be transferred to another computer.
The retail version is more expensive, but can be transferred to another computer providing it is removed from the original.
The choice is yours:
If you want to save money, buy the OEM version.
If you don't want the restrictions this entails, buy the retail version.
If cost is a stumbling block, have you considered Linux?
Soo...what does it do? How does it work? I spent a lot of time researching and investing in building my rig and don't want any rubbish "attaching onto" my mobo.
Does it identify some unique mobo identifier (like serial number?) and then only install to that? How does it work. Still sounds virus-like.
If you want some reading material:
Licensing FAQ
You can think of it as a serial number if you prefer.
Get a retail version if you are laying awake in bed thinking about this.
It's just the regular Windows activation thing. It generates a code based on hardware identifiers in your system (the MAC address of the network card is a major one) and sends it to the activation servers. If your hardware changes too much from the original baseline, you have to activate again. It's not supposed to uniquely identify your machine, but it prevents your license key from being used on multiple PCs.
If that's unaccaptable, don't use Windows XP, Vista, or 7.
Nothing is installed on your system - activation is recorded as a numeric hardware signature in MS Servers. On OEM the mobo component cannot change without special exception during phone reactivation.
The best deal right now is Home Premium Upgrade Family 3 pack for $125 on buy.com.
That's 3 licenses for less than the price of one. You can share them with family or friends as long as you make sure they are not installed on more than 3 computers at the same time.
Any retail Win7 besides OEM can migrate to the machine of your choice.
In the case of upgrade version you need to have a qualifying XP or Vista which came on the computer or a retail copy on hand which doesn't need to be installed since this is on the honor System.
However if you install Upgrade version to a HD with no OS on it it requires leaving the Product Key blank until after install to do the quick registry workaround given here to activate Upgrade version on cleaned HD: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version
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