OEM VS Retailer?
 

I can pick up XP Pro OEM at around 130.00 while Retailer is about 230+

What's up with that? I heard both needs to be phoned up to M$ for new activation key once you are reinstalling (or is this wrong?)

Am I saving 100 dollars just because of its not coming in fancy box?

The extra cost on the retail version comes from Microsoft's tech support backing it. I suppose that would be useful if you know nothing in handling OS related problems. In which case, that is the main reason why system builders prefer getting a OEM product over retail.
Just keep in mind a apparent disadvantage of a OEM OS is that it is supposed to be "non-transferable." Retail versions can be installed onto any one computer at any time. Or so Microsoft says.

So once I install OEM... I can't uninstall it and reinstall it?:confused:

Not on different machines, no.

Then again, I used a legit serial on a brand new computer, called the official validation service and activated it with the serial from my old notebook. They're not too strict.

What Microsoft doesn't tell you, is that you get 5 licenses per retail copy of Windows XP (I don't know about the others.)

After 5, you need to start calling in on that one disc you used.

Which of course has been in somewhat heated discussion in recent history. The same was going on with Vista (although I think the number of activation times was actually fewer).

Including OEM right?

No, not including OEM.

If you get an OEM, you can reinstall it on that one machine. As many times as you want.

But you can't use it on another machine, because it wont have all of the default drivers. Only the driverset for that OEM machine.

I take that back. You CAN use it on another machine, you'll just have to supply the drivers for the hardware on that machine yourself.

If I buy an OEM and use it.

Than my PC breaks.

I can reinstall if I buy fresh HDD and mobo, etc?

:confused::confused::confused:

Bah, w/e it's cheap <___> so might as well pick this up.

Just make sure you have the drivers for that system then, 'cause that OEM cd wont.

Nononononono, this is an OEM version of Windows like this. It's meant to be installed on any computer, and it's no different than a retail version of Windows, it just comes with a fancier license and terms of use (one being that it's meant for one computer only.)

I would assume that it's likely that Microsoft's policy of License Transferral (meaning, you installed the OS on one computer, but then remove it and install it on a different computer,) also extends to OEM versions of their OS.

Oh, okay. Yeah, ignore what I was saying then. Merv is right.