I learned something about OEM WIndows today...

[death_hawk]

I guess the ONLY way you can pluck a license off an OEM copy is via defective motherboard (mostly common knowledge).
The condition is that it has to be identical OR a warranty replacement. If you cannot find either of those 2, the license is technically invalid.

Oh and anyone that wants to downgrade, OEM you have to find your own key/media. VLK they supply media and keys for you.
I might buy a VLK license for that reason alone...
Too bad it costs $187USD for Vista Business (per).

This is basically verbatim from NCIX Forums by me :)

[sswilson]

Was this with Vista?

It is technically the OEM license for XP but it's never been applied in that manner.

Big box builds (HP, Compaq, Acer, etc...... ) use a different form of OEM which is not only tied directly to the hardware, but is also only supported by them.

[death_hawk]

I forgot to ask specifically the OS, but I'd assume that it applies to any OEM OS since 2K.

And OEMs are supported by the system builder. If you (the end user) install an OEM copy, you become the system builder and have to support yourself.

[sswilson]

If you hunt (it takes a lot of digging) on microsoft's site, there is a fairly detailed breakdown of the different OEM licenses. It's buried, but it's there. :)

[misterd]

Originally Posted by death_hawk

I guess the ONLY way you can pluck a license off an OEM copy is via defective motherboard (mostly common knowledge).
The condition is that it has to be identical OR a warranty replacement. If you cannot find either of those 2, the license is technically invalid.

However you can take that key & an oem install disc and install away and reactivate. It may/is frowned upon by MS, but I "heard" it works.

[Eldonko]

Exactly, MS doesnt care about the mb, I have done this 100 times and all they ask is how many machines is this OS installed on.

Originally Posted by misterd

However you can take that key & an oem install disc and install away and reactivate. It may/is frowned upon by MS, but I "heard" it works.

[yycraven]

Originally Posted by Eldonko

Exactly, MS doesnt care about the mb, I have done this 100 times and all they ask is how many machines is this OS installed on.

That's right, I just changed my mobo 3 days ago and I just called MS , they ask how many machines this OS was installed. Told them one, and then I got a new key. NO problems.

[misterd]

Originally Posted by yycraven

That's right, I just changed my mobo 3 days ago and I just called MS , they ask how many machines this OS was installed. Told them one, and then I got a new key. NO problems.

A new 25 digit key? or another activation code?

[Eldonko]

Activation code. You keep the original key.

[ragenrok]

this is true, ive done some testing with my OEM vista key and its amazing what they let you get away with lol.

I have switched mobos 3 times. I went from a AM2 platform to a lga755, I then switched my mobo again to a differtent lga755 and all 3 times I never had any problems activating over the phone.

I even used my 32bit vista home premium key to install home premium 64bit and it worked and activated over phone no problem at all.

All I had to do was answer the simple "how many computers is this installed on" question lol