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Windows XP Pro

post #1 of 13
6/12/05 at 12:43am
Thread Starter 
What are the differences between OEM, academic and retail version?

Which one OEM or academic has a limit of activations?

And what should I beware of when I bid xp pro oem on ebay?
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post #2 of 13
6/12/05 at 1:01am
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer if I am not mistaken. They are pretty much the same though you can get the OEM version for cheaper because it doesn't come with the box, but just the cd and serial. Academic and the Retail are the same I think, but you can get it cheaper through academic, though you get the same thing if you bought it retail.

If you get it from ebay you just have to hope that they haven't used or written down the serial, because that would just suck.
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post #3 of 13
6/12/05 at 6:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jk_baller23
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer if I am not mistaken. They are pretty much the same though you can get the OEM version for cheaper because it doesn't come with the box, but just the cd and serial. Academic and the Retail are the same I think, but you can get it cheaper through academic, though you get the same thing if you bought it retail.

If you get it from ebay you just have to hope that they haven't used or written down the serial, because that would just suck.
I have a friend who got a xp pro oem (dont know if it is academic or not)from the university for 10 bucks and the activation is dead after several installations.
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post #4 of 13
6/12/05 at 10:14am
The academic and retail versions are the same product. The difference is in the End User License Agreement (EULA).

You can read the EULA if you want, but in short it says the the academic version is for education/training only and cannot be used for commercial purposes.

That means that the PCs/servers that you use to earn income, whether you work for a business or are self-employed, must have retail versions of the software installed. If you write a manuscript with MS Word and sell it to a publisher, then the copy of MS Word used to create that work must be a retail version. If you have a website that accepts payments, the software that was used to develope the site and the software on the server running it must be retail versions.

What you can do is create, develope and test your work on PCs/servers built entirely with academic editions of software,

THEN

when you are ready to deploy them commercially, you must copy that work over to PCs/servers built entirely with retail versions of software, resave as needed and deploy the software from the 'retail' machines.

Using academic editions of software in a business setting is a violation of the license agreement.
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post #5 of 13
6/12/05 at 10:31am
Our school also has this "academic" version...

$10 for Windows XP Pro, $10 for Office 2003, etc. You dont own it till you graduate...
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post #6 of 13
6/13/05 at 2:14am
Okay, I don't think anyone specifically answered the question about the E-Bay purchase. Make sure that you own a computer made by the OEM. It would really suck if you bought the software and found out you couldn't use it because your BIOS is from a different company. Also, if you've changed out your motherboard in your system, chances are, it's not OEM, so the disk will not work.
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post #7 of 13
6/13/05 at 10:05am
I would not buy an OEM copy, except from the OEM itself. In the case of Dell, the Dell Reinstallation CD is easily cloned. One runs the risk of getting a pirated copy (even with a professionally created label on the disc).

I don't care if a pirated Dell OS CD would work on my Dell. I won't buy OEM software from an auction.
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post #8 of 13
6/13/05 at 2:58pm
I agree with V.B. There's no reason to pay for pirated stuff. If I want pirated stuff, I will download it, as should everyone else who wants pirated stuff.
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post #9 of 13
6/13/05 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ric516
What are the differences between OEM, academic and retail version?

Which one OEM or academic has a limit of activations?

And what should I beware of when I bid xp pro oem on ebay?
a couple of differences:
1. primary difference is on EULA
2. OEM: many computer companies (e.g. dell) right bios crap so you can only use a dell oem OS on a dell computer

you have to worry about the activation if it has been activated already, in which case you might run into a invalid activation.

oem on ebay: ensure that it is from the same computer manufacturer and it hasn't been activated on a different dell system
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post #10 of 13
6/13/05 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 
Are there some unbranded OEM windows?
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post #11 of 13
6/14/05 at 1:26am
you guys r basically saying that OEM's can be screwed up and whatnot?

what about the OEM versions on newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837102153

neweggs a very reputable website, and they are selling oem discs too...unbranded by any manufacturer too.

wouldnt an OEM version like that be safe?
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post #12 of 13
6/14/05 at 1:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by WingZero2309
you guys r basically saying that OEM's can be screwed up and whatnot?

what about the OEM versions on newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837102153

neweggs a very reputable website, and they are selling oem discs too...unbranded by any manufacturer too.

wouldnt an OEM version like that be safe?
This is the type of OEM I am talking about, not the branded ones.
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post #13 of 13
6/14/05 at 8:10am
I also would not buy OEM software from an auction. I have bought OEM software from on-line stores in the past.

OEM software as a rule is software that does not come with any free telephone technical support. Example: if you purchase an OEM version of Microsoft Office and you have a problem - if you call Microsoft for technical support you will pay their support fee in addition to the phone call. The retail version of Microsoft Office comes with technical support (I forget how long). The retail version costs more than the OEM version because it includes technical support.

The other kind of OEM software is the kind that is part of a software bundle that comes with a new system. Usually it will have "Not For Resale" printed on the label.

Unlike the Dell reinstallation CD as we currently know it, OEM software can have activation restrictions(it all depends upon the vendor).

The only software I might consider buying at auction is from the college students who are selling academic editions, where after the sale is complete they log onto newegg or gopcplus (or whatever) - using their student status to buy academic editions of software and then have it directly shipped from the on-line retailer - unopened.
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