Cheap Legit Software / Vista / Norton etc

zappster1966

I took the plunge last week and decided to replace my 3 year old pc with something a bit more up to date ... rather reluctantly I followed a friends advice and we decided to build a new one from scratch with the aim of saving some money.

So we ordered all the components (motherboards, ram, hard drives - all the techy things I haven't a clue about) then we had to decide on whether to stick with Windows XP or buy the new Windows Vista .... I'd already had a look in Comet and felt the price of Windows Vista was absolutely extortionate.

Here's what they're charging for Vista (as of 01/03/07) -
Vista Home Basic £179.99
Vista Home Premium £219.99
Vista Business £289.99
Vista Ultimate £369.99

You'll agree it's an awful lot of money.

But my mate told me about something I'd never heard about before - OEM software (OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer - google "OEM" for details) .... it's what companies like Dell, Hewlett Packard etc load onto their mass produced computers then sell on to you. They buy legitimate versions of Windows Vista from Microsoft at huge discounts then sell the finished product on to you.

But if you build your own PC you can get this software cheap too (you're technically a computer manufacturer after all, albeit on a small scale). And it's not just Vista you can buy cheap ... it's also things that come bundled with brand new PC's such as firewall, anti spyware & anti-virus software. You can save an absolute fortune simply by buying the OEM version of the software.

I visited one "DIY" computer place online here's what theyre charging for their OEM software today -
Vista Home Basic £54.04
Vista Home Premium £70.49
Vista Business £88.36
Vista Ultimate £121.01

There truelly doesn't appear to be any downsides to this, I bought Vista Ultimate OEM & Norton antivirus OEM and by my reckoning it's saved me nearly £250.00. The software works fine and does its job. The install discs came in very basic wrappers with no user guides but hey it suits me fine if it saves me that amount of money.

Google "Windows Vista OEM" or wotnot and let us know what you think.

Cheers.

Browntoa

this applies to lots of software , not just Vista but Microsoft works, Nero and so on

Phil51

The only downside to OEM software is the specific licencing details.

For instance, replacing the motherboard or in some cases upgrading to a larger disc drive invalidates the licence and you will need to buy a new copy.

gaming_guy

and i think you can only buy oem software with a bit of hardware (eg mouse or keyboard or a HDD)

Phil51

True although the licencing does not specify what hardware so you couls buy it with a mouse!

sco0ter

Phil51 wrote:

True although the licencing does not specify what hardware so you couls buy it with a mouse!

No you cant... this has already been discussed in another thread.

http://oem.microsoft.com/downloads/Public/sblicense/2007_Office_Licenses/English.pdf

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/licensing/faq/default.mspx#EBJAC

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/licensing/introduction/hometools/default.mspx

Although the reference is made to XP the Vista agreement is the same.. as is any Microsoft windows OEM agreement

crox

Phil51 wrote:

For instance, replacing the motherboard or in some cases upgrading to a larger disc drive invalidates the licence and you will need to buy a new copy.

I've not had a problem with harddrives, they do say that processors/motherboards might trip you up, but I hear you can get round it with a phone call to microsoft.

Phil51

Sco0ter,

This is an extract from Dabs.com. Other resellers also quote the same

"OEM Software

Like hardware, software can also be purchased as OEM. OEM software is identical to the full retail versions of the software but it lacks any packaging. Typically this will be seen with software items such as operating systems and office suites. Unlike OEM hardware, there are more restrictions on what will allow the software to be sold by a retailer to a consumer.

When you can buy OEM software
OEM software is designed for system builders. It typically can only be purchased with a complete computer system or there must be some additional purchase of hardware to go along with the OEM software.

Are OEM Products OK?

There should be no physical difference in a component if it is sold as OEM or in retail. The difference is the extras that are provided with the retail version. If the support is important to you then you need to purchase the full retail version.

HELPFUL MANUFACTURER INFO AND LINKS:

Microsoft OEM Software:

If the individual software license is a desktop operating system (including Windows XP Media Center Edition), we grant you a nonexclusive right to distribute individual software licenses; provided that each one is distributed with either (a) a fully assembled computer system or (b) a nonperipheral computer hardware component.

A “fully assembled computer system” means a computer system consisting of at least a central processing unit, a motherboard, a hard drive, a power supply, and a case.
A “nonperipheral computer hardware component” means a component that will be an integral part of the fully assembled computer system on which the individual software license will be installed."

So, my original statement (Not serious) of buying it with a mouse was incorrect, but the intention was correct - buy it with a stick of memory!!

superscaper

crox wrote:

I've not had a problem with harddrives, they do say that processors/motherboards might trip you up, but I hear you can get round it with a phone call to microsoft.

Since getting XP (Pro OEM), I've upgraded pretty much everything (inlcuding motherboard) except maybe the CPU and floppy drive. I've had several activations to do in that time and the only time that failed was when my system hard drive failed and I replaced it. As you say, go through the motions of actually talking to real person (funny how it asks you to choose your region and it puts you through to an indian call centre anyway) and I said what my last hardware change was and why and they gave me they reactivated the key and gave me a new activation code. It's a hassle (especially with the long sequences of numbers) but there was no need to argue with them or anything.

superscaper

Phil51 wrote:

Sco0ter,

This is an extract from Dabs.com. Other resellers also quote the same

You can't really prove anything with what the resellers say. The conditions are set out by the manufacturer, in this case Microsoft. They're the be all and end all in terms of what's allowed with the licence. The resellers have no say in what the licensing conditions are. As an example, I believe Amazon have already fallen foul of Microsoft for misleading consumers about eligibility of OEM versions of Vista. I'm not sure how you can dispute Sco0ter's links which are to Microsoft's own site.

startrekker

I bought my oem version of vista premium from ebuyer, thats all, a copy on dvd....no mouse, memory etc, and it cost about £67 delivered.