OEM what does it mean

surfergirl_3

Hi folks,

i want to order a copy of Norton Antivirus 2005 to replace my subscription which expires in the next few weeks.I currently have 2004 but it looks like it would cost me more to update it from Symantec than to buy a new version.

My question is , i have seen the product at good prices on places like Aria, Savapoint, Ebuyer etc but they say OEM product does this mean i have to buy a piece of hardware to get it at ths price, or is it just reference to the fact it comes without a box, insruction etc.

I know your all thinking why dont i just download a free anti virus checker, but to be honest i have never had any problems with Norton(so far).

Hope you can help.

Cheers :beer:



Surfergirl

urbanite

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer
As you say, it normaly means its a product without box/instruction etc.
I would suggest rather than 'Buy' Norton, you download AVG Free and use that.

Getafix

Since it's time to renew your virus-guard I would suggest maybe changing it.
The two main players on the market are Macafee and Norton, and you will certainly be pushed these products by manufacturers and retailers. However they are not the best virus-guards available.

You can get an independent rundown of the latest security measures by visiting Wilders.org. For a comparison of virus-guards see this link:

http://wilders.org/anti_viruses.htm

Personally I use Nod32 and here are four reasons why:

- To date it has not missed a single in-the-wild virus
- Only costs £23.00 a year
- Consumes very little system resources, so you don't even notice it's running
- Wilders.org awarded it a 5-Star rating

But enough from me...read the reviews on Wilders and make up your own mind.

Doublespresso

Just to say that if you do chose to insatll another AV software, I would uninstall Norton first as there could be major conflicts - and difficult to resolve later - if trying to have 2 AV installed at the same time. (even if not running at the smae time!)

BTW I also have had Norton for a couple of years with no problems - so far!

blinky

Getafix wrote:

Since it's time to renew your virus-guard I would suggest maybe changing it.
The two main players on the market are Macafee and Norton, and you will certainly be pushed these products by manufacturers and retailers. However they are not the best virus-guards available.

You can get an independent rundown of the latest security measures by visiting Wilders.org. For a comparison of virus-guards see this link:

http://wilders.org/anti_viruses.htm

Personally I use Nod32 and here are four reasons why:

- To date it has not missed a single in-the-wild virus
- Only costs £23.00 a year
- Consumes very little system resources, so you don't even notice it's running
- Wilders.org awarded it a 5-Star rating

But enough from me...read the reviews on Wilders and make up your own mind.

I also use NOD32 at home. There's a beta of v2.5 available which ads in some new features.

If you are looking for a free one try Avast over AVG.

credit-card-tart

You can only receive OEM software (Original Equipment Manufacturer) when you purchase new hardware, normally a new PC base unit. Companies like Dell can buy OEM Windows for only a few pounds, and then pre-install the software on your new PC, and provide you with the licence sticker already on the base.

If you buy any OEM software without hardware, then the reseller is at fault, and you won't have valid software. eBay has rules regarding selling OEM software.

Joe_Bloggs

The minimum requirement for some mail order retailers is £5 of hardware with an OEM software product. A cooler fan, hard disk cable etc often is sufficient.
J_B.

Joe_Bloggs

@Mr Skint
Can you expand on your view as I do not understand. Summer months are approaching and many overmarketed P4 stuff is under ventilated in small format cases. Well managed cables within a PC can promote air circulation. An extra fan can make the difference in a processor throttling itself or working at maximum performance.
J_B.
I am a fan of your considerable contributions to this forum.

surfergirl_3

Thanks for all the feedback.

Perhaps i should have also added that i am running Norton Internet Security 2003.

Cheers :beer:

Surfergirl

kizatt

Thanks for all these posts - I've just been looking into renewing my NAV & I'm afraid I've wimped out of leaving Norton & have gone for NIS, but I was also confused by the whole OEM thing - now at least thanks to all these posts, I'm pretty sure I've got the right NIS for the best price!