Which version of XP do I need?

[curtis73]

I'm looking at XP pro. What are the differences between the "full product", the "license and media" and the "oem"?

I'm looking at pricegrabber.com to find the cheapest and there are like 10 different XP pros with different part numbers.

[Oz]

Full product is the whole shebang - user manuals, the box etc etc

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and should only be sold with a new PC, and it's not transferrable, you must use it on the PC you bought it with.

License and media are the way you want to go - they'll send you a CD and a license key.


Why are you looking at XP Pro out of interest? XP Home is cheaper.

[03cavPA]

http://www.edirectsoftware.com/index.php

[curtis73]

Originally Posted by Oz

Why are you looking at XP Pro out of interest? XP Home is cheaper.

Networking, mostly. We host a few websites for friends, this building shares one connection, and we're all sorta connected; networked printers, faxes, and one HUGE raid array downstairs that is about the size of a Volvo.

We're just a building of amateur geeks who all decided to pool our resources instead of everyone getting their own DSL and tower.

[Oz]

Everyone in your building is on a Domain network?

Who administers it?

[curtis73]

Originally Posted by Oz

Full product is the whole shebang - user manuals, the box etc etc

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and should only be sold with a new PC, and it's not transferrable, you must use it on the PC you bought it with.

License and media are the way you want to go - they'll send you a CD and a license key.

So, full product includes MS support junk and you can use it on one computer, then the next if you trade up? How does MS know that you've abandoned the old computer when you enter the same key into a new computer?

OEM skips the product support, and its a one-blow deal, single computer only? What if I buy OEM without buying a computer? Does it only work once?

So with license and media, I get all the benefits of the full version minus support, and the ability to use it on more computers in the future?

Sorry for the dumb questions, but I'm completely lost when it comes to computers.

[Oz]

OEM is ONLY available with the purchase of a new computer - it should not be available standalone.

The full retail product includes the box and manuals, no support.

The media and license is just that - only the media (CD) and license key and is the most sensible option for you.


You don't need XP Pro, unless you're on a Domain (which I highly doubt), so is therefor a waste of money in my opinion.

[curtis73]

I wonder if the laws are different in Australia concerning the sales of OS. If you go to www.pricegrabber.com to compare prices of OS, they offer full product, lisence and media, or OEM. I actually ended up walking into PC store here in L.A. and bought OEM Media Center edition off the shelf. I decided to go legal and avoid all the potential shady stuff. For $86 I couldn't see that it was worth the headache. OEM is sold all the time here evidently.

[l_eclipse_l]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116059

You can actually buy an OEM version for yourself. It just comes with an install cd and key, no box, instructions, booklets, etc. You only get like 4 installs with the key before you have to call Microsoft and explain to them why you are installing it more times than that, so don't activate it until you know your hardware won't fail and you got it installed correctly. If for some reason you exceed the 4 install limit, just tell them you got a new hard drive and they go away without much question and give you a nice fresh key.