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Windows support forum..."Hello, my name is David I will be very happy to assist you today, please open up command prompt and type sfc /scannow" This problem has been marked as resolved.
The reason the System Builder/OEM license states that the manufacturer must provide support is more related to support for the hardware, as Microsoft cannot be expected to provide support on hardware they didn't produce. Generally, Microsoft's assertions don't extend beyond this, and they will always provide support for their own software and updates, which is why they seem to make the same specific carve-out for support in both the retail and OEM license. In short, the only differece with the OEM license is Microsoft trying to make clear that their responsability ends with Windows, and that the hardware as well as any other software remain the responsibility of their supplier (AKA "not Microsoft").
This did not help the Florida gal whose decked-out machine was so misconfigured at the factory IRQ conflicts abounding, she gave-up on them and called us. 2nd-tier setup & config support dood nicknamed "IRQ Gauwghd" that I was gave this gal eight hours straight no breaks to assist her feel comfortable taking the damned retched thing apart, fit the jumpers correctly, slipped a couple times not saying things understandably the first time, eight hours. ten minutes testing she thanked me and asked sweetly "Will you marry me?" If you are out there, FLA Gal, I very nearly said, "Hell Yeah! If we can tolerate each other through that. There is no limit to where we could take this relationship." But, at 69 years-old now, I still pause to recall the absolute most intensely relaxed extended grueling successful fix. Irene from Indiana? She was a nightmare to the front-line tech. Hunted him down somehow and left death threats on the poor guy's HOME answering machine. Sylvia, his lead caught me entering our floor on a Saturday, only to snag the book of Konstantin Stanislavsky's, "An Actor Prepares", but she told me what's what and said, nobody else can fix it. sure I was a bit nervous at first, but she was near tears, so I melted that and put on my firm confident voice, she grabbed the screwdriver and in we went. EIGHT Hours it took us. ten minutes Fla Gal tested igt, practically giggling with glee. Upon closing she says, "We did it! Will you marry me?" to this day I regret my saying, "I can't. I just met a gal who must have Pharoah's Queen's blood," or some equally lame-ass response. The truly most impatient guy in the world just had to take his portable phone with him upon his, "I need to take a leak." NOPE Brrriiiip brap ploop rip I nearly threw-up on my headset's mic. That was as a lead for gold support partner on the world's largest Windows 95 support crew, lead 2nd-tiert setup & config. If I already said that above, this is the fourth time typing it as RUclips app dumps your typing if you try to skip the damned ad.
Hmm, granted, this is over a decade ago and likely Microsoft doesn't care anymore, but I used to frequent the same IRC channel as a manager for a regional support team at Microsoft and it came up in a chat about buying OEM copies because they were, at the time, significantly cheaper than the retail copy. He said back then that the OEM copies were only supposed to be used with more boutique level PC shops when they made pre-built systems, but a lot of the same shops would usually let you just buy a copy with any piece of hardware (like a mouse), so they had the rule in place to make sure that the shop took the support burden which, at least back then, would often happen with bigger OEM brands like Dell and HP. He also claimed the support staff were instructed to reject support calls from people with OEM copies and only make exceptions if the PC shop(OEM) refused to offer support. (iirc someone getting rejected support was the reason this topic even came up)
Exactly this. As someone who works in tech support for a software company and we have partners that also work with our software, we can only provide support on the products that we as a company own. For instance, Microsoft can provide support for Windows, but they can’t provide support for something like Steam, or iTunes. Since OEMs almost always bundle bloat from other companies, it’s not on Microsoft to resolve those issues, unless the issue is directly related to Microsoft.
My retail license of Windows 7 is like the gift that keeps on giving. Replaced my motherboard after power supply troubles, and thanks to a Microsoft Account was able to re-activate it on Windows 11.
At first activation acted up trying to activate from my Microsoft Account but then upon clicking Get Help it went through; perhaps it was already working behind the scenes matching existing devices like SSDs to match the hardware to the existing license.
I'm still using Win7 on one of laptops (best Win ever imo), and updated a cloned Win7 partition on my other laptop to Win10. No plans whatsoever to upgrade to Win11, if anything will skip to 12. Some of the best Windows were XP, Win7, and Win10. imo
After losing a motherboard I almost had to buy thousands of dollars worth of software that was locked to my old Windows OEM key. I explained the situation to Microsoft and they took control of the computer and reset all the keys remotely. It was a little unsettling how they took control of the computer after only asking in the chat box. Anyway, they reactivated everything even without me knowing the keys. Their customer support is pretty good. It’s just a little weird how they can gain access to everything so easily.
Yea buddy welcome to the world of backdoors.. heck they got now recall so now they will know exactly how you screwed up the system lol... Onedrive will keep all your data safe and in their hands permanently.. you should not have to worry anymore how easy it is for them to take over control, they already got all your data you have on your pc on their cloud lol.
You can get support even if you don't have any license. You can access Microsoft support from a web browser, even on Android, and all you need is a Microsoft account. There is no check for what license of Windows do you own
It's full of call center bots who repost the same copy pasta according to their corporate guides. You never get actual help but a chain of useless advice that more often that not ends with the suggestion to just reinstall Windows.
@@Breakfast_of_Champions they are actual human beings imo tho, they are useless for us ofc but for someone who is not tech savvy or wanted answer from human its fine,
@@wixlogoIt starts off with automated bots until you specifically ask for a human and manage to pick the correct options that will actually get you to a human service rep. At least, that’s been my experience before.
The thing about OEMs being required to provide end user support is just a play so that no one can say that they bought a "Windows PC" and "it" has no support. That way Microsoft can blame the "manufacturer" in court for breaking the license agreement
The OEM version being tied to the motherboard is an important point. I had a motherboard fail. It was under guarantee, *and* the shop was unable to get another board like it, or even supporting the same CPU. So they gave me a new motherboard and CPU for free. Which is nice, except I upgraded a Home license (bought at the Windows 7 days) to an Pro OEM (missed that) license. Both the old Home key and new pro key stopped working. Sure, I could buy an OEM version of Windows with each PC. I'm sure that would make MS happy.
Specifically, the serial numbers of the motherboard _and the CPU as a pair,_ is how Windows considers what is a "Unique Machine". You can swap out literally all of the other components all you like, as long as it's that exact mobo and that exact CPU _together,_ it still sees it as the "same computer", basically setting a hard limit on Ship-of-Theseusing your rig. So the difference with OEM is, the activation server says "okay, this key, this motherboard serial, and this CPU serial, are now a permanent set and this key will never work unless these two serials are with it", whereas with retail, you can swap all you like as long as it's not seeing the same key being _concurrently_ used with multiple sets of CPU-mobo serial pairings.
@@WackoMcGoose - They use some woodoo magic when it comes to identifying each hardware. Sometimes it works, other times it fails. I have two identical ASUS laptops one still running Win7, on the other I upgraded a clone of Win7 to Win10. :)
Strange I upgraded to a new computer a few years ago and gave my older one to my parents. The license worked on the older machine fine as it had the old CPU and motherboard but it worked fine on the new machine as well as I guess it's tied to my Microsoft account as well.
When this kind of thing happens, you can always contact Microsoft support. Give them the old key, explain the situation, and they will either reset the key, or issue you a new one.
I bought the retailed version of Win10 Pro. I linked the key to my microsoft account. So when 11 pro came out I got the free upgrade. Lets come to the point. I have a wife and kids. Each person in my familty has a PC, laptop, or a raspberry-pi running Windows. I set thier microsoft accounts under the family plan with myself and wife as the Admin. That 1 product number of Win10 Pro is on 5 Windows 11 devices. Microsoft is not bitching and all 5 devices is showing up on my Microsoft account.
To the best of my understanding: OEM Installation: If the motherboard fails the license *can not* be transferred to a new motherboard. When the motherboard fails the Windows license dies along with the motherboard. Retail Installation: If the motherboard fails, you go into your Micro$oft account (on a different machine) and deactivate the license on the machine that failed. Once deactivated, the same key can be reactivated once reinstalled to a new machine.
i was able to recover the key from a windows 8 oem install from the hard drive after the laptop itself had already been recycled, main board had died and the hinge had given out too many times to be worth getting a new one, and it did install on another device, so that might only be a thing with the current iterations of windows
You don't even need to de-activate per se. When you install Windows 11 on the machine with a replacement mainboard for example you (or just swap out the mainboard and keep the existing install) will see that the activation menu shows an error in red font. You then select the activation troubleshooter and that takes you to an online screen with an icon depicting your currently licensed machine (which would have been the one with the dud mainboard in this case). You then simply confirm this is your replacement machine and you are done and the activation error will disappear and you'll be active again. I actually really like this system since back in the old days, even a retail licence was a pain if you changed hardware too much or too often and you'd end up having to grovel to Microsoft (at least here in Australia). Even then, with my Windows 7 retail licences I could only make three major hardware changes before they denied me a re-activation. I remember telling them when they said "this is the last time we re-activate" that I had deliberately bought the retail licence because I thought such restrictions did not apply, but they said they did. i don't think such restrictions apply for Windows 11 (otherwise I'd know by now!!).
If I'm building the PC, I see myself as it's OEM. So I also always buy the OEM versions. And you actually CAN transfer the license. Once. But you might have to call the automated windows activation service to do so.
I have had to actually talk to someone at Microsoft to transfer my OEM license to a replacement motherboard. There were also times where it took the MOBO replacement automatically. I really wish I new what triggered this. Maybe I did the replacement with a clean install too.
I had Micron computer that upgraded from Windows 95 to XP. I had a problem with the onboard sound card. Micron would not help me unless I un-installed XP because I didn't get the upgrade from them. It was still under warranty so I un-installed XP then they ended up replacing replacing the motherboard. Several months later the sound card built into the motherboard died again, so rather fighting with Micron again I just bought a new soundcard and disabled the on board sound. I didn't want un-install XP again.
Actually, the ability to install on any computer is the reason the retail version is better. I learned this when I had upgraded my computer too much with the OEM version. It said I no longer activated. So I called Microsoft to reactivate it. Microsoft will reactivate it to a certain point. If you call a few times to reactivate it, at a certain point, they said you've made too many changes to reactivate it. So if you're the type to keep upgrading a computer, you should get the retail version. I don't get the OEM version anymore after this experience because I felt I had legitimately bought Windows and that upgrades should be fully allowed. What happened in my situation, was I bought a bunch of components to build a system. I ended up having a defective motherboard and having to replace it. A series of events later, I ended up getting a totally different brand of motherboard which made the whole situation worse. Retail version solves everything. If you end up building a new computer because the old computer died or was retired, you just keep going.
@@itisabird funnily enough you can buy "OEM Licences" for less than a dollar on a many websites. What you actually get is a probably already used licence + a guide on how to activate windows "legally" via Microsoft by phone activation service. When they ask you on how many computers the licence has been installed, say 1, and just like that your windows copy is fully activated with no hack required. It's actually crazy this old trick still works today (maybe because they have other means to make money via Windows anyway and they will let you install a clean OS for free rather than let you install a pirated version that might contain viruses). So for just 1$ you can just reuse an old licence over and over again whenever you upgrade your hardware. And this method has for it that I don't need to link my microsoft account to my computer in order transfer the licence over.
in the good ole Windows 7 times, you had to enter the key before downloading the Windows distro from Microsoft. If you entered an OEM key, if my memory serves me correctly, you were told to bugger off and contact your system builder. those were the days...
Be aware that if you upgrade your bios (UEFI), sometimes Windows will say that the hardware has changed and invalidate the OEM license. If you build your own system I would always choose retail for this reason alone, and also for being able to transfer.
Worked for Microsoft Support about ten years ago. OEM has free support when it comes to issues with Windows Update. All other support is PPI (Pay Per Incident).
Pay per incident and not pay per solution ... (there are some mayors issues in a 500k license environment that 500 pc don't work properly because of compatibility issues with braille displays, and it will never work ...). I know it's hard to beta test if you can't read braille and the hardware is expensive and custom.
@@losttownstreet3409 That's something you would have to take up with the company behind the braille display. Not something that Microsoft would give you any kind of support for.. regardless of your license type.
I was able to transfer the OEM license from a decade old laptop to my current build because it was tied to my Microsoft account. I can't guarantee that will work for anyone else but I'm glad it worked out for me
I am wondering if the account is the key then. With windows 7 retail I did not actually have any Microsoft account and I was limited to two further activations on that retail licence. With Windows 11, I now have an account and it says my machine is activated to that account. I've made three major hardware changes since buying that Windows 11 retail licence and so far no problems. I am a bit scared to try a fourth time though!
So, I've had the luck of needing to call MS Support with an OEM version after a windows update hosed a machine I was using for work from home _before_ that became a major thing. Yes, I built the computer. but my OEM key didn't come with a nice little disc or bundle of legalese like that. THey tried to turn me away. My response was simple: "Yes, the customer _did_ call the manufacturer to ask them first. I am the manufacturer of this computer, and now I'm calling you so I can support my customer because this issue is not with any added software or bits and bobs." I got my support, go figure.
I also love the fact that you generalize your information! You don’t do what everyone else is doing! Your information is very unique and applies for everyone and not only gamer systems as most things in AI do
There's another "type" of windows license (at least for server versions): ROK (reseller option kit). Those are quite a lot cheaper than "normal" retail/OEM/volume licenses but hard-locked to one hardware manufacturer. The installation routine of Windows is modified to check a certain BIOS "flag" that marks the specific manufacturer, and if it's missing or has the wrong value the installer won't even let you reach language selection, it just outright shows a message that this version of windows is only supposed to run on hardware from manufacturer X.
OEM = 1 installation of windows(this key will not work on other pc/laptops...if is tied to motherboard, again will not work)...and Retail = more than 1 installation of windows can be on separate pc/laptops(works if you change hardware)...That's what i know without looking the internet
A lot of windows server’s function are available in desktop windows, including IIS, File services, multi-session RDP/RemoteFX and even Hyper-V! Just, the UI are not quite the same but you can connect those msc to a desktop to have same UI. Some of these are sneakily hide inside registry and need to enable manual but they’re there. But besides AD and exchange, there’s not really many other things you wana try out only exist in windows server.
Thanks for taking time to try to (& succeed) understand all the differences in the subject theme of this video. I couldn't have done it, or would have given up from all the boring legalisms. Thanks too for all your many thoughtful interpretations of what you found. I copied the CMD commands of how to see what kind my system is, and I will click the link for AURA definitely. If that hadn't been a sponser of yours I never would have known about it, and in my case that is especially and critically valuable. Finally, you have a great talent in all your presentations- for, in a relaxed, easy manner, covering details-anticipating viewers’ questions! Much appreciated!
I did get a preinstalled version of Windows 10 moved officially by MS support when I was a teenager. IIRC the screen on my granddad's laptop at the time got broken, but I remembered that my last one was basically the same model, so I moved the hard drive. I explained honestly what happened to the support rep and they activated it for the system it was now running on.
🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁 OEM is intended to be put on a computer that you are building for someone else the license transfers to them, and they cannot transfer it to a different machine. The retail version is yours, and you can move it to machines ad-lib. We on the udder hand download software from Microsoft using an open account system. We get a substantial discount on this since we are a non-profit.
0:20 pause: no difference in Windows itself. Windows OEM is tied to a specific device and cannot be transferred to a new device and the device cannot undergo major hardware changes (i.e. motherboard and CPU replacement). The regular licence you buy can be transferred up to 3 times or undergo major hardware changes. Learned this when I had moved my OS (non-OEM) from one PC to a new one twice and then warranty replaced the motherboard which would have been a 4th major hardware change (same PC, same motherboard model, just replaced) and Windows would not activate. Microsoft support used a different key to re-activate my Windows. With that said: it's likely dropped by now and they do not limit your transfers ever since they started allowing you to tie it to your Microsoft account if you use it to login to the PC, though I suspect the limitation would remain in place if you try to avoid using the Microsoft account.
it's more complex: you have multiple options, and some used licenses fall off after some time without usage: - license per person with one person one physical devices and one virtual device at the same time (+ a grace period of some days) - license per physical device - license in your MS account .... With the MS account, you can move the license from one device to another, or it gets deleted after some time of not useing it. You only bother if you use your own activation server, as for retail, MS handles all for you.
No, not really (not everywhere). This binding to hardware is not permitted, at least in Europe, if the software was purchased separately. My oldest OEM licenses are from the Windows XP era and have since been moved to dozens of computers. In other words, upgrades were carried out again and again and the licenses were never purchased together with the hardware.
@@n4botz with a KMS Server you chose if you bind the licenses to the hardware for 180 days or to the persons which work in your organizations. (user CAL or client CAL)
@@losttownstreet3409 How do they determine if a licence is "not being used"? Would it happen if the machine had been offline for a considerable amount of time (though fully activated the last time it had been online)?
Interesting.. I acquired my laptop with Windows 8 installed, but preferred Window 7 at the time.. tried WinX but went back to 7. Then when Windows 11 hit the market I installed it via a registry fiddle as per Microsoft instructions and warnings as to installing on unsupported hardware, yet it was activated with a digital license. I have since upgraded to Win11 22H2 with another fiddle to be able to receive Cumulative updates, and it works like a charm including the activation. So yes, I'm still benefiting from that OEM license all the way.
I've used a couple different gray market sites for OEM license keys. They work well for very cheap. If you're looking to upgrade a laptop or prebuilt machine easily, do a fresh install and save the license key to the install media.
It's talking about support for non Microsoft apps, these apps support comes form the oem, but programs like MS Office is provided by Microsoft, Microsoft core features support is also provided by Microsoft, but for other issues you would contact oem.
I think the licence numbers is different too, as I remember on my old windows 7 on a laptop it say xxxx-OEM-xxxx-xxx instead of all numbers you get an OEM word
@@mstover2809 "Product IDs" (the 95 and 98 style keys) are still automatically generated nowadays and show up in system properties in control panel. Just they are useless now.
Many years ago win98 days MS refused support on me because I had a OEM machine, today it is different. They will provide support for windows itself only. You made the point about the most big difference between the two is basically moving to a new pc or motherboard replacement. Heck these days you do not even need to go to the store to buy windows, you can simply download it from Microsoft for free but you will have to obtain the license. Which you can get one fairly cheap, some say they want the disc either because they think they own it or for restoration. 1. you don't own it and 2. you can always get a current copy from Microsoft or do a system copy or clone, should you ever need to do a clean install and start over. you can then put it to a disc, another HDD, SSD or thumb drive. Personally since I build my own I went OEM to save cost however retail version may have been better should I ever need to replace motherboard. As for windows support goes I really don't use it, but that does not mean that I may never need it. Lastly you are basically just paying for a license to use windows, also that disc you bought will not be the current version with all it's updates. Which means you will have to run windows update and that could take a very long time. Thanks for the video and explanation Thio!
As someone who used to service and build PC's it used to be more difficult to get an OEM license reactivated after a repair or reinstall of Windows. I am talking more about the XP and Vista days. As part of MS technet we had access to extended support for reactivating windows licenses over the phone or online. You could still do it as a user but it often took longer and for certain things like motherboard replacements under warranty it was harder for the average user to get an OEM license reactivated. This process mostly went away in the Windows 7 to 8 upgrade years as MS made it far easier to reactivate installs for the user. Now Technet is long gone, partly replaced by MS Q&A and the license side is mostly part of enterprise licensing.
Where I live in Australia my experience was slightly different. I built my first Windows 7 machine probably around 2009. I bought a full retail Windows 7 licence when I built that machine despite the OEM licence being a much cheaper option (if you bought it when you bought all the parts). Everything remained fine with that licence when I totally re-built that machine in 2012, changing pretty much everything except the power supply and optical drive. That machine functioned perfectly for a decade till the mainboard died in 2022. I had actually bought the same chipset mainboard (ASUS, but a higher end model) as a spare back a few years after building that machine so when the mainboard died in 2022, I put that new spare "old stock" board in. That was when I had a re-activation problem and had to re-activate by phone. On the phone, Microsoft told me that would be my last re-activation on that licence even though it was retail and they agreed it was retail. So I guess what I am saying is I did not really find the windows 7 retail re-activation experience as easy or as flexible as I liked or had expected it to be.
Years ago I saw a written description of Microsoft Windows OEM instructing the customer to call the manufacturer if you had problems with the OS. That is probably because of the "added features" provided by the manufacturer.
Speaking for Thinkpads - I discovered that when I used the OEM Windows from Lenovo, I got longer Battery life and less heat than when using the Windows Creation Tool. I also had no Bloatware (except Lenovo Software) on the OEM but Spotify and others on the Windows install. Could be because Thinkpads are not a normal customer PC but rather business Laptops.
@@Ridcally I did multiple tests almost a year long. Tests were with: - Windows Image with No Additional Software or Drivers - Windows Image with Vantage only - Windows Image with all Drivers manually installed - Windows Image with Vantage and all Drivers installed - Lenovo Windows Image The Battery and Cooling went better gradually, how I listed things. Among the manually Installed Drivers were also the Battery Management Software and other Drivers and Software from Lenovo. I still had the best Results with the Lenovo Image. Device was a Lenovo Thinkpad Z13 Gen1 with an AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U.
I just tried the command and it says my license is a retail license. Even though i definitely bought an OEM license many years ago. BUT my license is tied to my microsoft account and has been in use on 3 different iterations of my PCs over the years. Maybe it got converted into a retail license somewhere along the way? Important information: I'm still on Windows 10. Never upgraded. Maybe that makes a difference?
@@mstover2809 My PC didn't ship with anything. I built it myself. Like i said in my initial comment: I purchased the license myself from an online vendor many years ago. The PC was built from scratch and was running win10 from the start.
The first ever copy of OEM Windows I purchased did not allow me to transfer it to my next machine. However, years later I subsequently bought another OEM copy of Windows and I've been using it for years - it worked for me no problem on two subsequent new machine builds.
I would love to see a video talking about the differences between these licenses and the cd-keys resellers, their consequences and limitations. Thanks for your content, Joe.
Back in the day when I was testing stuff a lot, I re-installed Windows every 3 months or so. With the OEM version I could only activate it a certain amount of time. It was the same hardware I installed it so that wasn't the issue. I just couldn't activate it after like 10 - 15 times. With Retail I never had that issue.
If you buy cheap "OEM" keys from sketchy sites, you may lose activation after a while because Microsoft detects fraud and cancels the keys. You may remember Windows Genuine Advantage from Windows XP that checked in periodically for license validity; this got baked into Windows since Vista.
I had an issue. At a third re-activation attempt on a full retail Windows 7 licence I was told that would be the last re-activation they would grant me. When I made a fourth change I had to buy a whole new Windows 7 retail licence again. It has been these sorts of restrictions that have kept me from upgrading hardware as often as I would have liked.
Hi Joe, Whatever you said about the support, it is absolutely correct. No one will call to microsoft support team, instead of they will start searching the resolution by asking the others or from google, youtube. Even i got confused about the difference between retail and oem. Reason i moved to hdd to sdd , at that time their installed oem version but before it is retail version.
What interesting is, I still have a volume license copy of Windows xp Pro. It doesn't have activation, so just install it on whatever and it works. I got it from my High School tech class. My teacher needed a bunch of copies of the master xp CD, and when I made all the copies, I made one for myself. This was back in 2006, but I still have it.
@@mstover2809 Yes it still works. The volume license edition of xp Pro never had activation. So you can install it on whatever and run it forever if you wanted to.
I used to work at an OEM, they tend to custom reg to add the logo of the company and phone number for support...like Dell and Gateway verses what you buy from Best-buy without hardware attached. The keys on the machines I used to build at the OEM did not matter as much, but over time MSFT stickers removed their keys from the stickers. Unused keys after a few months or a year could be registered for "free" upgrades until they used the unique hardware of the motherboard...making extracting the key from the OS to reuse pointless...cool trick to bypass lojack at one time is to replace the HD and the BIOS of the MB at the same time due to firmware upgrade or MB replacement.
I believe Microsoft directs people to the System Builder because many of them tinker with the OS, so it would be wise to first ask the people who messed with the system before asking the people who built it originally
I am using OEM windows from last more than 4 years. I had contacted twice Microsoft for support and they had always helped me to figure out. So answer is yes they provide support to OEM license also.
I made my living managing a global Windows network. Aside from packaging, or lack thereof, the only difference is in the license. With OEM, the license lives and dies with the hardware it's installed on. If you retire the hardware, the license goes with it. The OEM license cannot be transferred to a different computer; doing so violates the terms. With modern, pre-built computers, the Windows activation key is baked into the computer's UEFI (some people still call it BIOS), so if you retire the PC and buy a new one, you don't have to worry about the license since it's in the UEFI. Home-built systems, from parts, won't have a license built into the UEFI. Some home-builders play fast-and-loose (or may not know the details of the license) and transfer OEM licenses if they build a new computer. As this is a violation of the OEM license terms, it could, potentially, get you into trouble, particularly if you "narc" yourself out by calling Microsoft for support and tell them what you did (transferred to new hardware) that led up to the problem you're having. In more than two decades, I only called Microsoft support twice. Once turned out to be a registry setting that was inexplicably corrupted. The other was a bug in Windows, for which an update was already in the works at the time of my call. These days, if I have a problem, Google is more than adequate to find a solution, or find a whole bunch of other people with the same problem. If it's a true OS problem, just wait about a week - Microsoft release updates weekly, usually on Tuesday.
If you ever do a follow-up video, you should mention Windows Refund Day, where the OEM license actually did play a role. Linux people that day all filed for a refund for their Windows licenses, which was allowed in the EULA, except these people all had OEM licenses because they bought new PCs that shipped with Windows. There ended up being a chicken and egg problem of Microsoft telling people to talk to the manufacturer, and the manufacturer telling people to see Microsoft for their refund. Probably wouldn't have happened if those people had Retail licenses.
It's been 25 years, that's still my favourite ever time that Linux ended up on the news. And you can tell the news recordings are from 25 years ago, because they actually talked to the angry people and not just the corporation involved.
My first PC was a cheap Lenovo prebuilt desktop that came with an OEM version of windows. I have since cloned that drive (and the OS) to the SSD in my current PC that I built from scratch and I also still run the same OS license on my old prebuilt and it works fine.
If you buy any version of Windows, whether physical or digital, the first thing Windows does is update the data. You will never get an absolutely current version. Which means that according to Windows terms you are entitled to direct support either way.
4:07 I purchased the OEM Windows 7 a while back for the self built computer. Upgraded the motherboard two years later and the license wouldn't activate. I called MS Support, long distance in fact and got routed to their India call center, and they actually gave me a new activation code with no trouble. Windows resided in the same HD, twas only the mobo that was upgraded and they considered it. In fact, the same license qualified me to upgrade to W10 later on, which I did. MS licensing is not as strict really. And if you register your license with your MS account, it becomes more seamless to move licenses and machines.
So this is what i understand, the reason why microsoft mention if you want to get support on Windows OEM you need to contact your manufacturer first is because most manufacturers and system builder usually preinstall software / driver and even features that is not a standard from microsoft.
11:27 In A "Microsoft may provide" and in B "Microsoft provides". So if they don't want they can stop providing for OEM. 11:33 This text in A specifies support only about MS software when B seems like allowing to ask for support of any installed software. PS: Never asked MS support.
it's legalese, so where they say "may" it means "is allowed to" or "must" in most cases. from Black's Law Dictionary 9th edition: may, vb. (bef. 12c) 1. To be permitted to . 2. To be a possibility . Cf. can, 3. Loosely, is required to; shall; must . ¢ In dozens ot cases, courts have held may to be synonymous with shall or must, usu. in an effort to effectuate legislative rad intent. [Cases: Statutes C2227]
I actually know something little different, but I'm not fully sure about this. OEM - is bound to the PC for a 1 time use license. Retail - is bound to your account and a "current" PC, you can actually "release" it, and then use for a newer PC instead. Again, I'm not fully sure
This has been my experience with Windows 11 so far (three major hardware changes under one retail licence) but now I am unsure reading other comments here whether the number of Windows 11 "rebuilds" under a retail licence is restricted or not. I thought you could basically rebuild with new components as often as you liked under Windows 11 retail, so long as you went online and verified that the latest build was the machine you wanted linked to the licence. But now I am reading there is a limit which sounds exactly like how it worked (for me at least) in the Windows 7 days: three major hardware changes and a new retail licence was required for the fourth hardware change. I don't know who is right!?
You can still get the exact same support from your mamufacturer if you install the "normal version". If they did not they would not be supporting their computers. OEM is just cheaper because margins and tied to the machine. The only difference is the builtin reinstall partition, and the bloatware. Oh and maybe some driver but that depends if it needs special drivers.
2:26 - "why physical version is cheaper", easy, because Product Key delivery by email is INSTANT, why DVD will come by mail package. Most probably not that many people willing to wait, so DVD is discounted.
DVD version needs to clear the warehouse space, hence encouraging people to get it. Most new laptops don't have a dvd mechanics, so they would be sitting there like ducks. I got my digital one for some 21 Euro, Win11 Pro.
It should be noted that "Retail OEM" that you'd buy direct from the likes of Newegg, is a fair bit different than the "Volume OEM" licenses that the likes of Dell have. First, Dell can negotiate a much cheaper price, and they get redistribution/modification allowances to they can supply the restore disks, and can purchase without support, in which cases Microsoft will refer users to the OE for support. Other than those changes, the difference between OEM (the direct version) and Retail is simply the packaging and distribution stipulations.
I haven't heard you say it yet, but I discovered that you can't use an OEM version to upgrade an existing system. When I go to pro using OEM, I have to install it from scratch and lose everything installed on the home edition, for example.
My previous desktop had an OEM installation and I had zero issues upgrading to Pro. I didn't have to format or anything, and then I upgraded to Enterprise for the fun of it. My new desktop now runs IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021.
Not true for so many years... Just type in the new key, it will tell you need to restart your PC and after the restart the new license is ok. Fun fact: it also works to other way (from Pro to Home). Tried it several times with Windows 10, worked every time.
@@michamarkowski2204 All true, except for the Pro to Home part. Windows treats the Home to Pro upgrade as a one-way trip. You can freely license switch between the other editions on the upgrade path, but in order to downgrade back to Home, you first need to tweak the registry. Although Home Edition is trash, I don't know why anyone would want to do that.
Bro, OEM and Retail version are not same but they differ how they were sell. You get support for both version either through quick help or logmein remote session. The only difference is that OEM is device specific and can't be transfer to other PC. Like if you activate OEM version on a device, it will bind with the hardware of that machine and can't be transfer to other device. But if you buy a retail key, You can active and transfer to other device. OEM license is for single device only and even if you upgrade your motherboard or any component, OEM license will not work as it took the device as different one and you have to contact microsoft and they will activate Windows in case of motherboard change but if you want to remove OEM windows from one PC and then want to use it on other device, it is not possible with OEM license while you can transfer retail license from one device to other. That's the biggest difference.
Thank you so much for everything you teach in your videos. It’s so so interesting! And information not shown anywhere else! I wish you talked about Mac the same way you do in windows! Mac needs a true guru as you are!
Don't pay $120 for am OEM key. These are usually sold in volume for way cheaper. You can buy these volume license keys for literally 5 bucks or less (for Windows Pro) online, there are sites that are as far as I know completely legal here in Germany, you have a right to resell keys here. I didn't even know these originally come with physical packaging, you just need the key. Never install from an installation disk or download that comes with the purchase, just download Windows from the Microsoft site so you don't get additional bloatware. At this price frankly I couldn't care less if it's transferable or not.
Yes I did it to got it for about 0.70$ retail key for windows 10 pro from what I remember a Russian store. But anyways it works amazingly I have been using it for about 1 year already and so far so good it shows up as retail key win 10 pro. I’m still wondering how they source it at such low prices even sourcing wholesale quantities it seems to still be very low price 🤔
In Brazil, the diference is more than 10 times. I can buy retail Online Licence for R$ 1599,99 or buy one OEM KEY at third party for R$130,00. Funny thing is that USD 1 = 5.42 BRL (month ago was around 5 BRL). It won't match OEM price showed, it is actually around US$ 25 for OEM or US$ 300,00 for Retail of the 11 Pro licence.
Many moons ago I contacted MS for a question of using a pc with Office on it (that I purchased) and transferring Office to another PC. They were actually helpful. I'm sure that kind of support doesn't exist anymore.
The main difference is that the retail license cannot be legally resold or integrated into a product. That is, if you have a company which builds computers you cannot buy a retail version of Windows, install it, and sell the computer. For the normal OEM license your company needs to have an OEM distribution agreement with Microsoft. Not too familiar with the "system builder's" OEM license, but if I remember right, it had some restrictions on resale volume and doesn't require an agreement with Microsoft.
I work as IT in a very big company on Brazil, we bought several computers and activated Windows normally with an OEM version. The only real difference from the digital license is that the OEM windows keys are linked to the motherboard (normally), and in a hardware change such as changing a video card, Windows may ask to activate again (rare but it happens). Regarding support, it's a total lie that they won't help you depending on your activation key, I've already had to contact Microsoft support in Office, and support accessed my machine to solve the problem, even in another case where they accessed a VM, like Windows wasn't even activated in that hahaha
Microsoft support is so goofy, you'll be googling a question about something in Windows 11, then when you click on the Microsoft link the only answer will be some guy with some title under their name responding by telling you to use a menu point that doesn't exist and then the question author says "thanks it worked!"
My two cents: I only ever had to call Microsoft support once. Back in the days of Windows 2000 and XP, Microsoft would sometimes issue an update to fix a specific problem but had not gone through full testing. To get these updates, you had to call them. I had one such issue, I seem to recall that it was related to hot-swapping floppy/CD-ROM drives on a laptop. I remember calling them (with an OEM licence) and they e-mailed me a download link without any question of the licence. Also, I remember reading a while back that the stipulation that "OEM licences are tied to the device" was rendered invalid in Germany. So users in Germany should have no legal issues with transferring the licence.
Windows doesn't care about whether you're using an OEM or Retail license when it's trying to transfer licenses across PC's. There's some people saying it doesn't work on OEM licenses because the license transferring process barely works and fails to transfer a lot of the times regardless of key type.
The difference is that if you have a hardware problem and swap out a few components to try and resolve the issue, MS will thoroughly shaft you and revoke the OEM key you legally paid for, THAT is theft so far as I am concerned.
Joe, the biggest difference between OEM and Retail, as far as Microsoft support is concerned, is in the installation. If you have a problem with installing Windows and are running the OEM version, Microsoft will not support you. If you are running the retail version and you are having a problem with the installation of Windows, Microsoft will support you. The OEM version is configurable so that specific drivers can be added during installation. Microsoft will not troubleshoot installation problems with you under an OEM license. They require you to go back to the manufacturer from which it was purchased.
Since Windows 10 came out, OEM license key stickers from manufactures no longer come on the computers, but yet if you buy an OEM license yourself, it comes with a sticker that disclaims that it must be attached to the computer. Why are companies like HP, Dell, etc. not held to that technicality? Even volume licensing comes with key stickers, hence why the said companies used to put the key stickers on their PC's they sold. To say that the key is "locked" to that computer's hardware, therefore no need for a key since any re-install of Windows 10/11 will auto activate, still doesn't explain why OEM purchasable copies actually provide a key sticker that "must" be attached to the computer it is activated on. Just something that has perplexed me lol
Volume licensing doesn’t come with any stickers. It’s a digital service. You get two keys with VL - KMS and MAK. You can deploy millions of desktops with KMS if you desire as long as you set the key to the appropriate GVLK and your machines can reach the KMS host within the token lifetime to renew. Be prepared for True-Up though. They will come knocking when year 3 is almost up.
In South Africa, Microsoft puts the telephone down in your ear when you give your license number and it turns out to be OEM. If your computer builders is closed or out of business, you are screwed. Microsoft will not support you. I know, it happened to me three times.
I actually upgraded from an OEM copy of Windows 7, but wound up with a retail copy of Windows 10. I did the same with a computer with Windows 8.1 as well--an older HP laptop I upgraded the RAM and installed an SSD on to make it usable. (Said laptop took 10 minutes to boot, and like a minute to launch any app.)
I remember getting Vista in a box back in the day, but i think i got a digital license for 7, and got windows 10 for free when microsoft initially made it available.
The main point I see with getting the full retail version is that if I am upgrading my motherboard and need to run windows on my new machine, I would have to have the retail version to do that. I haven’t actually just tried booting the machine recently after a major hardware change like that. I am curious who all have changed out their motherboard and tried booting windows.
My question is Why does Microsoft have India customer Reps that you can barely understand? Microsoft is a company that is based in the United States. Most of the time there clueless too on your problem. I just don't understand it.
I'm pretty sure I got remote support from a Microsoft support agent when I was having an issue with sound on my laptop once, which had an OEM lisence. This was probably several years ago.
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nah
hi
Microsoft doesn't stop you from transferring OEM licenses to new machines IF you link it to a Microsoft account.
Hey, I've gotta ask. Why does your neck keep spazzing out on the camera?
you forgot the . at the end
I never have to contact Microsoft Support. Their India branch calls me all the time!
@@CryingCroc. haha 😄
wtf is that pfp though
@@dioptaste idk 🤷🏻♂️
Lol why people are hating India ns on literally every platform, people have really normalised the racism against Indians
Redeem do not, you must
Windows support forum..."Hello, my name is David I will be very happy to assist you today, please open up command prompt and type sfc /scannow"
This problem has been marked as resolved.
Literally 99% response rate from tech support.
I usually only use it to make sure I'm not the only one having the problem.
I'm convinced that either everyone back there is named David or there is only one person back there.
It's the same guy, he always forget to mention you need administrator rights.
@HRejterzy made a great video about technical support 😅
@@johnps1670PC administrator is supposed to be fixing your computer. As well you are that administrator for your private pc.
The reason the System Builder/OEM license states that the manufacturer must provide support is more related to support for the hardware, as Microsoft cannot be expected to provide support on hardware they didn't produce. Generally, Microsoft's assertions don't extend beyond this, and they will always provide support for their own software and updates, which is why they seem to make the same specific carve-out for support in both the retail and OEM license. In short, the only differece with the OEM license is Microsoft trying to make clear that their responsability ends with Windows, and that the hardware as well as any other software remain the responsibility of their supplier (AKA "not Microsoft").
What they said!
This did not help the Florida gal whose decked-out machine was so misconfigured at the factory IRQ conflicts abounding, she gave-up on them and called us.
2nd-tier setup & config support dood nicknamed "IRQ Gauwghd" that I was gave this gal eight hours straight no breaks to assist her feel comfortable taking the damned retched thing apart, fit the jumpers correctly, slipped a couple times not saying things understandably the first time, eight hours.
ten minutes testing
she thanked me and asked sweetly
"Will you marry me?"
If you are out there, FLA Gal, I very nearly said, "Hell Yeah! If we can tolerate each other through that. There is no limit to where we could take this relationship."
But, at 69 years-old now, I still pause to recall the absolute most intensely relaxed extended grueling successful fix.
Irene from Indiana? She was a nightmare to the front-line tech. Hunted him down somehow and left death threats on the poor guy's HOME answering machine.
Sylvia, his lead caught me entering our floor on a Saturday, only to snag the book of Konstantin Stanislavsky's, "An Actor Prepares", but she told me what's what and said, nobody else can fix it. sure
I was a bit nervous at first, but she was near tears, so I melted that and put on my firm confident voice, she grabbed the screwdriver and in we went.
EIGHT Hours it took us.
ten minutes Fla Gal tested igt, practically giggling with glee.
Upon closing she says, "We did it! Will you marry me?"
to this day I regret my saying, "I can't. I just met a gal who must have Pharoah's Queen's blood," or some equally lame-ass response.
The truly most impatient guy in the world just had to take his portable phone with him upon his, "I need to take a leak."
NOPE
Brrriiiip brap ploop rip
I nearly threw-up on my headset's mic.
That was as a lead for gold support partner on the world's largest Windows 95 support crew, lead 2nd-tiert setup & config.
If I already said that above, this is the fourth time typing it as RUclips app dumps your typing if you try to skip the damned ad.
@@Reverend11dMEOW adsense on YT app is literal cancer...
Hmm, granted, this is over a decade ago and likely Microsoft doesn't care anymore, but I used to frequent the same IRC channel as a manager for a regional support team at Microsoft and it came up in a chat about buying OEM copies because they were, at the time, significantly cheaper than the retail copy.
He said back then that the OEM copies were only supposed to be used with more boutique level PC shops when they made pre-built systems, but a lot of the same shops would usually let you just buy a copy with any piece of hardware (like a mouse), so they had the rule in place to make sure that the shop took the support burden which, at least back then, would often happen with bigger OEM brands like Dell and HP.
He also claimed the support staff were instructed to reject support calls from people with OEM copies and only make exceptions if the PC shop(OEM) refused to offer support. (iirc someone getting rejected support was the reason this topic even came up)
Exactly this. As someone who works in tech support for a software company and we have partners that also work with our software, we can only provide support on the products that we as a company own. For instance, Microsoft can provide support for Windows, but they can’t provide support for something like Steam, or iTunes. Since OEMs almost always bundle bloat from other companies, it’s not on Microsoft to resolve those issues, unless the issue is directly related to Microsoft.
My retail license of Windows 7 is like the gift that keeps on giving. Replaced my motherboard after power supply troubles, and thanks to a Microsoft Account was able to re-activate it on Windows 11.
At first activation acted up trying to activate from my Microsoft Account but then upon clicking Get Help it went through; perhaps it was already working behind the scenes matching existing devices like SSDs to match the hardware to the existing license.
Your data is the actual price!
@@kald360 What data is that? Don't you have a candidate to wish well to?
Lol, "upgraded" from one of the best versions to one of the worst. The future is Linux old man
I'm still using Win7 on one of laptops (best Win ever imo), and updated a cloned Win7 partition on my other laptop to Win10. No plans whatsoever to upgrade to Win11, if anything will skip to 12. Some of the best Windows were XP, Win7, and Win10. imo
After losing a motherboard I almost had to buy thousands of dollars worth of software that was locked to my old Windows OEM key. I explained the situation to Microsoft and they took control of the computer and reset all the keys remotely. It was a little unsettling how they took control of the computer after only asking in the chat box. Anyway, they reactivated everything even without me knowing the keys. Their customer support is pretty good. It’s just a little weird how they can gain access to everything so easily.
Yea buddy welcome to the world of backdoors.. heck they got now recall so now they will know exactly how you screwed up the system lol... Onedrive will keep all your data safe and in their hands permanently.. you should not have to worry anymore how easy it is for them to take over control, they already got all your data you have on your pc on their cloud lol.
why are you surprised the key makers got a copy of the key? come on now
@@marteenyo surprised that they could remote access without me doing anything other than saying yes. No special access key or anything 🤦♂️
@ why would they need special access when they made the OS themselves 💀 not defending them but like this seems pretty obvious to me
You can get support even if you don't have any license. You can access Microsoft support from a web browser, even on Android, and all you need is a Microsoft account. There is no check for what license of Windows do you own
search engine github mass grave...
@@wixlogo yeah and you can simply google a solution. I have never used Microsoft Support for ANYTHING in over 20+ years of using Windows.
It's full of call center bots who repost the same copy pasta according to their corporate guides. You never get actual help but a chain of useless advice that more often that not ends with the suggestion to just reinstall Windows.
@@Breakfast_of_Champions they are actual human beings imo tho, they are useless for us ofc but for someone who is not tech savvy or wanted answer from human its fine,
@@wixlogoIt starts off with automated bots until you specifically ask for a human and manage to pick the correct options that will actually get you to a human service rep.
At least, that’s been my experience before.
The thing about OEMs being required to provide end user support is just a play so that no one can say that they bought a "Windows PC" and "it" has no support. That way Microsoft can blame the "manufacturer" in court for breaking the license agreement
The OEM version being tied to the motherboard is an important point.
I had a motherboard fail. It was under guarantee, *and* the shop was unable to get another board like it, or even supporting the same CPU. So they gave me a new motherboard and CPU for free.
Which is nice, except I upgraded a Home license (bought at the Windows 7 days) to an Pro OEM (missed that) license. Both the old Home key and new pro key stopped working.
Sure, I could buy an OEM version of Windows with each PC. I'm sure that would make MS happy.
Specifically, the serial numbers of the motherboard _and the CPU as a pair,_ is how Windows considers what is a "Unique Machine". You can swap out literally all of the other components all you like, as long as it's that exact mobo and that exact CPU _together,_ it still sees it as the "same computer", basically setting a hard limit on Ship-of-Theseusing your rig. So the difference with OEM is, the activation server says "okay, this key, this motherboard serial, and this CPU serial, are now a permanent set and this key will never work unless these two serials are with it", whereas with retail, you can swap all you like as long as it's not seeing the same key being _concurrently_ used with multiple sets of CPU-mobo serial pairings.
@@WackoMcGoose - They use some woodoo magic when it comes to identifying each hardware. Sometimes it works, other times it fails. I have two identical ASUS laptops one still running Win7, on the other I upgraded a clone of Win7 to Win10. :)
Strange I upgraded to a new computer a few years ago and gave my older one to my parents. The license worked on the older machine fine as it had the old CPU and motherboard but it worked fine on the new machine as well as I guess it's tied to my Microsoft account as well.
When this kind of thing happens, you can always contact Microsoft support. Give them the old key, explain the situation, and they will either reset the key, or issue you a new one.
@@StolenJoker84 Tried that. Got silence.
I bought the retailed version of Win10 Pro. I linked the key to my microsoft account. So when 11 pro came out I got the free upgrade. Lets come to the point. I have a wife and kids. Each person in my familty has a PC, laptop, or a raspberry-pi running Windows. I set thier microsoft accounts under the family plan with myself and wife as the Admin. That 1 product number of Win10 Pro is on 5 Windows 11 devices. Microsoft is not bitching and all 5 devices is showing up on my Microsoft account.
MS is not "bitching", but I believe you breach their license terms. In layman words, you pirate the software.
To the best of my understanding:
OEM Installation: If the motherboard fails the license *can not* be transferred to a new motherboard. When the motherboard fails the Windows license dies along with the motherboard.
Retail Installation: If the motherboard fails, you go into your Micro$oft account (on a different machine) and deactivate the license on the machine that failed. Once deactivated, the same key can be reactivated once reinstalled to a new machine.
i was able to recover the key from a windows 8 oem install from the hard drive after the laptop itself had already been recycled, main board had died and the hinge had given out too many times to be worth getting a new one, and it did install on another device, so that might only be a thing with the current iterations of windows
You don't even need to de-activate per se. When you install Windows 11 on the machine with a replacement mainboard for example you (or just swap out the mainboard and keep the existing install) will see that the activation menu shows an error in red font. You then select the activation troubleshooter and that takes you to an online screen with an icon depicting your currently licensed machine (which would have been the one with the dud mainboard in this case). You then simply confirm this is your replacement machine and you are done and the activation error will disappear and you'll be active again. I actually really like this system since back in the old days, even a retail licence was a pain if you changed hardware too much or too often and you'd end up having to grovel to Microsoft (at least here in Australia). Even then, with my Windows 7 retail licences I could only make three major hardware changes before they denied me a re-activation. I remember telling them when they said "this is the last time we re-activate" that I had deliberately bought the retail licence because I thought such restrictions did not apply, but they said they did. i don't think such restrictions apply for Windows 11 (otherwise I'd know by now!!).
If I'm building the PC, I see myself as it's OEM. So I also always buy the OEM versions. And you actually CAN transfer the license. Once. But you might have to call the automated windows activation service to do so.
I didn't have to call anyone, it happened automatically upon plugging the SSD
@@nijucow maybe you kept the same motherboard?
@@PCs454 nope, it was fried
@@nijucow it must have detected something that told it was the same PC from earlier. or i thought you would need to buy a new license
I have had to actually talk to someone at Microsoft to transfer my OEM license to a replacement motherboard. There were also times where it took the MOBO replacement automatically. I really wish I new what triggered this. Maybe I did the replacement with a clean install too.
I had Micron computer that upgraded from Windows 95 to XP. I had a problem with the onboard sound card. Micron would not help me unless I un-installed XP because I didn't get the upgrade from them. It was still under warranty so I un-installed XP then they ended up replacing replacing the motherboard. Several months later the sound card built into the motherboard died again, so rather fighting with Micron again I just bought a new soundcard and disabled the on board sound. I didn't want un-install XP again.
Actually, the ability to install on any computer is the reason the retail version is better. I learned this when I had upgraded my computer too much with the OEM version. It said I no longer activated. So I called Microsoft to reactivate it. Microsoft will reactivate it to a certain point. If you call a few times to reactivate it, at a certain point, they said you've made too many changes to reactivate it. So if you're the type to keep upgrading a computer, you should get the retail version. I don't get the OEM version anymore after this experience because I felt I had legitimately bought Windows and that upgrades should be fully allowed. What happened in my situation, was I bought a bunch of components to build a system. I ended up having a defective motherboard and having to replace it. A series of events later, I ended up getting a totally different brand of motherboard which made the whole situation worse. Retail version solves everything. If you end up building a new computer because the old computer died or was retired, you just keep going.
Yours is the kind of situation that turns many towards piracy.
@@itisabird funnily enough you can buy "OEM Licences" for less than a dollar on a many websites. What you actually get is a probably already used licence + a guide on how to activate windows "legally" via Microsoft by phone activation service. When they ask you on how many computers the licence has been installed, say 1, and just like that your windows copy is fully activated with no hack required.
It's actually crazy this old trick still works today (maybe because they have other means to make money via Windows anyway and they will let you install a clean OS for free rather than let you install a pirated version that might contain viruses).
So for just 1$ you can just reuse an old licence over and over again whenever you upgrade your hardware.
And this method has for it that I don't need to link my microsoft account to my computer in order transfer the licence over.
5:13 Yeah, you really gave up on the tracking 😅 Still funny everytime I see the moving screen 😅
yeah that was really funny
in the good ole Windows 7 times, you had to enter the key before downloading the Windows distro from Microsoft. If you entered an OEM key, if my memory serves me correctly, you were told to bugger off and contact your system builder. those were the days...
Be aware that if you upgrade your bios (UEFI), sometimes Windows will say that the hardware has changed and invalidate the OEM license. If you build your own system I would always choose retail for this reason alone, and also for being able to transfer.
Worked for Microsoft Support about ten years ago. OEM has free support when it comes to issues with Windows Update. All other support is PPI (Pay Per Incident).
Pay per incident and not pay per solution ... (there are some mayors issues in a 500k license environment that 500 pc don't work properly because of compatibility issues with braille displays, and it will never work ...).
I know it's hard to beta test if you can't read braille and the hardware is expensive and custom.
@@losttownstreet3409 That's something you would have to take up with the company behind the braille display. Not something that Microsoft would give you any kind of support for.. regardless of your license type.
I was able to transfer the OEM license from a decade old laptop to my current build because it was tied to my Microsoft account. I can't guarantee that will work for anyone else but I'm glad it worked out for me
I am wondering if the account is the key then. With windows 7 retail I did not actually have any Microsoft account and I was limited to two further activations on that retail licence. With Windows 11, I now have an account and it says my machine is activated to that account. I've made three major hardware changes since buying that Windows 11 retail licence and so far no problems. I am a bit scared to try a fourth time though!
how do you tie it too your MS account?
So, I've had the luck of needing to call MS Support with an OEM version after a windows update hosed a machine I was using for work from home _before_ that became a major thing. Yes, I built the computer. but my OEM key didn't come with a nice little disc or bundle of legalese like that. THey tried to turn me away. My response was simple: "Yes, the customer _did_ call the manufacturer to ask them first. I am the manufacturer of this computer, and now I'm calling you so I can support my customer because this issue is not with any added software or bits and bobs." I got my support, go figure.
If I had called them every time Windows failed, they'd need a customer support agent just for me.
I also love the fact that you generalize your information! You don’t do what everyone else is doing! Your information is very unique and applies for everyone and not only gamer systems as most things in AI do
There's another "type" of windows license (at least for server versions): ROK (reseller option kit). Those are quite a lot cheaper than "normal" retail/OEM/volume licenses but hard-locked to one hardware manufacturer. The installation routine of Windows is modified to check a certain BIOS "flag" that marks the specific manufacturer, and if it's missing or has the wrong value the installer won't even let you reach language selection, it just outright shows a message that this version of windows is only supposed to run on hardware from manufacturer X.
OEM = 1 installation of windows(this key will not work on other pc/laptops...if is tied to motherboard, again will not work)...and Retail = more than 1 installation of windows can be on separate pc/laptops(works if you change hardware)...That's what i know without looking the internet
A lot of windows server’s function are available in desktop windows, including IIS, File services, multi-session RDP/RemoteFX and even Hyper-V! Just, the UI are not quite the same but you can connect those msc to a desktop to have same UI. Some of these are sneakily hide inside registry and need to enable manual but they’re there. But besides AD and exchange, there’s not really many other things you wana try out only exist in windows server.
Thanks for taking time to try to (& succeed) understand all the differences in the subject theme of this video. I couldn't have done it, or would have given up from all the boring legalisms. Thanks too for all your many thoughtful interpretations of what you found. I copied the CMD commands of how to see what kind my system is, and I will click the link for AURA definitely. If that hadn't been a sponser of yours I never would have known about it, and in my case that is especially and critically valuable. Finally, you have a great talent in all your presentations- for, in a relaxed, easy manner, covering details-anticipating viewers’ questions! Much appreciated!
I got a W11 Pro OEM DVD in 2021, no issues since killing windows update and telemetry totally. That is all I have been buying since 2000/XP.
I did get a preinstalled version of Windows 10 moved officially by MS support when I was a teenager. IIRC the screen on my granddad's laptop at the time got broken, but I remembered that my last one was basically the same model, so I moved the hard drive. I explained honestly what happened to the support rep and they activated it for the system it was now running on.
🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁 OEM is intended to be put on a computer that you are building for someone else the license transfers to them, and they cannot transfer it to a different machine. The retail version is yours, and you can move it to machines ad-lib. We on the udder hand download software from Microsoft using an open account system. We get a substantial discount on this since we are a non-profit.
Good for you. We wanted to migrate from OEM licenses to the OA system, but the prices there... Man, we stick with OEM for good.
0:20 pause: no difference in Windows itself. Windows OEM is tied to a specific device and cannot be transferred to a new device and the device cannot undergo major hardware changes (i.e. motherboard and CPU replacement). The regular licence you buy can be transferred up to 3 times or undergo major hardware changes. Learned this when I had moved my OS (non-OEM) from one PC to a new one twice and then warranty replaced the motherboard which would have been a 4th major hardware change (same PC, same motherboard model, just replaced) and Windows would not activate. Microsoft support used a different key to re-activate my Windows. With that said: it's likely dropped by now and they do not limit your transfers ever since they started allowing you to tie it to your Microsoft account if you use it to login to the PC, though I suspect the limitation would remain in place if you try to avoid using the Microsoft account.
it's more complex: you have multiple options, and some used licenses fall off after some time without usage:
- license per person with one person one physical devices and one virtual device at the same time (+ a grace period of some days)
- license per physical device
- license in your MS account
....
With the MS account, you can move the license from one device to another, or it gets deleted after some time of not useing it.
You only bother if you use your own activation server, as for retail, MS handles all for you.
No, not really (not everywhere). This binding to hardware is not permitted, at least in Europe, if the software was purchased separately. My oldest OEM licenses are from the Windows XP era and have since been moved to dozens of computers. In other words, upgrades were carried out again and again and the licenses were never purchased together with the hardware.
@@n4botz
with a KMS Server you chose if you bind the licenses to the hardware for 180 days or to the persons which work in your organizations. (user CAL or client CAL)
@@losttownstreet3409 How do they determine if a licence is "not being used"? Would it happen if the machine had been offline for a considerable amount of time (though fully activated the last time it had been online)?
@@losttownstreet3409 if license is in your MS Account, can you use it one PC one day, a differernt one the next?
Interesting.. I acquired my laptop with Windows 8 installed, but preferred Window 7 at the time.. tried WinX but went back to 7. Then when Windows 11 hit the market I installed it via a registry fiddle as per Microsoft instructions and warnings as to installing on unsupported hardware, yet it was activated with a digital license.
I have since upgraded to Win11 22H2 with another fiddle to be able to receive Cumulative updates, and it works like a charm including the activation. So yes, I'm still benefiting from that OEM license all the way.
I was wondering about this for a while
I've used a couple different gray market sites for OEM license keys. They work well for very cheap. If you're looking to upgrade a laptop or prebuilt machine easily, do a fresh install and save the license key to the install media.
It's talking about support for non Microsoft apps, these apps support comes form the oem, but programs like MS Office is provided by Microsoft, Microsoft core features support is also provided by Microsoft, but for other issues you would contact oem.
I think the licence numbers is different too, as I remember on my old windows 7 on a laptop it say xxxx-OEM-xxxx-xxx instead of all numbers you get an OEM word
I believe the "5x5" Alpha-numeric keys began with windows XP (Perhaps 2000?) and what you are describing was used on Win 95 to 98SE.
@@mstover2809 "Product IDs" (the 95 and 98 style keys) are still automatically generated nowadays and show up in system properties in control panel. Just they are useless now.
It is also used on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 21H1. But NOT on the non-IoT version. I have installed both of these today (20240905)
Love the content Thio, keep it up
Many years ago win98 days MS refused support on me because I had a OEM machine, today it is different. They will provide support for windows itself only. You made the point about the most big difference between the two is basically moving to a new pc or motherboard replacement. Heck these days you do not even need to go to the store to buy windows, you can simply download it from Microsoft for free but you will have to obtain the license. Which you can get one fairly cheap, some say they want the disc either because they think they own it or for restoration. 1. you don't own it and 2. you can always get a current copy from Microsoft or do a system copy or clone, should you ever need to do a clean install and start over. you can then put it to a disc, another HDD, SSD or thumb drive. Personally since I build my own I went OEM to save cost however retail version may have been better should I ever need to replace motherboard. As for windows support goes I really don't use it, but that does not mean that I may never need it. Lastly you are basically just paying for a license to use windows, also that disc you bought will not be the current version with all it's updates. Which means you will have to run windows update and that could take a very long time.
Thanks for the video and explanation Thio!
As someone who used to service and build PC's it used to be more difficult to get an OEM license reactivated after a repair or reinstall of Windows. I am talking more about the XP and Vista days. As part of MS technet we had access to extended support for reactivating windows licenses over the phone or online. You could still do it as a user but it often took longer and for certain things like motherboard replacements under warranty it was harder for the average user to get an OEM license reactivated. This process mostly went away in the Windows 7 to 8 upgrade years as MS made it far easier to reactivate installs for the user. Now Technet is long gone, partly replaced by MS Q&A and the license side is mostly part of enterprise licensing.
Where I live in Australia my experience was slightly different. I built my first Windows 7 machine probably around 2009. I bought a full retail Windows 7 licence when I built that machine despite the OEM licence being a much cheaper option (if you bought it when you bought all the parts). Everything remained fine with that licence when I totally re-built that machine in 2012, changing pretty much everything except the power supply and optical drive. That machine functioned perfectly for a decade till the mainboard died in 2022. I had actually bought the same chipset mainboard (ASUS, but a higher end model) as a spare back a few years after building that machine so when the mainboard died in 2022, I put that new spare "old stock" board in. That was when I had a re-activation problem and had to re-activate by phone. On the phone, Microsoft told me that would be my last re-activation on that licence even though it was retail and they agreed it was retail. So I guess what I am saying is I did not really find the windows 7 retail re-activation experience as easy or as flexible as I liked or had expected it to be.
Years ago I saw a written description of Microsoft Windows OEM instructing the customer to call the manufacturer if you had problems with the OS. That is probably because of the "added features" provided by the manufacturer.
im using OEM windows and i already did contact Microsoft Support and talked with support Agent and i got support to help me solving a problem i had
Speaking for Thinkpads - I discovered that when I used the OEM Windows from Lenovo, I got longer Battery life and less heat than when using the Windows Creation Tool. I also had no Bloatware (except Lenovo Software) on the OEM but Spotify and others on the Windows install.
Could be because Thinkpads are not a normal customer PC but rather business Laptops.
@@MaisistkeinGemuese could it be lenovo battery management software?
@@Ridcally I did multiple tests almost a year long. Tests were with:
- Windows Image with No Additional Software or Drivers
- Windows Image with Vantage only
- Windows Image with all Drivers manually installed
- Windows Image with Vantage and all Drivers installed
- Lenovo Windows Image
The Battery and Cooling went better gradually, how I listed things. Among the manually Installed Drivers were also the Battery Management Software and other Drivers and Software from Lenovo.
I still had the best Results with the Lenovo Image. Device was a Lenovo Thinkpad Z13 Gen1 with an AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U.
I just tried the command and it says my license is a retail license. Even though i definitely bought an OEM license many years ago. BUT my license is tied to my microsoft account and has been in use on 3 different iterations of my PCs over the years. Maybe it got converted into a retail license somewhere along the way?
Important information: I'm still on Windows 10. Never upgraded. Maybe that makes a difference?
Did your computer ship with Windows 10? Or windows 7? The OEM may be tied to a Win 7 version, that was automatically upgraded to Win 10.
@@mstover2809 My PC didn't ship with anything. I built it myself. Like i said in my initial comment: I purchased the license myself from an online vendor many years ago. The PC was built from scratch and was running win10 from the start.
The first ever copy of OEM Windows I purchased did not allow me to transfer it to my next machine. However, years later I subsequently bought another OEM copy of Windows and I've been using it for years - it worked for me no problem on two subsequent new machine builds.
I would love to see a video talking about the differences between these licenses and the cd-keys resellers, their consequences and limitations. Thanks for your content, Joe.
I think this is to make sure they can support their hardware for their customers, and so they can't just link to microsoft's support on their website.
The point is that microsoft doesn't need to provide support for your broken hardware or broken drivers, which is common case for many users.
Back in the day when I was testing stuff a lot, I re-installed Windows every 3 months or so.
With the OEM version I could only activate it a certain amount of time.
It was the same hardware I installed it so that wasn't the issue.
I just couldn't activate it after like 10 - 15 times.
With Retail I never had that issue.
If you buy cheap "OEM" keys from sketchy sites, you may lose activation after a while because Microsoft detects fraud and cancels the keys.
You may remember Windows Genuine Advantage from Windows XP that checked in periodically for license validity; this got baked into Windows since Vista.
Yeah after that you just called ms and they would give you the refresh, which reset the install clock after a few years
I had an issue. At a third re-activation attempt on a full retail Windows 7 licence I was told that would be the last re-activation they would grant me. When I made a fourth change I had to buy a whole new Windows 7 retail licence again. It has been these sorts of restrictions that have kept me from upgrading hardware as often as I would have liked.
Hi Joe, Whatever you said about the support, it is absolutely correct. No one will call to microsoft support team, instead of they will start searching the resolution by asking the others or from google, youtube. Even i got confused about the difference between retail and oem. Reason i moved to hdd to sdd , at that time their installed oem version but before it is retail version.
Oem is usually tied to the hardware it's activated on. But can be transferred using your Microsoft account
What interesting is, I still have a volume license copy of Windows xp Pro. It doesn't have activation, so just install it on whatever and it works. I got it from my High School tech class. My teacher needed a bunch of copies of the master xp CD, and when I made all the copies, I made one for myself. This was back in 2006, but I still have it.
Yours still works today? Awesome, as MS was VERY intent on DEACTIVATING all of those for just that reason!
@@mstover2809 Yes it still works. The volume license edition of xp Pro never had activation. So you can install it on whatever and run it forever if you wanted to.
XP rules!
Guess who’s back :3 love your content dude! Perfect for learning :3
I used to work at an OEM, they tend to custom reg to add the logo of the company and phone number for support...like Dell and Gateway verses what you buy from Best-buy without hardware attached. The keys on the machines I used to build at the OEM did not matter as much, but over time MSFT stickers removed their keys from the stickers. Unused keys after a few months or a year could be registered for "free" upgrades until they used the unique hardware of the motherboard...making extracting the key from the OS to reuse pointless...cool trick to bypass lojack at one time is to replace the HD and the BIOS of the MB at the same time due to firmware upgrade or MB replacement.
I believe Microsoft directs people to the System Builder because many of them tinker with the OS, so it would be wise to first ask the people who messed with the system before asking the people who built it originally
I am using OEM windows from last more than 4 years. I had contacted twice Microsoft for support and they had always helped me to figure out. So answer is yes they provide support to OEM license also.
I mounted the SSD from my old, broken laptop with an OEM Win10 to a new, systemless one. The license was automatically transferred anyway.
I made my living managing a global Windows network. Aside from packaging, or lack thereof, the only difference is in the license. With OEM, the license lives and dies with the hardware it's installed on. If you retire the hardware, the license goes with it. The OEM license cannot be transferred to a different computer; doing so violates the terms.
With modern, pre-built computers, the Windows activation key is baked into the computer's UEFI (some people still call it BIOS), so if you retire the PC and buy a new one, you don't have to worry about the license since it's in the UEFI.
Home-built systems, from parts, won't have a license built into the UEFI. Some home-builders play fast-and-loose (or may not know the details of the license) and transfer OEM licenses if they build a new computer. As this is a violation of the OEM license terms, it could, potentially, get you into trouble, particularly if you "narc" yourself out by calling Microsoft for support and tell them what you did (transferred to new hardware) that led up to the problem you're having.
In more than two decades, I only called Microsoft support twice. Once turned out to be a registry setting that was inexplicably corrupted. The other was a bug in Windows, for which an update was already in the works at the time of my call.
These days, if I have a problem, Google is more than adequate to find a solution, or find a whole bunch of other people with the same problem. If it's a true OS problem, just wait about a week - Microsoft release updates weekly, usually on Tuesday.
If you ever do a follow-up video, you should mention Windows Refund Day, where the OEM license actually did play a role. Linux people that day all filed for a refund for their Windows licenses, which was allowed in the EULA, except these people all had OEM licenses because they bought new PCs that shipped with Windows. There ended up being a chicken and egg problem of Microsoft telling people to talk to the manufacturer, and the manufacturer telling people to see Microsoft for their refund. Probably wouldn't have happened if those people had Retail licenses.
It's been 25 years, that's still my favourite ever time that Linux ended up on the news.
And you can tell the news recordings are from 25 years ago, because they actually talked to the angry people and not just the corporation involved.
My first PC was a cheap Lenovo prebuilt desktop that came with an OEM version of windows. I have since cloned that drive (and the OS) to the SSD in my current PC that I built from scratch and I also still run the same OS license on my old prebuilt and it works fine.
If you buy any version of Windows, whether physical or digital, the first thing Windows does is update the data. You will never get an absolutely current version. Which means that according to Windows terms you are entitled to direct support either way.
Good to hear some real knowledge about the subject of whether you will receive support or not. Internet rumors quickly turn into "fact".
4:07 I purchased the OEM Windows 7 a while back for the self built computer. Upgraded the motherboard two years later and the license wouldn't activate. I called MS Support, long distance in fact and got routed to their India call center, and they actually gave me a new activation code with no trouble. Windows resided in the same HD, twas only the mobo that was upgraded and they considered it. In fact, the same license qualified me to upgrade to W10 later on, which I did. MS licensing is not as strict really. And if you register your license with your MS account, it becomes more seamless to move licenses and machines.
I actually contacted Microsoft Support on a OEM license, and it worked without a problem.
So this is what i understand, the reason why microsoft mention if you want to get support on Windows OEM you need to contact your manufacturer first is because most manufacturers and system builder usually preinstall software / driver and even features that is not a standard from microsoft.
11:27 In A "Microsoft may provide" and in B "Microsoft provides". So if they don't want they can stop providing for OEM.
11:33 This text in A specifies support only about MS software when B seems like allowing to ask for support of any installed software.
PS: Never asked MS support.
it's legalese, so where they say "may" it means "is allowed to" or "must" in most cases. from Black's Law Dictionary 9th edition:
may, vb. (bef. 12c) 1. To be permitted to . 2. To be a possibility .
Cf. can, 3. Loosely, is required to; shall; must . ¢ In dozens
ot cases, courts have held may to be synonymous with
shall or must, usu. in an effort to effectuate legislative
rad intent. [Cases: Statutes C2227]
I actually know something little different, but I'm not fully sure about this.
OEM - is bound to the PC for a 1 time use license.
Retail - is bound to your account and a "current" PC, you can actually "release" it, and then use for a newer PC instead.
Again, I'm not fully sure
This has been my experience with Windows 11 so far (three major hardware changes under one retail licence) but now I am unsure reading other comments here whether the number of Windows 11 "rebuilds" under a retail licence is restricted or not. I thought you could basically rebuild with new components as often as you liked under Windows 11 retail, so long as you went online and verified that the latest build was the machine you wanted linked to the licence. But now I am reading there is a limit which sounds exactly like how it worked (for me at least) in the Windows 7 days: three major hardware changes and a new retail licence was required for the fourth hardware change. I don't know who is right!?
The main difference is that the OEM is bought by PC manufactures and the regular one you buy from the store
You can still get the exact same support from your mamufacturer if you install the "normal version". If they did not they would not be supporting their computers. OEM is just cheaper because margins and tied to the machine.
The only difference is the builtin reinstall partition, and the bloatware. Oh and maybe some driver but that depends if it needs special drivers.
2:26 - "why physical version is cheaper", easy, because Product Key delivery by email is INSTANT, why DVD will come by mail package. Most probably not that many people willing to wait, so DVD is discounted.
DVD version needs to clear the warehouse space, hence encouraging people to get it. Most new laptops don't have a dvd mechanics, so they would be sitting there like ducks. I got my digital one for some 21 Euro, Win11 Pro.
It should be noted that "Retail OEM" that you'd buy direct from the likes of Newegg, is a fair bit different than the "Volume OEM" licenses that the likes of Dell have. First, Dell can negotiate a much cheaper price, and they get redistribution/modification allowances to they can supply the restore disks, and can purchase without support, in which cases Microsoft will refer users to the OE for support. Other than those changes, the difference between OEM (the direct version) and Retail is simply the packaging and distribution stipulations.
be honest people who buys this for these prices. i dont know anyone who has done this.
Updated the BIOS FW on my motherboard, and windows decided it was "new hardware". Luckily the windows activation script on github saved my butt
I remember when i updated for Windows 7 from Vista, i had to call a number to get a license.
I haven't heard you say it yet, but I discovered that you can't use an OEM version to upgrade an existing system. When I go to pro using OEM, I have to install it from scratch and lose everything installed on the home edition, for example.
Should have used the generic key for the upgrade, then put the OEM key in after
My previous desktop had an OEM installation and I had zero issues upgrading to Pro. I didn't have to format or anything, and then I upgraded to Enterprise for the fun of it. My new desktop now runs IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021.
/This no upgrades with oem, its for new hardware.
Not true for so many years... Just type in the new key, it will tell you need to restart your PC and after the restart the new license is ok. Fun fact: it also works to other way (from Pro to Home). Tried it several times with Windows 10, worked every time.
@@michamarkowski2204 All true, except for the Pro to Home part. Windows treats the Home to Pro upgrade as a one-way trip. You can freely license switch between the other editions on the upgrade path, but in order to downgrade back to Home, you first need to tweak the registry. Although Home Edition is trash, I don't know why anyone would want to do that.
02:33 because physical cannot be transferable
But digital can bind to any account you can use with the newer version to activate
Bro, OEM and Retail version are not same but they differ how they were sell. You get support for both version either through quick help or logmein remote session. The only difference is that OEM is device specific and can't be transfer to other PC. Like if you activate OEM version on a device, it will bind with the hardware of that machine and can't be transfer to other device. But if you buy a retail key, You can active and transfer to other device. OEM license is for single device only and even if you upgrade your motherboard or any component, OEM license will not work as it took the device as different one and you have to contact microsoft and they will activate Windows in case of motherboard change but if you want to remove OEM windows from one PC and then want to use it on other device, it is not possible with OEM license while you can transfer retail license from one device to other. That's the biggest difference.
Thank you so much for everything you teach in your videos. It’s so so interesting! And information not shown anywhere else!
I wish you talked about Mac the same way you do in windows! Mac needs a true guru as you are!
Don't pay $120 for am OEM key. These are usually sold in volume for way cheaper. You can buy these volume license keys for literally 5 bucks or less (for Windows Pro) online, there are sites that are as far as I know completely legal here in Germany, you have a right to resell keys here. I didn't even know these originally come with physical packaging, you just need the key. Never install from an installation disk or download that comes with the purchase, just download Windows from the Microsoft site so you don't get additional bloatware. At this price frankly I couldn't care less if it's transferable or not.
Yes I did it to got it for about 0.70$ retail key for windows 10 pro from what I remember a Russian store. But anyways it works amazingly I have been using it for about 1 year already and so far so good it shows up as retail key win 10 pro. I’m still wondering how they source it at such low prices even sourcing wholesale quantities it seems to still be very low price 🤔
In Brazil, the diference is more than 10 times.
I can buy retail Online Licence for R$ 1599,99 or buy one OEM KEY at third party for R$130,00.
Funny thing is that USD 1 = 5.42 BRL (month ago was around 5 BRL).
It won't match OEM price showed, it is actually around US$ 25 for OEM or US$ 300,00 for Retail of the 11 Pro licence.
Many moons ago I contacted MS for a question of using a pc with Office on it (that I purchased) and transferring Office to another PC. They were actually helpful. I'm sure that kind of support doesn't exist anymore.
I've transferred the license on my desktop like 3 times (1 RMA replacement and 2 MOBO upgrades) so the retail license was definitely worth it.
4:04 Depends on your country. In Germany this found to be invalid when companies tried to resell used Windows licenses.
The main difference is that the retail license cannot be legally resold or integrated into a product. That is, if you have a company which builds computers you cannot buy a retail version of Windows, install it, and sell the computer. For the normal OEM license your company needs to have an OEM distribution agreement with Microsoft. Not too familiar with the "system builder's" OEM license, but if I remember right, it had some restrictions on resale volume and doesn't require an agreement with Microsoft.
I work as IT in a very big company on Brazil, we bought several computers and activated Windows normally with an OEM version. The only real difference from the digital license is that the OEM windows keys are linked to the motherboard (normally), and in a hardware change such as changing a video card, Windows may ask to activate again (rare but it happens).
Regarding support, it's a total lie that they won't help you depending on your activation key, I've already had to contact Microsoft support in Office, and support accessed my machine to solve the problem, even in another case where they accessed a VM, like Windows wasn't even activated in that hahaha
Microsoft support is so goofy, you'll be googling a question about something in Windows 11, then when you click on the Microsoft link the only answer will be some guy with some title under their name responding by telling you to use a menu point that doesn't exist and then the question author says "thanks it worked!"
My two cents:
I only ever had to call Microsoft support once. Back in the days of Windows 2000 and XP, Microsoft would sometimes issue an update to fix a specific problem but had not gone through full testing. To get these updates, you had to call them. I had one such issue, I seem to recall that it was related to hot-swapping floppy/CD-ROM drives on a laptop. I remember calling them (with an OEM licence) and they e-mailed me a download link without any question of the licence.
Also, I remember reading a while back that the stipulation that "OEM licences are tied to the device" was rendered invalid in Germany. So users in Germany should have no legal issues with transferring the licence.
Windows doesn't care about whether you're using an OEM or Retail license when it's trying to transfer licenses across PC's. There's some people saying it doesn't work on OEM licenses because the license transferring process barely works and fails to transfer a lot of the times regardless of key type.
The difference is that if you have a hardware problem and swap out a few components to try and resolve the issue, MS will thoroughly shaft you and revoke the OEM key you legally paid for, THAT is theft so far as I am concerned.
Microsoft may not provide support for problems installing an OEM license. The OEM system builder is supposed to install windows, not the end user.
Joe, the biggest difference between OEM and Retail, as far as Microsoft support is concerned, is in the installation. If you have a problem with installing Windows and are running the OEM version, Microsoft will not support you. If you are running the retail version and you are having a problem with the installation of Windows, Microsoft will support you. The OEM version is configurable so that specific drivers can be added during installation. Microsoft will not troubleshoot installation problems with you under an OEM license. They require you to go back to the manufacturer from which it was purchased.
Since Windows 10 came out, OEM license key stickers from manufactures no longer come on the computers, but yet if you buy an OEM license yourself, it comes with a sticker that disclaims that it must be attached to the computer. Why are companies like HP, Dell, etc. not held to that technicality? Even volume licensing comes with key stickers, hence why the said companies used to put the key stickers on their PC's they sold. To say that the key is "locked" to that computer's hardware, therefore no need for a key since any re-install of Windows 10/11 will auto activate, still doesn't explain why OEM purchasable copies actually provide a key sticker that "must" be attached to the computer it is activated on. Just something that has perplexed me lol
Volume licensing doesn’t come with any stickers. It’s a digital service. You get two keys with VL - KMS and MAK. You can deploy millions of desktops with KMS if you desire as long as you set the key to the appropriate GVLK and your machines can reach the KMS host within the token lifetime to renew.
Be prepared for True-Up though. They will come knocking when year 3 is almost up.
In South Africa, Microsoft puts the telephone down in your ear when you give your license number and it turns out to be OEM. If your computer builders is closed or out of business, you are screwed. Microsoft will not support you. I know, it happened to me three times.
As for "Not getting Support"
That may have been the case in the past, these days Microsoft will use an AI bot to do the "Help"
I actually upgraded from an OEM copy of Windows 7, but wound up with a retail copy of Windows 10. I did the same with a computer with Windows 8.1 as well--an older HP laptop I upgraded the RAM and installed an SSD on to make it usable.
(Said laptop took 10 minutes to boot, and like a minute to launch any app.)
I remember getting Vista in a box back in the day, but i think i got a digital license for 7, and got windows 10 for free when microsoft initially made it available.
This reminds me of the challenge of knowing where to submit issues on Linux: the desktop manager, the windowing manager, the distro, the Linux kernel?
The main point I see with getting the full retail version is that if I am upgrading my motherboard and need to run windows on my new machine, I would have to have the retail version to do that. I haven’t actually just tried booting the machine recently after a major hardware change like that. I am curious who all have changed out their motherboard and tried booting windows.
My question is Why does Microsoft have India customer Reps that you can barely understand? Microsoft is a company that is based in the United States. Most of the time there clueless too on your problem. I just don't understand it.
I'm pretty sure I got remote support from a Microsoft support agent when I was having an issue with sound on my laptop once, which had an OEM lisence. This was probably several years ago.
The only real difference is that OEM licenses are not transferable between machines whereas retail is.