WinXP OEM or Retail?

[danny_w]

Will an OEM disk (not a reinstall disk, but a new OEM disk from the store) work in Parallels and/or VMware and/or Bootcamp? Do any of these require a retail disk? OEM disks are usually much cheaper than a retail, boxed copy at places such as Fry's, so I was just wondering...

[-Alan-]

I installed an OEM version of WinXP Pro on my Mac. I bought it new with a couple of hard drives from Newegg.

I'm using Parallels, though I also tested a Boot Camp install. Parallels is much easier to set up. And it seems to work perfectly.

[danny_w]

Thanks. That's what I needed to know.

I installed an OEM version of WinXP Pro on my Mac. I bought it new with a couple of hard drives from Newegg.

I'm using Parallels, though I also tested a Boot Camp install. Parallels is much easier to set up. And it seems to work perfectly.

[Alican]

I installed an OEM version of WinXP Pro on my Mac. I bought it new with a couple of hard drives from Newegg.

I'm using Parallels, though I also tested a Boot Camp install. Parallels is much easier to set up. And it seems to work perfectly.

Interesting, I was reading the quick start guide available on the parallels website which says "do not use an OEM version". Obviously it worked for you.

EDIT: I suppose it worked because your OEM version was a first install. I gather OEM versions are not transferrable between machines - i.e. you won't be able to activate your copy if it was previously installed on another machine.

[tilman]

Interesting, I was reading the quick start guide available on the parallels website which says "do not use an OEM version". Obviously it worked for you

That's a licensing issue. The only difference between the retail version and the OEM version is the license, the price, and the physical packaging. The bits are the same. OEM versions are supposed to be only sold together with a computer, and the license is then tied to that particular computer. It cannot be transferred to another computer. If you get rid of the computer, your OEM license is gone, too.

[fiercetiger224]

That's a licensing issue. The only difference between the retail version and the OEM version is the license, the price, and the physical packaging. The bits are the same. OEM versions are supposed to be only sold together with a computer, and the license is then tied to that particular computer. It cannot be transferred to another computer. If you get rid of the computer, your OEM license is gone, too.

Too bad Microsoft can't really track if you've transferred it to another computer or not. I've transferred my OEM copy of XP through 3 computers already. Each year they allow you to activate your copy of Windows again, in case nobody knows that...Or so it seems. :rolleyes:

If you try to activate it again in the same year (if you have to reinstall Windows for any reason), of course you'll get a message saying you've exceeded the amount of times activated on that serial. You just call them and tell them that you only have it installed on one machine and then they'll give you an activation key. So either way, you can activate it by waiting one year, or calling them on the phone. :D I think Vista is harder to get by this time around... :mad:

[Alican]

I think Vista is harder to get by this time around... :mad:[/QUOTE]

Yes I think Vista is harder on this re reactivating on another computer but more forgiving than XP on hardware changes except the motherboard. I think if you have to change the motherboard there will be real problems reactivating vista OEM from what I've read.

I suppose Paralells are distancing themselves from such complications.

With regard to bootcamp, if I get a Mac and want to run windows XP, I'd have to buy a new copy because my windows is an upgrade disk pre-SP2.

[xUKHCx]

I think Vista is harder to get by this time around... :mad:

Yes I think Vista is harder on this re reactivating on another computer but more forgiving than XP on hardware changes except the motherboard. I think if you have to change the motherboard there will be real problems reactivating vista OEM from what I've read.

I suppose Paralells are distancing themselves from such complications.

With regard to bootcamp, if I get a Mac and want to run windows XP, I'd have to buy a new copy because my windows is an upgrade disk pre-SP2.[/QUOTE]

I successfully managed to slipstream an SP2 upgrade into non SP2 XP disk and got it installed following these instructions (http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp). Worth a try.

[Alican]

I successfully managed to slipstream an SP2 upgrade into non SP2 XP disk and got it installed following these instructions (http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp). Worth a try.

Thanks for that. Was your non-sp2 windows disk a full version or an upgrade version? (i.e. when installing it asks for a Win 98 or 95 disk in order to allow the install to continue)

[Max Payne]

I think you can use an OEM copy of Win XP.

[Alican]

But the bootcamp install instructions say this

"Do not use an upgrade version of Windows and do
not install an earlier version of Windows XP and attempt to update it later to SP2. Use
only 32-bit versions of Windows."

I assume from this that bootcamp won't like the "please insert your earlier copy of windows" bit (to varify the install)

Sliptreaming SP2 is possible but i don't know if there are any files on my Win 98 disk that I could slip stream.

[PCtoMac-change]

Was thinking about this myself, but didn't MS say something like everything except the mobo was fair game?

[Alican]

Was thinking about this myself, but didn't MS say something like everything except the mobo was fair game?

That's it as far as I can tell. I have heard that if you fry your motherboard and replace with an identical one you could get it reactivated over the phone.

Problem is there a probably lots of people with OEM Windows installed on their PCs not realising what the restrictions are. They are then temped to go MAC on the strength that they can install windows. When they get their Mac and install windows from the OEM disk they will then hit the activation problems. Microsoft will be quids in as people have to buy full versions of windows.

[fiercetiger224]

That's it as far as I can tell. I have heard that if you fry your motherboard and replace with an identical one you could get it reactivated over the phone.

Problem is there a probably lots of people with OEM Windows installed on their PCs not realising what the restrictions are. They are then temped to go MAC on the strength that they can install windows. When they get their Mac and install windows from the OEM disk they will then hit the activation problems. Microsoft will be quids in as people have to buy full versions of windows.

That's why you call them and tell them you only have it installed on one machine. :D They'll never know that you transferred it or not. Or even have it installed on two machines. :p

[balamw]

Sliptreaming SP2 is possible but i don't know if there are any files on my Win 98 disk that I could slip stream.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=192164

Read the whole thread as the original instructions are now a dead link.

B

[Alican]

Thanks for that. Looks like i've saved myself a few quid. As my mac hasn't been delivered yet, i've only got as far as slip streaming sp2 and copying the win98 folders. I tried the disk out and I still get the 'setup was unable to find a previous version of windows..etc' but hitting enter seems to force it to recheck the disk and installation proceeds (or it would if I let it)

[Alican]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=192164

Read the whole thread as the original instructions are now a dead link.

B

You said in that thread, you held down the option key when restarting so you could select boot media - in this case CD. So I presume a native install of windows begins, just as if you were installing on a new PC. But how did you get the windows installer to recognise the Mac's SATA drive to install on? When I install windows on my pc (my c drive is a sata drive), it won't see the drive unless I press F6 at the begining of the intall process which will lead to the sata controller drivers to be copied off floppy, that enables windows installer to see the sata drive. Obviously that's no good for a mac because a: there is no floppy and b: i only have drivers for my PC's sata controller, not the Mac's.

Are the Mac's sata drivers included on the driver disk that bootcamp creates? If so, is just copying the mac drivers into a subfolder as you suggested enough for the windows installer to detect the sata drives?

[balamw]

So I presume a native install of windows begins, just as if you were installing on a new PC. But how did you get the windows installer to recognise the Mac's SATA drive to install on?
You did slipstream SP2, right? It supports the Mac's SATA interfaces out of the box.

B

[danny_w]

You did slipstream SP2, right? It supports the Mac's SATA interfaces out of the box.

I don't think it needs to understand the SATA drive by itself. I installed Win98 (which most certainly predates SATA) under VMware and it worked flawlessly (except for audio support which was absent for some reason).

[balamw]

I don't think it needs to understand the SATA drive by itself. I installed Win98 (which most certainly predates SATA) under VMware and it worked flawlessly (except for audio support which was absent for some reason).

Uh... VMWare is making the SATA drives look like generic drives so you don't need any special drivers.

When installing XP to hardware natively (Mac or not) you will generally need storage drivers for anything but the most plain vanilla boxes since lots of RAID interfaces, etc.. require special drivers (either to function at all or to achieve peak performance). You may be able to boot thanks to BIOS emulation, but as soon as Windows XP loads it detects the interface "properly" and realizes it doesn't have the right drivers.

B

[Alican]

You did slipstream SP2, right? It supports the Mac's SATA interfaces out of the box.

B


Yes I did slipstream SP2 but it still doesnt see my sata. Anyway I've just read that I need to buy XP Pro as it's only this version that supports 2 processors (I am buying a mac pro). Home (which is the version I already have) only supports one processor -but will support multi core single processors

[cbrain]

Is it actually legal to run OEM? (I mean a brand new one, not one that came with an old computer.)

[balamw]

Home (which is the version I already have) only supports one processor -but will support multi core single processors

Thanks for getting that right for once. There are SOOOO many people who think that Home won't support their Core 2 Duo processors. :rolleyes:

The retail XP Home SP2 Upgrade CD I used for my Boot Camp install worked just fine with my iMac, and I've also recently had the "pleasure" of downgrading a number of Dell Vista Conroe boxes to XPSP2 with the Dell install CD and had no SATA problems, except for the one case where a piece of software I need only installs properly on SP1, so we had to install SP1 first, the app and upgrade to SP2.

Is it actually legal to run OEM? (I mean a brand new one, not one that came with an old computer.)

Read the Systems Builders License and decide for yourself. The previous version seemed OK, but the latest seems to have a bit more restrictions. I read it that it's acceptable if you can support yourself, and you don't redistribute the license. i.e. remove it if you sell the box. Most of the OEM restrictions are tied to redistribution (when you redistribute you must preinstall and support the install you distributed).

B

[Alican]

Is it actually legal to run OEM? (I mean a brand new one, not one that came with an old computer.)

If it's a first time install (not been previously installed on another computer) then yes. Once installed, it's tied to your computer (motherboard it seems), and you won't be able to use it on another without breaking t and cs

[Alican]

Thanks for getting that right for once. There are SOOOO many people who think that Home won't support their Core 2 Duo processors. :rolleyes:

The retail XP Home SP2 Upgrade CD I used for my Boot Camp install worked just fine with my iMac,
B

I have a feeling that bootcamp must make the sata visible to the windows installer. This page http://www.macprojournal.com/xp.html mentioned a problem with the sata driver and implies that driver came from bootcamp.

I've just popped in the XP pro installation disk, and that too doesn't see my sata

[danny_w]

Uh... VMWare is making the SATA drives look like generic drives so you don't need any special drivers.

When installing XP to hardware natively (Mac or not) you will generally need storage drivers for anything but the most plain vanilla boxes since lots of RAID interfaces, etc.. require special drivers (either to function at all or to achieve peak performance). You may be able to boot thanks to BIOS emulation, but as soon as Windows XP loads it detects the interface "properly" and realizes it doesn't have the right drivers.

B
Yes, I agree that you need drivers for a native installation, but I started this thread about vm installations, so I thought that was what you were referring to.

[balamw]

Will an OEM disk (not a reinstall disk, but a new OEM disk from the store) work in Parallels and/or VMware and/or Bootcamp?

I started this thread about vm installations

:confused:;)

Anyhow, I was responding to Alican.

B

[SMM]

Too bad Microsoft can't really track if you've transferred it to another computer or not. I've transferred my OEM copy of XP through 3 computers already. Each year they allow you to activate your copy of Windows again, in case nobody knows that...Or so it seems. :rolleyes:

If you try to activate it again in the same year (if you have to reinstall Windows for any reason), of course you'll get a message saying you've exceeded the amount of times activated on that serial. You just call them and tell them that you only have it installed on one machine and then they'll give you an activation key. So either way, you can activate it by waiting one year, or calling them on the phone. :D I think Vista is harder to get by this time around... :mad:

I vote for you as XP User of the Decade (conceding it has not been around for a decade)! Anyone who can re-activate XP OEM, three times, is alright in my book.

Usually, I order PC's (desktops and laptops) in quantities of six. In the past (we are changing our purchasing strategy), we order XP Pro and Office Basic installed. Occasionally, the install sucks, and we wipe it and redo it. That is when we run into our first difficulty with the OEM issue. We also get a few Dell motherboard failures. That is when we run into our second difficulty with OEM licensing. The problem escalates when we contact a foreigner, with limited communication abilities, who want to go straight through the 'written procedure'. They only seem to have learned to speak english, not understand it. Furthermore, they act like you are trying to burn them on a drug deal. It is frustrating beyond belief.

We are close to MS. We work in close proximity to Redmond, and also have literally hundreds of friends, family and colleagues working there. So, a few months ago, we had a rep come visit us and explain all of the ins, and outs, of licensing and activation. It is an absolute cluster fork. Sheepishly he warned us that things were going to become more difficult for us in the future. His suggestion: buy retail versions of all of their software, except for concurrent licensing.