As stupid as this may sound do I really need a retail version of seven to run in Bootcamp or can I buy a regular OEM off newegg? 
The OEM copy will work just fine.
Ok good that's what I thought LOL![]()
Or you can save yourself even more money and get a $30 Student Upgrade version of Win7 Pro. I installed and activated one such copy in Boot Camp on my MP. And I'm not even a student, unless you count the study of Windows 7 installation workarounds![]()
I did this using my daughter's college credentials. The only sneaky thing I did was to get two licenses, even though you're technically only allowed one per student. I simply used an alternate form of her school email address (one that includes the name of the mail server) and the system allowed the second application to go through, apparently because it only checks the validity of the email address, not the person's name. Of course you can't just make up an edu address and make it work. It has to be real, because to complete the application process you need to respond to the automated message that they send you. Just to be clear, I had to pay $30 for the second key.
Exploiting a loophole in the system is not stealing.
I guess you're one of those people who buy stuff tax free from Amazon (or across the border in NH, NM or OR), only to pay the sales tax of their own free will when they file their state income tax returns. After all, the law says you must![]()