Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

themagicsquad

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 8, 2008
15
0
I've been told to go for the cheaper vista oem version. In the boot camp guide it says you shouldn't use oem. Why? Will it work?
 
I've used OEM disks of both Vista & XP on different machines ( not the same disk ) and they have all installed Ok

There meant for developers building machines from the ground up so unless you get one that is machine hardware specific ie Dell,your'll be fine
 
well i have been able to use my dell restoration disc for bootcamp

If you're using the CD key from the Dell, then you're violating the EULA that you agreed to when you first used your Dell. You need to buy XP/Vista again, you are not allowed to transfer the license for OEM licenses.
 
Yes, OEM versions are OK. It's as simple as that, the only thing is that with the OEM versions, if you want to use it on a different machine, it won't work, because the Licenses are non-transferrable. Also, OEMs are meant for building PCs, which, in a way, you're doing :D.
 
Not only is the OEM version sufficient for Boot Camp, but you can install it on Boot Camp and also access the installation via VMware Fusion or Parallels as a virtual machine. Less than a week ago, I was as concerned as you are regarding the OEM risk. But it (Windows Vista Premium) activated fine via Boot Camp and when booted with Fusion.

If you decide to also boot into Fusion, remember to install what are called "VM Ware Tools" before you boot the Boot Camp partition into Fusion. Otherwise, you could get trouble during the license activation.
 
OEM won't validate

I bought a XP Pro SP2 OEM installer CD last year, but for various reasons never got around to installing on my MBP till today. When I tried to validate the 25 digit license after the installation, it keeps failing. Tried the phone number, and it said the number wasn't correct, though I've entered it correctly.

So it looks like I got screwed for the $150(?) - has MS cracked down on OEM disks? Not sure what to do now - I guess I'm out another $250 for a retail license...
 
I bought a XP Pro SP2 OEM installer CD last year, but for various reasons never got around to installing on my MBP till today. When I tried to validate the 25 digit license after the installation, it keeps failing. Tried the phone number, and it said the number wasn't correct, though I've entered it correctly.

So it looks like I got screwed for the $150(?) - has MS cracked down on OEM disks? Not sure what to do now - I guess I'm out another $250 for a retail license...

Don't think so as i installed as i only installed a OEM version of XP on a friends MBP a couple of days ago,the only thing i could suggest is to get in touch with M$
direct either by phone or e-mail & explain the situation
 
Boot Camp Performance?

I need to purchase a rather massive machine to run simultaneous analysis & charting programs for trading stocks in real time. I heard that MAC actually runs windows faster than PC via Boot Camp? Im looking at a Dou Quad Core processor to run 2 - 4 monitors.... is MAC and Boot Camp really 100% Compatible?
 
I need to purchase a rather massive machine to run simultaneous analysis & charting programs for trading stocks in real time. I heard that MAC actually runs windows faster than PC via Boot Camp? Im looking at a Dou Quad Core processor to run 2 - 4 monitors.... is MAC and Boot Camp really 100% Compatible?

I don't quite understand what you mean. Every PC has an MAC address, and so has every Mac, and many other items. And obviously Boot Camp is 100% compatible with MAC addresses, otherwise Ethernet and many other things wouldn't work. You must be confusing something.
 
I heard that MAC actually runs windows faster than PC via Boot Camp?
FWIW, it's "Mac" (short for "Macintosh"), not "MAC". As gnasher729 alludes, MAC (all caps) is the acronym for Media Access Control, a protocol that defines the way workstations gain access to transmission media.

And to answer your question, yes, for a while the fastest computer to run Windows Vista was actually a Mac. Not sure if that's still the case though.
 
I installed Vista Ultimate OEM in my SR MBP and it works fine until today.
However, for some reason every now and then I need to adjust the clock again as it is showing a different time, even though I've set it to synchronize with the internet time. Maybe some of you know why this is happening?

Another question I have is regarding the OEM itself. If you guys have activated the OEM, and for some reason you need to do the BC partition again (for instance that you feel the HD space is not enough), can you use the same OEM license/CD key? (using the same computer of course)

Thanks folks for the answer.
 
I installed Vista Ultimate OEM in my SR MBP and it works fine until today.
However, for some reason every now and then I need to adjust the clock again as it is showing a different time, even though I've set it to synchronize with the internet time. Maybe some of you know why this is happening?

Another question I have is regarding the OEM itself. If you guys have activated the OEM, and for some reason you need to do the BC partition again (for instance that you feel the HD space is not enough), can you use the same OEM license/CD key? (using the same computer of course)

Thanks folks for the answer.

Not sure about your time issue,yes you can use the OEM disk again,the only problem you may run into is if you changed the hardware before re-installing
it again
 
the only problem you may run into is if you changed the hardware before re-installing it again
From my experience of building Windoze PCs, you can actually change quite a lot of the hardware before Windows will object on re-activation (mind you, I was using an OEM edition of XP Pro at the time, not Vista), and even if it does object you can call Microsoft and explain the situation and they'll often allow you to reactivate, after deactivating your previous installation.

I think the most likely thing to cause Windows to fail reactivation is if you've changed the motherboard, because then it'll assume that you're trying to install it on two different machines at once. It's got a tolerance for changed graphics cards, sound cards, memory etc, because lots of users will indeed upgrade those while keeping the same mobo.

I guess that changing mobos won't actually be much of an issue for Mac owners, unless you're trying to install the same copy of Windoze on (say) both an iMac and a MacBook.
 
I bought an OEM XP SP2 disc from Ebay last year to use with Boot Camp and Parallels. All was well until December when it suddenly accused me of being a filthy pirate (thanks Genuine Advantage). The error message changed a few times between it claiming the key was a VLK that the organisation no longer used and that the key had never been issued by Microsoft in the first place. It has switched back to claiming it is a disused VLK now. The disc is clearly genuine as is the OEM sticker so I figure this is some problem with their WGA software (shocker!) but I haven't got around to contacting MS as I just can't be arsed. I reinstalled just in parallels and don't let it install WGA now. I still feel quite annoyed that I did spend money on genuine MS software and they still think it is pirated.

One of these days I'll go through the whole calling their support line thing but I do not feel particularly friendly towards them and frankly don't really care much about using Windows any more even in parallels. Very very little software left that I have to use Windows for these days anyway.
 
From my experience of building Windoze PCs, you can actually change quite a lot of the hardware before Windows will object on re-activation (mind you, I was using an OEM edition of XP Pro at the time, not Vista), and even if it does object you can call Microsoft and explain the situation and they'll often allow you to reactivate, after deactivating your previous installation.

I think the most likely thing to cause Windows to fail reactivation is if you've changed the motherboard, because then it'll assume that you're trying to install it on two different machines at once. It's got a tolerance for changed graphics cards, sound cards, memory etc, because lots of users will indeed upgrade those while keeping the same mobo.

I guess that changing mobos won't actually be much of an issue for Mac owners, unless you're trying to install the same copy of Windoze on (say) both an iMac and a MacBook.

Thanks for the input,yes im fully aware of ringing M$ and what hardware can or cannot be changed before re-activation,maybe i should have been more specific in my reply rather than generalizing.These sort of questions come up loads of times but mostly to do with either fusion or parallel's

Neil
 
I installed Vista Ultimate OEM in my SR MBP and it works fine until today.
However, for some reason every now and then I need to adjust the clock again as it is showing a different time, even though I've set it to synchronize with the internet time. Maybe some of you know why this is happening?

Another question I have is regarding the OEM itself. If you guys have activated the OEM, and for some reason you need to do the BC partition again (for instance that you feel the HD space is not enough), can you use the same OEM license/CD key? (using the same computer of course)

Thanks folks for the answer.

Run Windows Update to get the DST Time Fix.

Also make sure your timezone settings are correct. Otherwise it will keep adjusting.

If neither of these solve your problem, turn off the ability to update the clock via the internet.
 
I used an OEM XP disk (NO VISTA for me. Vista is the reason I own a mac today :D ) and it installed fine, I redid my windows partition because I wanted more space for games and it worked fine again, and one more time I will be reinstalling windows cause soon my eSata drive and express card will be here so I can instal l my games on that drive and connect if I ever want to play games and save most of my room for my mac partition.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.