Windows OEM Licensing

[Roadkill203]

In a post by stevo1210 located HERE, Zandrax makes the following quote:

@ stevo: the Windows NT line is different from the 9x one: 9x can rely on bios for hardware infos and even boot with standard drivers and Dos calls (e.g. Safe mode); NT lacks Dos and relies only on its drivers.

You can move a disk when:

- Windows version is Corporate or retail: I'm unsure about OEM licenses, they should check the bios and prevent the boot if Manifacturers ID in registry and bios are different...

This got me to thinking about Windows OEM licensing.

I have a 40 GIG WD hard drive loaded with an OEM version of XP pro. My motherboard died, so I thought that this was the end of this operating system, but I saved the hard drive with XP loaded onto it anyway.

After reading this post, I remembered about the hard drive that I had socked away. It's been a good three years since the drive has been in an operational system, so I decided to put Microsoft to the test.

First, I scavenged my spare parts for enough equipment to build a system. I had a case, a motherboard (Aopen AX4SG-UN), a Geforce 7600 GS 512 Mb DDR 2 AGP, a Toshiba DVD writer drive, an Antec 700 watt power supply, a decent Thermaltake CPU cooler, and a 320 Gig Seagate hard drive.

I got a Pentium 4 socket 478 2.7GHz HT on Ebay for $27.00 (shipping included) and 2 Gigs of Corsair XMS Platinum series memory (512 Mb a stick) on Ebay for $36.00 (shipping included). So for about $60.00, I was set to build my "experiment box"

After I assembled the components (using the 40 Gig as a master and the 320 Gig as a slave), I booted the system. I expected the BSOD and an install from the recovery console. What got was something totally unexpected!

Windows booted up, and then started discovering all of the new hardware! I had all of the drivers ready (including the motherboad drivers), so there was no problem there. After the driver installation, I was prompted to reboot my machine, which I did. Okay, so far, so good, but I was prepared for the disappointment which would certainly lie ahead with the "Windows OEM licensing" problem.

After I rebooted, Windows informed me that the hardware had significantly changed, and that I would have three days to re-activate Windows or or would be shut down.

I then pressed the activation key.... AND IT ACTIVATED SUCCESSFULLY! WTF??? I paid about $100.00 for this OEM version, OEM means that it can only be installed on one machine and one machine only, and yet (except for the 40 Gig hard drive) it activated on a totally brand new machine! WTF??

I now have a machine that I laid out $60.00 for that has pretty decent space, speed, and performance. I installed Service pack 3, and with the exception of some random "Page fault in non -paged area" errors, the machine has been running constantly 24/7 for the past two weeks without as much as a hiccup!

WTF??

[bgavin]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

Most of my OEM experience is with Dell machines. When I service or rebuild a Dell, I make sure to create a GHOST image of the empty disk. Meaning the system partition is wiped clean, but the utility/diagnostic partition is present.

I archive this to a DVD stored under my client's name. Eventually, they have have a disk crash, so I restore this image to their new disk, then expand the system (and data) partitions as needed. This method always works for me, and the client always has their "factory" diagnostic boot options available.

What I do not know is: does Dell store critical XP/OEM data on this partition, in CMOS or ??. I do know the Service Tag data is stored in BIOS. It is read into CMOS from the chip. This is why clearing CMOS does not wipe out the Dell information. It simply reloads it from BIOS when installing CMOS defaults.

I have all XP version cdroms built for unattended install. Pro OEM, Pro Retail, ditto for Home versions. I simply plug in the client's serial number when asked, and it goes on its merry way. More clients are wanting to move their existing XP license to new hardware instead of getting stuck (f*cked?) by Vista. It will be interesting to see how much OEM grief I get with new hardware.

I have a Dell OEM XP cd that came with my laptop. I can try installing it into a virtual machine to see if it will take.

[Wizard]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

And you still need to recover the COA number from your recovered XP. Necessary when you are doing reinstall with this if you do no longer have COA sticker (must keep it!).

Cheers, Wizard

[zandrax]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

@ RoadKill: if it works then I'm happy for you.

I was and am still unsure about how different OEM discs will behave: recovery discs coming with brand computers usually have a preactivated OEM license and need the manifacturer key into the Bios; full installation discs used with self- or shop-built computers require user activation and have 4 internet activations; after the fourth reinstall you have to call an operator which may or may not unlock your license. Most of times it unlocks it, but this is not granted.
I have heard of a third OEM license which is an hybrid between OEM and Volume licensing: the product key is different from the one on the COA sticker and supposedly the same for all recovery discs for the same manifacturer and model. My Acer appears to fall in the third case.

So the summary of licenses covered by the OEM umbrella:
- recovery disc: brand computers, bios locked at 99%;
- full cd: built computers (once called clones), 4 internet activations then operator;
- hybrid license: maybe a special case of recovery disc?

Zandrax

Edit: get rid of those "Page fault" errors. Check ram and the psu.

[Roadkill203]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

And you still need to recover the COA number from your recovered XP. Necessary when you are doing reinstall with this if you do no longer have COA sticker (must keep it!).

Cheers, Wizard

I always write the COA number on the paper CD sleeve!

[jpdoe]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

Hi Zandrax. I would guess the third OEM license you've mentioned is the one used in those preactivated systems you mentioned first.
Microsoft separates computer builders in two categories: small ones and royalty OEMs. The first ones have to make do with the usual OEM disks. That means dealing with the overhead the support calls will generate when the brand new owner of the PC has issues with the windows activation.
Royalty OEMs are those with enough muscle to get Microsoft to let them avoid those support calls, by using a special installation cd and bios that makes the install auto-activate itself, without the need of a internet connection or user input.
If you have access to a Dell, Toshiba, Acer or similar system with the original windows installation still intact, give this a try:
http://magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/
It will tell you what license number was used to install windows. Compare that license number with the one on the sticker, and you'll see they don't match. That's because for the auto-activation to work, you have to use a license number that corresponds to the royalty oem installation cd and bios used.

PS: this combination (royalty oem installation cd - bios - license number) remains equal in a lot of systems of the same brand.

[Scenic]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

The retail versions are:

- (Preinstalled) OEM version (the manufacturer of your PC did the first activation already)
Some OEM versions are also somehow dongled with the PC's BIOS which eliminates the activation, too.

- OEM System Builder version: unmodified OEM version for small PC Sellers, activation required.

- Normal commercial version (update / full version: during installation or within 30 days, the User needs to activate)

- Volume License (no activation required, volume licensing is available if you have at least 5 PCs)

via: http://translate.google.de/translate...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[bgavin]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

Keyfinder is part of my standard audit package. It extracts every serial number it can find, so you can save to a file for reinstallation.

[zandrax]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

Thanks jpdoe and Scenic: so there are two OEM licenses, a preinstalled one (a.k.a. Royalty license) and the small builders (with user activation). The bios lock speech applies only to the preinstalled license.

Zandrax

[jpdoe]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

You're welcome, Zandrax.
You're correct about the two OEM license types.
When I was researching the subject I saw a way to tell which one of them was installed in a brand new system by inspecting the license sticker, but I don't remember for sure. But I guess that if the sticker mentions the builder's name, or it says OEMAct, it's a royalty one. The final analysis is to compare the license given by the keyfinder program with the one on the sticker.

[travistee]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

What do you think would happen in Gateway if I tried to install the factory Vista disks with a new non gateway motherboard using the keyfinder key?

[gustie]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

where does windows PE come into this?

[jpdoe]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

@travistee: it most likely woudn't work.

[gustie]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

ive installed windows before on an OEM machine with a normal windows CD before

the product key on the side of the tower didnt work!

[Junk Parts]

Re: Windows OEM Licensing

I didn't read all the post here but this post is to something bgavin said way back there. I have three Dells here. A Dimension 4550 2.4 P4, Optiplex GX 180 1 Gig PIII, and a Latitude C640 1.8 P4 Laptop. I use the OEM Dell Xp Home Disk that came with the Dimension 4550 in all of them. It never asks for a COA serial number in any of these PC's. The windows validation tool you get in the Xp updates online also passes these installs a good too. The only thing original about my two Dell desktops are the mobo's and PSU's. The Laptop is all stock except for the modem PIMCIA card. I don't know where windows stores what but this works for me with no Drama at all.
Back in the past I had two Sun Micro Systems PC's with different speed CPU's that I used the same OTC copy of Win ME on. One was too slow so Win ME wouldn't install on it. I would take the hard drive from the slow one and install it in the faster one as a Master, and install ME on it. I would then move it back to the slower one and boot up. The ME would see the "new" system, and install all the needed drivers...ect. It worked great with no issues at all.