I went to EBAY and was going to buy Windows XP PRO. Well.....everthing I do turns into a compicated project! OEM DSP SFT SP1 FULL RETAIL ACADEMIC COA STICKER What would these terms mean to an XP buyer? Michael B.
Just be sure you get a full version. I dunno what all these acronyms mean, but it really doesn't matter a whole lot (IMO). Just be sure to get a full license, not an upgrade. And be sure to get the billion digit code (not sure on the precise number of digits needed) - you'll need to register WinXP OL with MSFT. And if some other loser has beat you to registration with your code you bought on eBay, your gonna be SOL. EDIT: In general, the difference between OEM and retail, is retail comes with the bells and whistles. Nice packaging, warranty card, manuals, etc. While OEM is the bare bones, and maybe not even that - might just be the registration code in this case.
you need retail, I bought an OPM NT and can't even install it, I think OPM key to a specific brand (not generic PC).
OEM could very well be manufacturer specific - it might only have drivers for that companies gear. IMO, $@%^ eBay (and I'm an eBay fan). Yer better off going with somebody you can beat up if it doesn't work. Folks pay too much for eBay stuff anyways (in general).
If you're not tech level stay with the "FULL" or "RETAIL" stuff here. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is usually hardware tweaked stuff. And "Academic" versions usually always are stripped down products. IF (here I go stepping into the abyss again) you are game, you can go over to Kazaa and get yourself a copy of Windows XP PRO. I have done this a couple of times to satisfy myself that it was what it was supposed to be. I had a client who got a version without the serial code. We went back and got a code creator that worked just fine. Know up front here that you probably won't be able to get the "Service Pack" downloads from MS when you go this route, but my client says has had no trouble downloading all the other patches. By the way, we did find a working service pack there at Kazaa also.
Does the FULL RETAIL NON OEM VERSION of WINDOWS XP PRO also have 1 year of Microsoft support on a toll phone number? or no support at all?....or pay by the minute?..... Michael B.
Did everyone see My Trading Computer Thread over there in the Hardware Forum? I am building a computer. Michael B.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot this question. Does the Pro Version of Windows XP need to be registered like the Home version does? The main differences between home and pro is the reliability, file handling and multple monitor support..... right? Michael B.
You should be able to get the upgrade version of XP. It will ask for a prior version of Windows. When I went from Win 98 to W2K, I did a clean install of W2K and in the beginning of the process it asked for a prior version of Windows I just slipped in the Win 98 disk for it to verify that I had a prior version of Windows and then it installed W2K. Are you sure you want to go the build your own computer route? There is nothing wrong with it, and a lot of people do it, but you have to ask yourself what is your time worth. What if after you doing everything it won't boot up then what? Or there is a hardware conflict, there are so many little things that could go wrong, that aren't necessarily hard to fix, but time consuming. If you are a profitable trader and this PC is for trading, how much is it going to cost you if you have problems with your computer and you can't trade. I would check out a local PC shop, see what they have. Then go to Dell or another name brand manufacturer and compare. I would be surprised that when you add up the components and your time that building it yourself isn't more expensive. I am not trying to discourage you, just make sure you know what you are getting into. best of luck, Bruce Hawkins
(If I'm not correct about this, sombody please correct.) Microsoft won't support an OEM version of Windows... they will tell you to go to the OEM vendor. Depending, that might not be good.