Differences between windows oem and retail: we explain it to you in detail

Have you already tried to buy a Windows license from Amazon or another online store? It seems simple, but it is not always. The reality is that you will find Windows OEM (System Builder) licenses, the “ cheap” ones; and full licenses (Retail - Full Version) which are the most expensive. So the question that arises is: What is the difference between these versions?

Differences between Windows OEM and Retail

First of all, we must clarify that, in terms of functions, both editions are identical, that is, by installing an OEM version or a Retail version, your Windows works the same way. But let's take a closer look at the differences.

Licenses are for different purposes

The two types of licenses differ conceptually. The OEM license is intended for manufacturers and hardware integrators, who build PCs to later sell them to third parties, while the Retail license is intended for the general public (at least in theory, since the reality is that most users don't buy Windows in a box).

Retail or Full Version Licenses

These are the standard Windows consumer licenses. They have been designed for ordinary computer users, who intend to purchase a license to upgrade their machine to a new version of Windows. This type of license allows the user to install Windows on any computer and even change it to another, but the same license can only be installed on a single computer at any time .

If you've ever walked into a computer store and seen a box with the Windows logo on a shelf, that's a Retail edition of Windows.

OEM licenses (System Builder / OEM)

These licenses are used by the Original Equipment Manufacturers. They are used not only by large manufacturers such as IBM, Asus or Dell, but also by small integrators and computer stores, where we can buy computers with custom configurations. This type of license is linked to the PC where it is installed for the first time and forever. It cannot be used on another PC.

Can I use an OEM license on my laptop or PC?

Microsoft has altered its policy on whether or not to allow ordinary users to use OEM licenses when building their own machines.

• In Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 8, it was allowed. In Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10, it was not allowed.

But you won't know this unless you read the fine print on the licenses.

Before Windows 7, purchasing an OEM license for your own PC was perfectly legitimate. With Windows 7, Microsoft has modified the popular Windows OEM licenses. Ordinary people were no longer allowed to use them to build their own PCs, but Microsoft continued to mass sell OEM licenses to those same people.

Microsoft saw that the non-regulation of Windows 7 OEM licenses was out of control, so it decided to correct the situation in Windows 8 (a "Personal Use License" permission has been added to the Windows 8 OEM license). This means that you can buy a Windows 8 OEM license and use it on any computer you want to mount in your home, for your personal use.

However, Windows 8.1 arrived, which is considered by Microsoft to be a completely new operating system. And it has new licensing rules too. The personal use permission was withdrawn from the OEM license, returning to the situation of Windows 7, being only allowed to integrators who assemble machines for resale.

In the meantime, a few years have passed and we continue to find OEM copies of Windows 8.1 at the top of Amazon sales. The end user continues to purchase these licenses, which represent a considerable savings over the Retail versions. Clearly, they are purchased for personal use and not by distributors or equipment manufacturers.

Limitations of OEM licenses

Although they are cheaper, OEM licenses have some limitations:

Change in the way Windows is activated

Upgrading to Windows 10 generates a new key, but there is no way to get this information if you have done the free system upgrade. In other words, Microsoft gave users Windows 10 for free, but withdrew from its customers the possibility of completely controlling the operating system.

WE RECOMMEND YOU VAIO Phone Biz with Windows 10

This means that if you bought a computer that originally came with Windows 7 and 8 / 8.1 and later upgraded to version 10, you ended up losing the possibility of reinstalling it on another machine.

During the update, a unique identifier is created for your computer based on the hardware installed on the PC. Thus, the system communicates with Microsoft activation servers, which attest to the originality of the OS version and leave everything working correctly.

This makes life easier on the one hand, after all, no matter how many times you reinstall Windows 10 on the same machine; it will always be verified correctly. However, if you decide to change an important component such as the motherboard, for example, you will end up having problems when activating the operating system.

Remember that the configuration of a team is the key to uniquely identify it with Microsoft. But if something changes, the company's servers stop recognizing your PC and Windows 10 is not released for installation.

How to activate trial license after changing hardware

Let's assume that you have modified the hardware of your machine. When trying to activate Windows, you will probably have problems and need to continue the installation skipping the activation whenever it appears on the screen.

Later, when loading the system, you will probably receive some notices, giving you a deadline to enter a correct password. But if you don't have such information, what can be done?

Despite there not being much official information from Microsoft regarding that, Gabriel Aul, vice president of software engineering for Windows 10, used Twitter to instruct a user to resolve the issue. In short, if you changed hardware and are having trouble activating Windows 10, just contact Microsoft's technical support center .

This can be done directly by Windows 10. Open the Start Menu and search for “Contact technical support”. Open this application and you will see the following screen:

Now go to Services and Applications> Windows> Settings; choose the option that is indicated. It is possible to chat online with an operator, schedule a call for another time, request a call at the moment or ask the community.

Afterwards, a Microsoft technical support employee will contact you, explain the whole situation and, in theory, will achieve Windows 10 activation. They will probably ask you for information about the Windows account and even about the hardware of your machine with the in order to confirm the veracity of the information.

Free license only for the original PC

All this leads us to the following conclusion: in case you decide to change equipment, you will not be able to keep the license. Previously, until Windows 8 / 8.1, it was possible to obtain the license key and use it on any machine with the same version of the operating system installed on the PC.

In Windows 10, however, this is no longer possible. Free licenses for the new version of Microsoft OS work only on the original machines. This indicates that new machines already purchased with Windows 10 from the factory will not have this type of problem.

As always, we recommend reading our tutorials and if you have any questions, you can contact us and we will respond.