Wondering about OEM disks.

Have always read and heard that an OEM disk can only be used on a single machine and no other. Mated for life.
If that is the case, why do you see people selling used OEM disks on eBay and other sites?
I know that retail versions can be used on different machines if removed from the original completely.
Or is my thoughts in reverse?

 

Not sure MG is the place to air this but there are OEM disks and OEM disks.

Big name manufacturers use a special OEM disk, with specific code to their product.
So you can for instance use any Dell disk to reinstall Windows into another Dell. You then have to change the key to the one on the COA label on the side of the machine. Microsoft have a utility for doing this.

Smaller companies and individuals can get a general OEM disk to power a machine they are building and validate once built. This is the type that is meant to be kept with the original machine.

It is always important to check what sort of OEM disk if you are buying.

 

Excellent piece of information! I had often wondered how they handled that and it explains a problem I ran into in the past. Apparently, not all OEM disks are created equal. Thanks for sharing!

 

Just to add: I recently had an issue concerning an XP SP3 OEM disk (check this thread)...the disk in question was the OEM type that is normally shipped with hard drives - the only major difference between it and a retail version was the lack of a fancy box, and with the OEM disk, any support is up to the end-user...

 

Not quite the end user. Support is up to the OEM installer.

 

True enough: that's what keeps us 'installers' in business, yes?