how to tell between oem & retail

How do i tell if my copy of vista is oem or retail on the pc it is installed on?

i went into 'control panel>system' & if im right the product id for an oem copy should be:

xxxxx-oem-xxxxxxx-xxxxx

for retail

xxxxx-xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxx

where 'x' eqauls a number.

That is correct and OEM is when you buy a computer with the os already installed retail is when you go and buy it.

If the system you have was bought from a company such as Dell,HP etc, then it should be OEM & you should also have a backup partion. And it would never ask you for a product key when you try to install windows as it has the product key built into it.

Hi fieseler,

Yes the letters OEM in the product are the identifier. It will still show that if you buy and install the retail OEM dvd.

SIW2

sweet always good to know, also, my friend wouldnt beleive me when i told him i got retail for same price as oem lol

Hi,

How did you manage that ?

SIW2

eBay, since im in uk i only pay half the price coz £ > $

To determine version of Windows check system information under system activation>Product ID.

I bought my Version of OEM system builder Vista Ultimate x64 for $150 (2/2007) off newegg.com. The difference between Retail and OEM system builder are:

1. You are your own tech suppport regarding the software O/S
2. Unlike retail which can be reinstalled on different computers allowed in license agreement, System builder locks itself to the hardware of system installed on.(i.e., retail license is usually for 1 system install at a time, so you can buy another computer, uninstall it off the first, and reinstall on new system- as opposed to buying a new O/S everytime you buy a new computer)
3. Costs about a third less than retail, but is exactly identical .