# Windows 7 DSP vs. Retail



## King Wookie (Oct 27, 2009)

Ok. After being burnt with buying a DSP version of Vista, I'm wondering if anyone knows if the DSP version of 7 is also locked to one specific mb.

My thanks in advance for your feedback.


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## [Ion] (Oct 27, 2009)

King Wookie said:


> Ok. After being burnt with buying a DSP version of Vista, I'm wondering if anyone knows if the DSP version of 7 is also locked to one specific mb.
> 
> My thanks in advance for your feedback.



I think you mean OEM.  Yes, OEM versions of Windows 7 are in theory tied to a specific motherboard, but a call to M$ will allow you to activate it on a new mobo 90% of the time.


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## EnglishLion (Oct 27, 2009)

[Ion] said:


> I think you mean OEM.  Yes, OEM versions of Windows 7 are in theory tied to a specific motherboard, but a call to M$ will allow you to activate it on a new mobo 90% of the time.



So how many times have you re-activated a win7 copy to come up with that 90%?  I'd say at the moment we really don't know how MS will react to re-activating win7 as it's too soon.  Certainly with XP they were quite lax and with vista a bit tighter.  Considering how much money they didn't make on vista they might want to capitalise on win7.

I'd get the retail version just to be on the safe side myself (depending on cost difference of course).


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## [Ion] (Oct 27, 2009)

EnglishLion said:


> So how many times have you re-activated a win7 copy to come up with that 90%?  I'd say at the moment we really don't know how MS will react to re-activating win7 as it's too soon.  Certainly with XP they were quite lax and with vista a bit tighter.  Considering how much money they didn't make on vista they might want to capitalise on win7.
> 
> I'd get the retail version just to be on the safe side myself (depending on cost difference of course).



Not with 7, I haven't had to do that, but I have had to call M$ at least a dozen times to activate XP, Vista, and Server 2008, and only got denied once.


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## King Wookie (Oct 27, 2009)

[Ion] said:


> Not with 7, I haven't had to do that, but I have had to call M$ at least a dozen times to activate XP, Vista, and Server 2008, and only got denied once.



Hmm. After I loaded Vista OEM on my macbook, I read somewhere it is tied into that specific mb, and cannot be transferred. Will they re authorise?


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## [Ion] (Oct 27, 2009)

King Wookie said:


> Hmm. After I loaded Vista OEM on my macbook, I read somewhere it is tied into that specific mb, and cannot be transferred. Will they re authorise?



Probably, but you may have to call them and activate by phone


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## newtekie1 (Oct 27, 2009)

EnglishLion said:


> So how many times have you re-activated a win7 copy to come up with that 90%?  I'd say at the moment we really don't know how MS will react to re-activating win7 as it's too soon.  Certainly with XP they were quite lax and with vista a bit tighter.  Considering how much money they didn't make on vista they might want to capitalise on win7.
> 
> I'd get the retail version just to be on the safe side myself (depending on cost difference of course).



I haven't experience Microsoft being any tighter with Vista than with XP.

And I've already activate the same copy of Win7 OEM on 5 machines.


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## theonedub (Oct 27, 2009)

newtekie1 said:


> I haven't experience Microsoft being any tighter with Vista than with XP.
> 
> And I've already activate the same copy of Win7 OEM on 5 machines.



Can you clarify what that means exactly? I'll take the answer in PM if need be. Thank you.


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## King Wookie (Oct 27, 2009)

Goes to show then. Don't believe everything you read.


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## THRiLL KiLL (Oct 27, 2009)

with windows oem, you would only need to reactivate if the os has been installed on another machine (ie dell, hp etc..)

the only way you will see a oem version that is tied to a motherboard is when you buy it on a system from a major computer company. This is the workaround they came up with when they killed volume licensing. 


if you bought a normal oem copy:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758

you should be fine


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## newtekie1 (Oct 27, 2009)

THRiLL KiLL said:


> with windows oem, you would only need to reactivate if the os has been installed on another machine (ie dell, hp etc..)
> 
> the only way you will see a oem version that is tied to a motherboard is when you buy it on a system from a major computer company. This is the workaround they came up with when they killed volume licensing.
> 
> ...



Even the normal OEM copy is tied to the first motherboard it is activated on.  Doesn't matter if it is installed on a Dell, HP, etc, or a custom built machine, it is tied to the first motherboard it is activated on.


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## THRiLL KiLL (Oct 27, 2009)

newtekie1 said:


> Even the normal OEM copy is tied to the first motherboard it is activated on.  Doesn't matter if it is installed on a Dell, HP, etc, or a custom built machine, it is tied to the first motherboard it is activated on.



thats what i was trying to say =)


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