Kath Pelletti
KP at sdsonline.net
Mon Nov 14 18:31:51 CST 2005
Josh - I know that you can normally ring MS and get an authorisation code for a 2nd (laptop) install - but I have a feeling that that's NOT an option for an OEM? (I'm trying to get through to MS and ask that question....) Surely there are significant limitations for that price diff - (apart from no manuals and no help from MS via phone, which I have never used anyway.) ? Kath ----- Original Message ----- From: Josh McFarlane To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:10 AM Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: OEM software bundles On 11/14/05, Kath Pelletti <KP at sdsonline.net> wrote: > Have any of you purchased or considered purchasing OEM versions of Office or Windows? > > Is there any guarantee at all that it will be the full version? And how do MS handle the activation aspect of Office with these versions? Can they be re-installed? It seems to be very difficult to find a list of *all* of the limitations of the OEM's. Is it in the hands of the distributor to select what goes into the package? Oh, and a few more notes: Microsoft OEMs still have certificates of authenticity and Product Keys. Any site that claims differently is trying to scam you. Activation is handled on first boot after installation, or on each use after installation of Office. You can reinstall, but if it's on a new machine / different hardware you may have to call a hotline that Microsoft runs and get an authorization code. Not that big of an issue and takes roughly 5 minutes max. Packages are packages, distributor does nothing but buy the product from MS and sell it to you. Any changes they make should make you HIGHLY suspect. Now, XP has two flavours in OEM last I checked, Home and Pro. Office has Pro OEM, and maybe a few others, not sure. -- Josh McFarlane "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." -Albert Einstein -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com