OEM vs Retail

[JoshSB]

What is the big difference between these two in relation to an OS.

 

[jcortes]

OEM which stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and since it is from the manufacturer it will give you a cheaper price. unless you are on a tight budget i wouldnt recommend OEM because it doesnt come with things like warranty, and if it does its usually a short one.

Retail is like buying it from the store. It will cost a little bit more but it comes with the whole package. Warranty, Instruction, Everything so you're set to go.

 

[JoshSB]

But for a Windows OS, wouldn't it be better to get OEM considering you do not need instructions and all you need is for the disk to work?

 

[jcortes]

i suppose so i reguarded that post to hardware sorry lol

 

[JoshSB]

So am I right that an OEM Windows disk will work just the same as a Retail, or will there be something fishy with the key?

 

[jcortes]

try to get it from a big company and you should be fine like www.newegg.com

EDIT: however you wont be offered MS tech support and there are some patches that you will never find for download if you have the OEM version.