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From: Ken Blake, MVP on 5 Apr 2010 13:43
On Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:50:51 -0500, mister_friendly(a)the-newzgroups.com
wrote:

> This is one spot where I am still puzzled. Lets say I buy an OEM CD
> on ebay or craigslist. How do I know if its branded? Does it say for
> example (DELL) on the cd itself, or on the CD packaging? If I buy it
> from my neighbor, I can return it, but not likely on an online
> auction. So I want to be sure that I get one I can use. My computers
> are always "no name" generic ones I build from spare parts. The one
> I'm using right now has an IBM motherboard, but everything else has
> been changed.


Your choice, of course, but if it were me, I would never choose to buy
an operating system CD from either of those sources. The risk of
getting cheated is too great.

Moreover, I recommend against getting an OEM copy of XP. Although if
you get a complete generic OEM version, it contains the same software,
it has the following disadvantages as compared with the retail
version:

1. Its license ties it permanently to the first computer it's
installed on. It can never legally be moved to another computer, sold,
or given away (except with the original computer). If the computer
dies or is stolen, your license to use XP dies with it.

2. It can only do a clean installation, not an upgrade.

3. Microsoft provides no support for OEM versions. You can't call them
with a problem, but instead have to get any needed support from your
OEM; that support may range anywhere between good and non-existent. Or
you can get support elsewhere, such as in these newsgroups.

Point number 1, above, is the deal-breaker, as far as I'm concerned.
You're much better off buying a retail Upgrade copy for only slightly
more money. And Upgrade copies can do clean installations if you have
a qualifying previous version's CD to show it when prompted.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
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