Member Avatar for belama

I dont know much about oem OS. I would like to know, if I buy an oem windows XP Home disc which cost less than retail, is it possible to boot from it from a cd-rom on system startup ? The oem version I got with my older system 3 years ago cant boot on system startup.

thx

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Brief note tied to the posts above (especially and ): there are a few different things people call “OEM discs,” and that explains why some CDs boot and others don’t. The useful checklist below helps you identify which kind you have and how to proceed if the disc won’t start the machine.

  • Verify BIOS/boot order and use the one‑time boot menu (F12, F11, Esc or whatever your board shows) so the drive is actually tried first.
  • Test the disc on another PC. If it boots there the problem is the original PC (BIOS setting, dirty drive, damaged tray).
  • Inspect the disc files from a working machine: a full XP install disc contains an I386 folder in the root. If you only see folders called Drivers, Utilities or RecoveryTools it may be a support/driver disc and not a standalone installer.
  • If the CD was burned, make sure it was burned as an ISO image (not as a data session). Scratches or bad burns will also prevent booting.

Activation/licensing note (building on and ): OEM licences are tied to the machine they were intended for. Large OEMs often used BIOS preactivation methods, so their factory restore media won’t happily move to different hardware without reactivation. If activation fails during install, use the phone activation option and have the product key/COA handy.

If the disc proves to be non-bootable and you need to reinstall, request the correct recovery media from the PC maker or use a proper System‑Builder/retail installation disc that matches your licence. For new builds that you expect to move between machines or sell with a system, a retail licence gives the most flexibility.

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Member Avatar for alc6379

You're only supposed to get an OEM OS with some kind of hardware purchase, thus justifying the lower price. But, to my knowledge, most OEM software discs work the same as retail.

Member Avatar for belama

Actually you can buy them individually. I often go to that store near where I live:
They have OEM versions of XP home and PRO for a really good price (10$ less than , I also dont pay shipping, just gas :D). You can also get it at tigerdirect.com.

Edit: never mind that... ALL OEM software must be purchased with hardware. Retail software may be purchased by itself.

But its alright cuz I would buy it if i would buy parts to build system for people.

TigerDirect says: This is a legal OEM version of Windows® licensed by Microsoft® to be sold with any "non-peripheral hardware component" and is bundled as such.

Member Avatar for jwenting

You are only allowed to use the OEM software on the same computer you install those parts in.
Of course there's no way to check that happening, but that's the license.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Actually there is an inbuilt check. Try to use it on a different PC than the one it was first installed on and you'll run into activation problems.

And yes, it will boot from CD. Nothing is different other than the way the activation code is calculated.

Member Avatar for jwenting

We're talking about OEM CDs purchased from stores granddad, not system recovery CDs.
OEM CDs can be installed just like full retail versions, except there's no upgrade option.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

I'm fully aware of what is being referred to, jwenting.

Care to explain with a little more clarity what you're referring to in relation to 'upgrade'? Just like any other Windows XP CD an 'In place upgrade' (or repair installation) can be performed with an OEM Windows CD. There is certainly no 'Upgrade version' of it, but then why would there be when the licence is for newly sold or home built systems and tied to a single machine?

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