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Reputable Source for Windows 7 ?
eagledraco
Member Posts: 340 Arc User
I am on XP and need to upgrade since support for it is ending. Does anyone know a reputable source to purchase Windows 7 - preferably Upgrade Pro or Ultimate?
When I look for Win7 it is pretty confusing. All I am finding are these OEM and Promotional versions which I hear you should not buy. OEM because it will be bound to the motherboard so when I upgrade my hardware it cannot be used again. Promotional I don't remember the reason but many sites say they are scams and not to buy.
Any other place I look for Win 7 upgrade says out of stock. And I really don't want Windows 8 after what I've heard. I want a windows pc, not a touchscreen phone/tablet/laptop/etc.
Thanks in advance for any advice and help.
When I look for Win7 it is pretty confusing. All I am finding are these OEM and Promotional versions which I hear you should not buy. OEM because it will be bound to the motherboard so when I upgrade my hardware it cannot be used again. Promotional I don't remember the reason but many sites say they are scams and not to buy.
Any other place I look for Win 7 upgrade says out of stock. And I really don't want Windows 8 after what I've heard. I want a windows pc, not a touchscreen phone/tablet/laptop/etc.
Thanks in advance for any advice and help.
Post edited by eagledraco on
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You cannot use Window 7 Upgrade. It does not work With Windows XP. It only works if you currently have Windows Vista installed.
I generally prefer Retail vs OEM because I prefer not to call Microsoft to unlock Win 7 if I am going to replace the motherboard. However, it seems the Retail version is no longer being offered for sale anymore... It's likely a strategy MS is using to force people to buy Win 8.1.
Win 8.1 OEM uses a different strategy than Win 7 OEM. Not exactly sure of the nuances though...
The retail version of Win7 is going to be bound to your hardware (through Microsoft's licensing system) so there's really not much of a difference between it and the OEM version.
Microsoft stopped making Win7 for close to 2 years now, so the OEM version that some computer has stocked up on. And your right to stay away from 'Promotional' version, as they either have a key that has already expired, or are 'TRIBBLE' and contain hidden malicious software...
Strange, I thought I read somewhere if you have a XP Retail License it can be used for Win7 Upgrade. But after that the XP license can no longer be used.
This is the first I heard of the Retail version being motherboard bound just like OEM. So basically, there's no other Win7 option for me other than OEM? I see those "System Developer" versions available but I hear you should not buy those either for some reason?
All very confusing. Bottom line, I just need to know a reputable store to buy a Retail version from. Otherwise I guess I will either stay on XP or transform my pc into some Win8 tablet-touchscreen-wannabe which I REALLY do not want.
Only the OEM version of Win 7 is bound to the motherboard. The Retail version can be re-installed as many times as you want no matter how often you change the motherboard without the need to call MS to unlock the product... as long as you are not attempting to install it on multiple PCs.
Many people who builds their own PCs usually opt for the OEM version to cut costs. I simply paid "extra" for the retail version myself since I did not want to bother calling MS in the event I want to switch motherboards.
I was under the impression (actually read this on a support site) that OEM can only be re-installed on the motherboard it is bound to, period.
This is true only if you want to avoid calling Microsoft support to explain that you've installed new hardware and need the serial number unlocked for a re-install...
The Microsoft license check isn't limited to just the motherboard serial number. It also includes the hard-drive, graphics card, and other items that Microsoft doesn't want to publicly state. So it is possible to get away with replacing one or two items without getting your system locked, but...
Now I'm reading if you buy and install Win7 OEM for yourself, MS does not consider that a "genuine" copy of Windows. They changed OEM licensing to be legit for retailers only.
http://winsupersite.com/windows-7/no-oem-you-windows-7-oem-packaging-not-individuals
MS has really gotten ridiculous. Thanks for the help everyone, I will figure this mess out somehow.
The idea is that with the retail version, you keep the key if you end up selling the computer later. The copy of windows is yours. However with the OEM version its bound to the computer itself. If you were to sell a computer with the OEM edition, you dont get to keep the key.
In addition there is further legal limitations. For example if you arent actually replacing the motherboard because of a defect then you legally just created a new computer and the license is rendered invalid. You can only replace the motherboard with one deemed the replacement based on being identical in make/model or the manufacturers replacement as per their own warranty.
In essence, by getting the OEM version for personal use you would be surrounding yourself in a net of legal issues, microsoft wont help with any issues you have, and if you want to upgrade the motherboard you cant.
As far as things go, probably a better idea to shell out the extra cash for a retail version, if only to cover yourself from some of the limits of the OEM version.
EDIT: Also. the main difference for how they are bound is that if you upgrade the motherboard in the retail version, it will still invalidate your copy...But that can be quickly fixed by a single automated phone call. However with the OEM version its likely to be a bit more of an issue as they wont simply let you enable the key for use again if you have replaced parts to that extent. At that point its a new PC which invalidates the OEM key.
its no wonder torrents are so popular.
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Plus you can change a few parts that aren't the motherboard before it freaks out on you and invalidates the key. MS got into hot water early on with Vista or 7 (don't remember which) being much too aggressive with its invalidation when it detected or even thought it detected a hardware change so they made the detector code a bit more lax.
But really, don't get too cozy with Win7; mainstream support ends next year. MS doesn't want to have another OS live for more than a decade again.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle
You may be better off just getting a cheap OEM key and then skipping 8 and upgrading to 9 when it comes out in.. rumor says 2015 maybe. How much upgrading could you do between now and then? :P Maybe do a hardware upgrade, or half of an upgrade right before installing Win7 to stay off future upgrade needs until 9 is out.
At the same time though, the next big update for 8 (8.2) should make it a lot more tolerable to use in a desktop environment. 8.1 and 8.1 Update 1 (god who thought that name up?) already made some usability improvements and 8.2 will build on those. If you haven't seen the news out of the Build conference MS held last week, you should.
Now with allllll of that being said. I'm a Win7 holdout and I'm hoping for a good Win9 in 2015 (Microsoft's history of releasing a good OS alternating with a bad OS). Failing that, I would hope for lots of 8 usability improvements and a cheap upgrade path to 9 if it doesn't come out until 2016 because I don't want to buy 8 and then have 9 come out a year later and have to pay full price for both. Or MS might just stick with 8 for a while and choose to make continual improvements to it like updates to iOS or Android, who knows. In any case, I too will be in a similar spot as you are right now when my Win7 support ends.
Joined January 2009
And I will probably build a new pc in the next year or so. Big waste of money if I loose the license.
So I will just have to deal with Win 8 Retail and all it's pro-tablet features. 8.1 update looks much more pc friendly. Some people just want a PC, not a smart-phone tablet-laptop-transformer. :rolleyes:
Joined January 2009