I'm planning on upgrading from XP to 7 but don't want to spend the £100+ from PC world etc. So just wondering if a OEM version will be okay?? Link below.
As far as I understand,OEM licences are illegal to resell - they are only for PC manufacturers/sellers,so they can make/sell PCs with already installed OS and not just blank hardware. Correct me if I'm wrong.
That disc is the type that businesses get bundled with new PC's and isn't really for resale. Though there is an OEM version you can buy, but the disc does not look like that. Probably more around the £70 mark.
We used to throw out hundreds of those discs every week at my old job (Big Investment bank in London) as we couldn't sell them on and had our own build of windows 7 to use. Looks like someones been helping "recycle" the disks and making a quick buck in the meantime.
EDIT: read the bit at the bottom of the item about microsoft and ebay policies. Says he shouldnt be selling it in both unless the pc comes with it. Probably hoping nobody notices!
"Although most software publishers use the term “OEM” to identify their software as OEM, some use other terms, such as “system builder.” These terms all mean the same thing – the software is OEM software and cannot be re-distributed without the authorized hardware."
Whether it is legal to resell OEM software depends on the laws of the country/region you live in. For example - according to a European Court of Justice ruling - it is legal to resell used software in EU (http://www.zdnet.com/oracle-ca ... are-in-europe-7000000189/). Whether this applies to OEM as well is probably a question for another lawsuit though...
I don't think any end-user version of Windows 8 includes the downgrade license - only a subset of PC's sold with Windows 8 Pro include the Windows 7 Downgrade, and it's not mentioned in any of Microsofts public or retail material.