[georgewashington16]

I was going to purchase an OEM copy of Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit along with the necessary parts needed to build a gaming computer. I read that OEM copies can only be installed on one Mother Board, that they only allow for certain types of upgrades, and that you must re-install every time you upgrade and you only have a certain number of re-installs. I was wondering what kinds of upgrades I would not be able to do and also how many re-installations do I get with an OEM copy of Vista. Thanks.

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I believe you can't upgrade/change your motherboard. changing cpu might cause problems too but I'm not positive but I know changing the motherboard isn't allowed. As for how many reinstalls you get I'm not totally sure, I've read 10 somewhere but again I'm not positive. you could always call microsoft and ask. I think if you install it on the same pc too many times and it won't activate anymore you can just call microsoft and get them to reset your cd key, I had to do that with winxp before.

hope this helps some.

[ViprXX]

I believe you can't upgrade/change your motherboard. changing cpu might cause problems too but I'm not positive but I know changing the motherboard isn't allowed. As for how many reinstalls you get I'm not totally sure, I've read 10 somewhere but again I'm not positive. you could always call microsoft and ask. I think if you install it on the same pc too many times and it won't activate anymore you can just call microsoft and get them to reset your cd key, I had to do that with winxp before.

hope this helps some.

[Neil Jones]

Depends on the type of OEM licence.
Some are tied to specific hardware configurations from the word Go, while others are usually tied to the first hardware configuration you install them on after they've been activated.