[nates28]

i was on newegg.com and i saw they have vista home premium oem for system builders and vista home premium retail. my question is what is the difference between the two? the system builders is 99.99 and the retail version is listed as 224.99. i may have to replace my hard drive and get vista home premium again since the dell laptop had recovery built in and didnt come with vista discs.

any help would be appreciated and thanks

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The main difference is that the OEM version can't be transferred to a new computer if you replace your current one, whereas the retail version can. You also don't get the 90-day support that comes with the retail version. Other than that, it is essentially the same thing as far as the computer is concerned.

6. What is the difference between OEM product and Full-Packaged Product (FPP)?
ANSWER. OEM products are intended to be preinstalled on hardware before the end user purchases the product. They are “shrink wrapped” and do not come in a box like the retail products do. Full-Packaged Product (FPP) is boxed with CD(s), manuals, and the EULA and is sold in retail stores in individual boxes. The End User License Agreements (commonly referred to as “EULAs”) for OEM and FPP products are slightly different. One main difference is that an OEM operating system license (such as the license for Windows) cannot be transferred from its original PC to another PC. However, the FPP version of Windows may be transferred to another PC as long as the EULA, manual and media (such as the backup CD) accompany the transfer to the other PC.

You said you had to replace your hard drive, but didn't have recovery discs? I would actually contact Dell first, and see if you can order discs for your system. It would be a lot cheaper, usually around twenty five dollars from most manufacturers. All they should need is your service tag off the side of the computer.
If you need it, I think this should be the right number for Dell's home technical support: 1-800-624-9896

[edit]
I just though of something else. A benefit of checking on getting the restore discs from Dell, is that you will also get all the software that the computer originally shipped with. The OEM and retail copies will be just windows. So you would also have to re-buy Office or Works, as well as Nero (or whatever DVD/CD program you had) and anything else that dell pre-installed on it.

Edited by NinjaRaccoon, 09 June 2009 - 08:37 AM.

[NinjaRaccoon]

The main difference is that the OEM version can't be transferred to a new computer if you replace your current one, whereas the retail version can. You also don't get the 90-day support that comes with the retail version. Other than that, it is essentially the same thing as far as the computer is concerned.

6. What is the difference between OEM product and Full-Packaged Product (FPP)?
ANSWER. OEM products are intended to be preinstalled on hardware before the end user purchases the product. They are “shrink wrapped” and do not come in a box like the retail products do. Full-Packaged Product (FPP) is boxed with CD(s), manuals, and the EULA and is sold in retail stores in individual boxes. The End User License Agreements (commonly referred to as “EULAs”) for OEM and FPP products are slightly different. One main difference is that an OEM operating system license (such as the license for Windows) cannot be transferred from its original PC to another PC. However, the FPP version of Windows may be transferred to another PC as long as the EULA, manual and media (such as the backup CD) accompany the transfer to the other PC.

You said you had to replace your hard drive, but didn't have recovery discs? I would actually contact Dell first, and see if you can order discs for your system. It would be a lot cheaper, usually around twenty five dollars from most manufacturers. All they should need is your service tag off the side of the computer.
If you need it, I think this should be the right number for Dell's home technical support: 1-800-624-9896

[edit]
I just though of something else. A benefit of checking on getting the restore discs from Dell, is that you will also get all the software that the computer originally shipped with. The OEM and retail copies will be just windows. So you would also have to re-buy Office or Works, as well as Nero (or whatever DVD/CD program you had) and anything else that dell pre-installed on it.

Edited by NinjaRaccoon, 09 June 2009 - 08:37 AM.

[diabillic]

The main difference is that the OEM version can't be transferred to a new computer if you replace your current one, whereas the retail version can. You also don't get the 90-day support that comes with the retail version. Other than that, it is essentially the same thing as far as the computer is concerned.

6. What is the difference between OEM product and Full-Packaged Product (FPP)?
ANSWER. OEM products are intended to be preinstalled on hardware before the end user purchases the product. They are “shrink wrapped” and do not come in a box like the retail products do. Full-Packaged Product (FPP) is boxed with CD(s), manuals, and the EULA and is sold in retail stores in individual boxes. The End User License Agreements (commonly referred to as “EULAs”) for OEM and FPP products are slightly different. One main difference is that an OEM operating system license (such as the license for Windows) cannot be transferred from its original PC to another PC. However, the FPP version of Windows may be transferred to another PC as long as the EULA, manual and media (such as the backup CD) accompany the transfer to the other PC.

You said you had to replace your hard drive, but didn't have recovery discs? I would actually contact Dell first, and see if you can order discs for your system. It would be a lot cheaper, usually around twenty five dollars from most manufacturers. All they should need is your service tag off the side of the computer.
If you need it, I think this should be the right number for Dell's home technical support: 1-800-624-9896

[edit]
I just though of something else. A benefit of checking on getting the restore discs from Dell, is that you will also get all the software that the computer originally shipped with. The OEM and retail copies will be just windows. So you would also have to re-buy Office or Works, as well as Nero (or whatever DVD/CD program you had) and anything else that dell pre-installed on it.

Also, most OEM's, if you tell them your drive has failed and you need restore discs they will be sent to you free of charge.

[nates28]

i know my computer is out of warranty, would they still send the restore discs for free? i wish they would have just sent the discs in the first place, its kinda a pain to have to go through this. i am going to try to do a factory restore tonight but if that doesnt work i will have no choice but to replace the hard drive which i am not looking forward to having to spend alot.

[usasma]

It depends on the manufacturer of your system. Describe the system failure to them and they may be understanding.

Regardless of the warranty status, it's still cheaper to get them from the system manufacturer than it is to buy either an OEM or retail version. Also, the disks from the manufacturer will contain the drivers that are needed for your hardware - the OEM/retail disks won't have all of the drivers.

It's been my experience with different vendors that the replacement disks will cost less than $50 (US).

[diabillic]

i know my computer is out of warranty, would they still send the restore discs for free? i wish they would have just sent the discs in the first place, its kinda a pain to have to go through this. i am going to try to do a factory restore tonight but if that doesnt work i will have no choice but to replace the hard drive which i am not looking forward to having to spend alot.

There's only 1 way to find out

It really depends on the situation. I know firsthand that IBM will replace for free even out of warranty, but it was a corporate account that hundreds of machines were purchased through. I agree with usasma though, the discs from the OEM are ALOT cheaper if you would need to pay for them then to purchase a new Vista license.

[usasma]

I know of one customer who got the disks for free from Dell (the system was under warranty tho')
HP usually costs about $20
Toshiba can cost up to $45
Sony is usually free
I got my Lenovo disks for free, but the system was still under warranty (and they supplied me with the wrong disks when I purchased it).
Haven't had any experience with Gateway/eMachines/Acer

[diabillic]

I know of one customer who got the disks for free from Dell (the system was under warranty tho')
HP usually costs about $20
Toshiba can cost up to $45
Sony is usually free
I got my Lenovo disks for free, but the system was still under warranty (and they supplied me with the wrong disks when I purchased it).
Haven't had any experience with Gateway/eMachines/Acer

Acer is pretty good with their replacement, but you MUST register your machine on their website before they will help you with anything. Havent had any experience with eGateway either

[nates28]

i think i am kinda screwed on getting the discs from dell. well i got the laptop from a seller on ebay, it came in factory boxed and sealed. only problem is dell is wanting the info from that person and i cant seem to find the info from it. so if i have to pay for an oem vista home premium i guess that what i have to do. i can download the drivers from dell site and put them on a flash drive and then install them back on the computer if i have to. i know the oem disc i can get from newegg for at $99 plus i would have to buy a hard about which i been seeing usually between 70- 100 bucks for either a 320 gig or 500 gig sata hard drive.

[usasma]

As long as you've got the Windows Vista product key sticker on the bottom you don't have to purchase a new copy of Vista (either OEM or retail).

Do you know anyone that has a Dell with Vista on it? If so, borrow their Operating System disk and make a copy of it. That'll install Vista, then all you've gotta do is install the drivers.