what does OEM mean in windows versions?

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skillywilly

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Sep 4, 2015
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im building a new comp everything is new except my hardrive 1tb that has windows 10 on it from which i upgraded 3 months ago through windows 7 free upgrade...i bought this cm 5675 in 2010 asus and it has served me well for gaming till now it had a i5 650 that is still working perfect..but my 970 is working at 40% because the processor
I bought this from best buy 2010 with window 7 included is that OEM?someone told me that it depends if my windows is oem or not and i dont fully get it.

can i keep my license somehow or buy new win 7 and then upgrade? if so ill just format the HD and start new..the HD is 2 months old i had to replace it. so its new.
 
Solution
USAFRet
You're building a whole new PC?
That OS license will not work.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. That original Windows 7 license is tied to that original motherboard. Upgrading to Win 10 does not change that. Upon seeing new hardware in your new PC, it will become deactivated. If it even boots up (unlikely).

So....for your new PC, it needs a new license.
You can buy a new Windows 7 or 8.1 and Upgrade. Or you can just buy Windows 10 and install that. No upgrading needed. And if you purchase a Retail license of Win 10, you can actually use that to reinstall when you upgrade the parts in your new PC in a couple of years..
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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You're building a whole new PC?
That OS license will not work.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. That original Windows 7 license is tied to that original motherboard. Upgrading to Win 10 does not change that. Upon seeing new hardware in your new PC, it will become deactivated. If it even boots up (unlikely).

So....for your new PC, it needs a new license.
You can buy a new Windows 7 or 8.1 and Upgrade. Or you can just buy Windows 10 and install that. No upgrading needed. And if you purchase a Retail license of Win 10, you can actually use that to reinstall when you upgrade the parts in your new PC in a couple of years..
 
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plywrlw

plywrlw

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Jul 5, 2014
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OEM copies are really made for the likes of Dell and HP but amateurs like us can buy them too.

They are locked to a single motherboard and you aren't entitled to tech support form Microsoft.

EDIT: if it's not OEM you might be able to ring the phone number given on activation and see if MS will let you transfer to your new PC
 
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Rogue Leader

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Dec 22, 2014
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I'm a bit confused what you are asking. If you bought a PC with Windows 7 installed already then yes it is OEM. Are you trying to downgrade to Windows 7 or are you talking about building a new computer and you would like to re-use your Windows 7? Or do you just want to reformat your computer?

If its just a reformat, you can download the Windows 10 installation files from Microsoft and just set your PC up with that, it will work. You could also (if you have it) install your original Windows 7 disc if you're trying to go back to it.

If you're building a new computer you need to buy a new copy of Windows 10 or 7.
 
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skillywilly

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Sep 4, 2015
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ok this weekend im putting my comp together..with all the specs listed on my bio. only thing i might re use is my 1tb hd..just wanted to make sure i cant keep that windows upgrade thats on my harddrive when i plug the whole sheebam in.
so ill just buy a new windows 10 so i can do away with this hassle later. TY guys
 
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