Win7 locking to motherboard?

[qwertymatrix]

I came across some article some time back talking about how windows 7 will manifest itself inside the motherboard particularly the newer ones with the UEFI bios such that you will be unable to upgrade the motherboard at a later date and that it will also block installations of other OS like linux for example. Not that i have had to replace a motherboard before but starting with my new build im getting soon I'd like to keep my options open. What truth is there to these claims and if they are true are there at least ways to get around it; and then how do these fail "features" apply when win7 is running as a virtual machine rather than the host OS?


edit - Forgot to ask but also i seem to remember the article saying there was a difference between retail and OEM versions of win7 this the above specified behavior, if some1 could also provide with this it would be much appreciated.

 

[bryonhowley]

(1) No truth what so ever! Windows 7 will not manifest itself inside the mainboard period.

There has been some discussion about Windows 8 being able to lock the boot loader from installing another OS but if it is used at all it would be OEM's that could choose to lock it down. However Windows 7 does not have any "fail features".

(2) The only real difference between retail and OEM Windows 7 is the key and an OEM copy is cheaper as it is intended to be sold with hardware.

 

[kelthic]

Also, Microsoft does not provide free support for OEM copies and it is only possible to do new, clean installs with the OEM media (you cannot use them to "upgrade").

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi


I think you are confusing this with the fact that Dell OEM Windows 7 (and Vista + latter versions of XP) detects a Dell motherboard BIOS and do not need activation after installation/re installation, but with another brand of motherboard will require activation but will not accept the key on Windows label
(A check on the motherboard is made at each Windows startup)

The same applies to Toshiba and most major computer manufacturers.

This is different from the Hologramed Microsoft OEM DVD supplied to small scale system builders which needs activating.

regards

Mike Barnes

 

[jitpublisher]

The OEM version of Windows can only be installed and activated on 1 computer. It is not transferable, and you cannot reinstall it on another computer. The retail version, you can install on as many computers as you like, and as many times as you like, so long as it is only on 1 PC at a time, of course. If you do a complete new build with a new motherboard, you can wipe the old installation off of your old PC, and reinstall it on the new one, so on and so forth. You CANNOT do this with the OEM version. Whatever machine you install it on a and activate it on, that is it, you cannot install it on anything else, ever.
The only exception is if that you can prove to Microsoft that the motherboard had to be replaced for a defect, you can maybe get them to give you a new activation number for the OEM license so you can do a second install. But it is purely at their discretion.