They think it's all over...Wrong

[Attila the Bun]

So the HEXUS hardware gurus have played a gob smacking first half. Can the software boys and girls do the business in the second half.

Basically I'm going to use Windows 7 64 bit for my build but I am a bit stuck on which of the myriad possibilities I should use.

I currently run a retail version of Win XP Professional SP2 I got from a friend who got it for me at 33% off the price at the time (£70). It was updated to SP3 and I have to say it's been excellent and I'm not surprised that lots of people didn't upgrade (or degrade depending on your point of view) to Vista.

I've installed it on 2 or 3 of other computers with absolutely no grumbles from MS.

And I like the features that the Pro version gave me then and I like the features the Pro version offers now.

So my first instinct is to go Retail because I like the having all the manuals, disks etc where I can install on other machines without the hassle of OEM, but looking at SCAN £164 for Pro vs £168 for Ultimate (hmmmm...I wonder what SCAN are doing here then) I thought maybe I could try the OEM route.

But OEM doesn't seem to offer much of an alternative when for the loss of: either the 32k or 64k option, manuals plus being limited to one PC all for a paltry £20 reduction. I know that most custom builds ship with OEM disks but as I'm building this for myself I prefer all the kit.

There's Upgrade which offers a reasonable price reduction but appears to be made for an existing pre-built rig. I have no idea whether on a new build I can install my original XP Pro then happily upgrade to 7.

Then I find Microsoft Open Licence which seems to offer Win 7 Pro for about £20 and which some guy from Birmingham had this to say...

Hi,

All our licences are genuine, we get all our serial numbers from microsoft.
You can download the w7 from microsoft website for free but you cannot
activate it without genuine serial no. so whats for sale on gumtree is
the genuine licence for w7 and we also provide you the operating
system on a normal disk so you dont have to download it. After you install
the os and activate it by using the genuine key we will provide you, it will let you
register with microsoft, recieve updates and it will also show genuine
microsoft sign under my computer. They are cheap because we buy in bulk
like 100 licence from microsoft all together. Hope this helps.
KR

I presume this is legal but I sort of feel I’m getting a work situation but paying for it. I had a look at MSs site for a definition but no joy there, too much “this is wonderful” without “this is how it works” to back it up.

Finally…there are student versions. I saw this

I am getting the student version pro = £30 and ultimate £48

and wondered “what is a student version”? Is it OEM minus £100? If so why can’t I have Ultimate for £48. I’m a student (albeit an older student), where do I go for this deal? I would go OEM for £48.

That's it really.Sorry for the length, which is an old joke I know, but I really would like some pointers on all this because paying full whack for something that only 10* people in the UK pay full whack for is a tad annoying.

I think I'll end up with retail 7 home prem because that is my maximum budget but if I can get Pro for around the same price than I will be well contented.

So if anyone would be kind enough to explain the various options in plain English I would be most grateful.



*might be more

[Flibb]

http://www.software4students.co.uk/M...n-details.aspx

[Attila the Bun]

Have you used this Flibb?

[jim]

You can use an upgrade license to do a fresh install: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/cle...rade_media.asp

Student deal for £30: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/studentoffer/

The site that Flibb posted is the best place to go for upgrade media - my current PC is running 7 Pro bought from them. They're also advertised on the Microsoft page I posted.

I wouldn't trust the info you posted in italics, sounds like rubbish to me

[Attila the Bun]

I can see why you are a cherished member.

I wouldn't trust the info you posted in italics, sounds like rubbish to me

I didn't, but having seen all the other stuff on OS it gives an illusion of legitimacy.

Thanks for the links.

I think I'll go to bed now and await Santa to bring all my presents.

[ChrisN]

The quote you posted sounds like they're reselling MSDN-AA, BizSpark or Technet keys, which will get them (and you) blacklisted pretty fast if Microsoft ever catch on - they're becoming increasingly vigilant about this these days. They shut down a ton of illegitimately-opened BizSpark accounts a few months ago and blacklisted all the keys assigned through them.

[Attila the Bun]

The quote you posted sounds like they're reselling MSDN-AA, BizSpark or Technet keys, which will get them (and you) blacklisted pretty fast if Microsoft ever catch on - they're becoming increasingly vigilant about this these days. They shut down a ton of illegitimately-opened BizSpark accounts a few months ago and blacklisted all the keys assigned through them.

It's the old adage of "If it seems too good to be true then it is".