Buying Vista 32 bit OS from Newegg

What's the difference between an "OEM" version and the Retail version?

When I ordered my 64 bit disc from Newegg, I ordered the "OEM" version and had a lot of trouble with getting it installed, hard drives not recognized and issues of that nature. Is this because it was "OEM" and not retail?

 

Similar thread here, OEM version of vista_ question.

 

OEM version is supposed to be:

1. No M$ tech support;
2. No paper manual;
3. No retail box, cd only;
4. Will not upgrade from a previous Windows versions install.

However, many people have no problem getting support from M$ even with OEM version. I don't think your HDD recognition issue is because of OEM, the OS core files itself should be the same as retail. I read some people had to go in the BIOS and switch the SATA mode from AHCI to Compatibility and switch it back after installation even for Vista. Although I thought this was only applied to XP, but you may try this to see if it solve the issue you're having.

 

oem usually means the bare minimum, no fancy packaging no extras etc.
as to drivers support it has nothing to do with it being oem, notebooks tend to have specific drivers and as such doing a basic install and then going to the manufacturer site and downloading your specific drivers is normal.


using a dvd provided by manufacturer often makes things easier (already includes specific drivers). or after getting your machine all set up you can create an image of the OS for future use.

 

Thanks, I'll check that other thread out.

Stewie, my BIOS doesn't offer me that option unfortunately, in fact it offers very limited options........guess it's a Toshiba thing.

The manufacturer doesn't offer install discs, and my recovery discs no longer work as I get a message to the effect that "this isn't the correct computer". I'm assuming this is because I swapped the processor, upgraded the memory and changed the hard drives?

 

Check carefully your BIOS, the AHCI option should be there, that's a very minimum option on the BIOS.

 

Your Windows recovery discs should work as long as your motherboard is the same. Ring up Toshiba, you paid for the license, and their CD won't work, so it's their fault.

As for using generic discs, the reason it won't recognize your HDDs is cos they will be RAIDed, which requires special drivers. Finding them on Google should be pretty easy.

 

Yeah that's what everyone tells me but neither myself nor the guy out here that was helping me at the time could find anything in the bios aside from password changes and boot order stuff that was user adjustable.

Maybe I was not in the BIOS? I pressed F2 when it was booting and it took me to a "setup" type screen that allowed boot order changes and password modifications for the drives etc.......


Yes the motherboard is the same.........I found the drivers for the SATA controller that handles the hard drives.....but I am not computer savvy enough to slipstream them into the install disc.......I also do not have access to an external floppy out here. My work around that issue was to have a buddy do a Norton Ghost image of his Dell's XP hard drive onto one of the new drives, the insert the OEM Vista x64 disc and install the new OS.........when it asked to reboot after the install was complete, we removed the drive from his laptop, put it in mine and rebooted it that way. That got it on the new drive and everything worked relatively well except that I'm finding that x64 (on my laptop anyway) won't run a lot of programs, or has issues even in the ones that it does run.

 

That's strange, your BIOS should have it since your laptop's configure is pretty recent. Sometimes it's located not in the Advanced Settings but in the settings where it shows your HDD information, and sometimes you have to change to "User Config" instead of "Auto Config" in order change some options.

As for your recovery discs, yeah if you changed CPU, then I believe it will not work anymore. I'm sure there is a way to "edit" some files on your recovery discs to make it work, but I don't know the detail instructions about this. Since you bought a new copy of Vista, I'd try to install a fresh copy instead.

 

Yes I bought the "OEM" copy of 64 bit Home Premium..........just went to Newegg to order a 32 bit Retail Version and got the "out of stock or not allowed to ship to APO" message so unless I can locate it elsewhere I'm screwed on that front too.

I'll pull the computer out later this afternoon and try to find the advanced settings in BIOS you're talking about, but I can't imagine that we'd have overlooked that during the month I spent trying to get the new hard drives and software installed.

 

That's the BIOS, you press F2 at booting to access the BIOS, just keep looking at all the menus/sub-menus, it must be there.

 

Yeah I thought it was the BIOS. I'll pull the computer out later on this afternoon and check again, but like I said above.....I can't imagine that we'd have missed it as much as we messed with it before. The other people out here that were helping me with it are IT professionals (at least that's their job description anyway. haha)

 

If you bought the OEM copy of 64-bit Home Premium, then don't waste money to buy another copy of retail version. The product key from your 64-bit version can also be used to install/activate the 32-version. Just try to find yourself a 32-bit version disc, of course without any key, then just use your own key. Did you check that thread about how to get a hold of a copy of the Vista discs?

And yes, look through the BIOS again, I'm pretty sure it's there.

 

I read that thread, the issue is that bandwidth is extremely limited (not to mention unstable) out here and downloading it really isn't an option unfortunately.

Everyone I'm working with out here is still using XP since that's the military standard OS right now it seems.........finding the disc is proving difficult. Will that product key still work since the 64bit I installed has already been activated?

 

Yes, but you might have to call M$ if you changed CPU and HDD.

 

The software was installed after the CPU and HDD swap. Well, actually it was all done at one time.

I am on the laptop now..........I just booted to BIOS and here are the only options in advanced I was given:

Legacy USB Support
Core Multi-Processing
Execute - Disable BIT
Intel Virtual Tech
Dynamic CPU Freq Mode
Build In LAN
Wake Up on LAN
Wake Up on Keyboard
Critical Battery Wake Up
Front Edge Logo

The BIOS is "Phoenix Trusted Core" and is the latest version offered by Toshiba..2.30

All other options are only Boot Sequence and Password protection for the drives.

I have a Ghost copy of the original 32 bit system on an external HDD that would include all of my original drivers and programs however I don't know how to get it transferred over to the HDD in Bay 2 of my laptop that only has game software on it, no OS on it of any kind.

 

If it was installed/activated after the CPU and HDD swap, then you shouldn't have to call M$.

It's not in the Advanced Setting, go to the tab where it shows you about your HDD information and time, go in there, you should able to change the HDD controller settings.

 

The only thing in that tab is options to put passwords on the drives, nothing about controller settings in there at all.

 

why do you want to buy a retail copy of the 32bit version if you already own an oem copy of the 64bit version? you'd be wasting double what you spent on the 64bit disc for nothing. and it doesn't matter if you have an oem/retail/anytime upgrade disc, it's all the same, as said before in this thread.

 

Because the disc I have does NOT provide me the option of installing the 32bit Version...............it ONLY has the 64bit on it as an option when I install the disc and allow it to run. I am having way too many issues with x64 not wanting to run programs for me to be comfortable with it and I want to go back to 32bit Vista which is what the laptop came with. The system restore discs don't work for whatever reason, my assumption is that's because of the processor change, HD change and memory upgrade but I'm not a computer guy so I might be wrong. At any rate...........I have an image of my old hard drive on an external but I have yet to figure out how to "restore it" to one of the hard drives that is in my laptop...........rather than continue to screw with it my intention was to attempt a CLEAN INSTALL of a NEW 32 bit Vista OS.

If it's all the same, then how exactly do I tell it to stop being x64 and start being x32 when it's not given as an option at install????????????

Where in PA are you from? When I'm not out here in sand land I live between Allentown and Reading myself.

 

well what i meant was that you might as well use the 64bit version and forget about the 32bit because, well, it would just be better, especially since you have 4gb of ram, it's the "future," blah blah..

and you won't get an option for a 32bit OS on a 64bit disc. you need another disc, but don't buy a retail copy of it. i don't know if you're able to request a 32bit disc from microsoft since you own the OEM version (they might only allow you to request a disc if you have a retail license; i forget how it works).

and what problems are you having with the x64 version anyway? from what i've read on here on many threads, most people have no issues installing everything they need on vista x64. but maybe you're using some old, incompatible, top secret army software...

maybe try another clean install with x64 and see how it goes?

and i'm in easton.

 

Naw, no top secret stuff..............but as an example, I have tried to get PCMarkVantage to run on this thing for two days now............first I downloaded the wrong program, and that was my own stupid mistake, but even after downloading the proper program, then downloading the "hotfix" for it, it will not install. When I select the icon to install it, I immediately get "this program has stopped working" in a box and my only options are to close it or to search online for a problem. When I select the search online option I get zilch, nothing happens, it doesn't go online or anything, it just sits there.

 

That was strange....................sorry for the double post.

 

An OEM is fine, the only thing is you won't get MS customer support, but not even the MS original CD customers get a good service from MS, so who cares. Plus people get a better support from forums like this one here rather than directly from MS. And after the warranty is over, they charge you.

 

One other limitation of an OEM version that I didn't see noted in this thread (unless I missed it somehow) is that the EULA prohibits you from moving it to another machine...it's legally tied to the hadware tha you initially install it on.

So unlike a full retail version, you can't legally uninstall it from one machine and reinstall it on another. Note that this is a legal limiitation, not necessarily a technical one.

 

just borrow a friends vista x86 dvd and use your own serial, there are no legal issues involved (you already payed for vista when buying the notebook).
there are other ways getting a backup dvd, for use with your well payed serial.

 

note his wording: legal and technical

 

Yeah, I just got access to a Vista disc, if it actually reads my hard drives (unlike the last time) I'll see if my key works on it.

 

Well.............it didn't see the discs either............so much for that idea. I tried the Toshiba Recovery Disc again too, just for the heck of it............"Error - This System Not Supported" even though it's the disc that came with the computer.

Going to try and get the ghost image of my original 32bit HD transferred over to the new drive this afternoon.........maybe that will do the trick.