What does oem mean for windows 7

This means that when you purchased your computer your computer manufacturer put on the OEM copy of Windows Via Microsoft licensing rights, OEM registers to the motherboard and when you change that piece of hardware you need to purchase a new retail version of Microsoft Windows A really good explanation is: If you upgraded from a retail copy of Windows 7, Windows 8 or 8.

If you have a full retail copy of Windows 10, you can transfer it as many times as you want. I hope this answers your question! How satisfied are you with this reply? Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site. This is because it's expected that the system manufacturer will provide it. Since buying an OEM part makes you the manufacturer, you may find it impossible to receive direct support. Windows is the most common example of OEM software and is often snapped up by people building their own machines, but there are also OEM versions of security suites, system utilities, and productivity software.

When you buy this software, you are usually provided only with a sleeve that contains the software and a license key. Don't expect to receive any documentation. In fact, most OEM licensed software comes with no tech support. OEM software is usually licensed on a per-system basis, which means that you can't install it on another computer.

In theory, this means that an OEM version of Windows is tied to the specific computer build you install it on usually to the motherboard , but Microsoft is famously kind-hearted about this. Re-activating Windows just requires contacting Microsoft customer service. You might need to do this to remove the Windows 10 watermark. But Microsoft doesn't have to do that, and other companies might be more restrictive. It's a risk you take with OEM products.

It costs less, but you might have to re-purchase the software if you replace your PC or upgrade the motherboard. Buying OEM hardware or products is perfectly safe and legal, but you need to be aware of the risks. You can usually save a decent amount of money with OEM products, but you might find yourself entirely without support if you run into an issue. That could be fine if you're technically minded; if you're not, the retail version might be the better choice.

The amount of discount you can get will vary depending on the product and retailer. For example, OEM anti-virus software is usually 25 percent to 50 percent cheaper. If so, you may need the help of MiniTool Partition Wizard, with which you can back up your computer for free. Please refer to the following steps:. Free Download. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard and get to its main interface. Then, click Copy Disk Wizard. Step 3: Select a disk you want to copy and then click Next button.

I recommend you to choose the system disk in case your computer can't boot after hardware replacement. Step 4: Select the external drive as the target disk and then click the Next button. After that, a warning window pops up and tells you " all the data on the disk will be destroyed ". If it's OK, please click Yes to continue. Otherwise, click No to cancel this operation. Step 5: Review the changes you have made.

If all is OK, click the Next button. Step 6: Click the Apply button to execute the pending operations. After backing up your computer, you can replace the hardware. If the Windows 10 cooperate well with the new hardware, then you can activate it with the license. The annoying Windows activation error is a common problem that could happen to anyone when running a Windows OS. If you don't know differences between them or how to transfer and activate Windows 10 license, you can read it.

Click to tweet. Do you have other ideas about them? Please leave a comment below and I will appreciate that. Besides, if you have any difficulty in backing up computer, you can send an email at [email protected] for help.