Month: January 2007

As I will undoubtedly have to install this on *something* in the near future, if only for the inevitable tech support issues, I figured it’d be good to get it as cheap as possible… Which means getting an OEM copy from either Microcenter or online.

First off, the exact wording of the OEM agreement: Microsoft licenses OEM software to “system builders,” which are defined as “an original equipment manufacturer, or an assembler, reassembler, or installer of software on computer systems”. I think everyone who reads my journal qualifies.

But, there are some additional rules one should know:

OEM software cannot be returned once opened. There are no exceptions. You open it, you’ve bought it.

OEM software is also tied to the motherboard it is first installed on. Unlike the retail versions of Windows which can be transferred to a new computer, OEM versions are not transferable. What about upgrading hardware? Microsoft says that anything is fair game, except the motherboard. Replacing the motherboard in a computer results in a “new personal computer,” which Microsoft considers to be synonymous with a transfer. It’s not permitted with an OEM edition of Windows.

OEM software has no technical support. Not that the tech support Mumbai offers is real support…

So, if you must shoot up with some Vista, get the OEM from newegg or Microcenter, it’ll save ya about $200.

Vista is coming, Vista is coming!

Well, being the good little technology whore that I am, I wanted to see how my laptop, which is pretty much the supreme being of laptops, stacked up against Vista’s system requirements. So I checked out the Microsoft web site cleverly set up for this purpose…

The Microsoft web site devoted to this question takes the ludicrously arrogant stance of informing potential buyers whether or not ‘they’ are ready for Vista, rather than the other way round.

To find out how well Vista might run on my machine, I installed and ran “Microsoft’s Vista Update Advisor Utility” and gave it a whirl.

I know that my laptop has all the raw resources needed to run *any* OS well: an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, an nVidia go7800, and over 100GB of storage. The system is more than adequate; still, one worries about device drivers, backward compatibility with older applications, and the like, and I really wanted to make sure none of my games were impacted by Redmond’s latest.

So imagine my surprise when the Advisor reported that several devices might not be compatible with Vista. And just look at how mainstream these “questionable” items are: nVidia go7800; Creative X-Fi Audio Processor; Intel 82566DC Gigabit Network Connection; Intel ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller; Intel ICH8 Family USB2 Enhanced Host Controller, etc, etc…

I was also warned that some of my software might not be compatible. There was nothing on the list that would concern me personally or interfere with my gaming, but I was quite surprised to find Windows Messenger included in the list. Surely, one should expect Microsoft’s own products to work tolerably well with Vista.

Now, for me, if Vista fails to run properly on my machine, that’s just fine; I’ll be delighted to report it in excruciating detail. But if I were a consumer, I would certainly think twice about Vista after consulting the Upgrade Advisor. It’s given me a very poor first impression of the operating system.

Undoubtedly, the Advisor’s chief purpose is to put consumers at ease about this overhyped and confusing product, but in its present state of development, it can only add to the confusion and increase doubts.