Hi there,

Thinking of making the switch from XP Home Edition to Windows Vista ULTIMATE. Not sure what the OEM really means in terms of the software and how it would affect my computing needs as a consumer.

What does Original Equipment Manufacturer really mean? Is there a difference in terms of what I would be getting between an "upgrade" and the OEM software?

I've read somewhere about not being able to transfer the license over to another PC when opting for OEM. Not sure if that was fluff or what, but for what it's worth I would only be installing this OS to my personal desktop AND THAT'S IT.

So....would OEM fit my needs?

Yes it will work fine, MS isn't completely a Nazi about that rule. I've switched systems before.

I have an OEM copy, works fine. I'm a "systems builder" so I built my system and got an OEM copy. Mainly MS will tell you to screw off if you come to them with any support stuff. They will tell you to go to the person/company who built your system. That would be YOU

Which is pretty much the response I was anticipating even if I DID buy the full retail version. :)

Thanks a lot boss, you helped me to make my decision.

I just installed Vista Ultimate last night. All is well but let me suggest that you run Vista in a dual boot configuration. In that way you will still have the capability of all programs that are running in Windows XP and can, over time, move to Vista. It is the best of both worlds.

No problems in the install. Make sure you have all updated Vista drivers saved so that if needed you can install them. Even though I am using Vista drivers for my Realtek 97c audio configuration, I am not getting full working environment. I am sure that overtime the drivers will become available.