Windows 98 don't seem to give a sh** about on how many computers it has been installed with the same key. There was no mandatory online activations back then.
Not sure about how it works for Windows 2000, but I guess if there are license keys published on the site, it would mean you can use those without issues.
When (if) Windows XP and more recent versions ever become accepted on this site, it might become a bit more complicated since, as far as I know, only the professional, corporate edition accepts volume license keys which don't require online activation. Others, such as home edition or OEM / retail professional might require some kind of crack.
Yep, anything prior to Windows XP and there's no concern regarding activations as such. The corporate edition as mentioned by Constance doesn't require activation, though Microsoft did flag some of the most popular volume license keys becoming no longer genuine licenses as such.
Aside from activation files, there's no difference between OEM and retail editions, apart from slight differences in installation (i.e. some copies would not install as an upgrade from a previous version, expecting a blank hard disk).
For using Windows 98/2000 in VMs, just go with either. It won't make an ounce of difference apart from what license key you enter.
The key difference is all about the licensing - what everyone agrees to without really reading it during installation.
In short, OEM licensing is associated to the hardware, while retail is associated to the user.
OEM versions of Windows were offered to computer manufacturers at reduced pricing, however the license is essentially only good for one PC and is not transferable to another. With the later versions of Windows, an algorithm to generate a form of ID was sent back to Microsoft to represent the computer's hardware during product activation for association to the license key. While upgrading a graphics card would still be OK, replacing the motherboard may not as it considered potentially changing PCs. This was a measure to reduce the number of custom built PCs using the same product key built within days of each other and being able to activate.
Retail copies however are different in that you are licensed to use it on typically one PC and one user. The license doesn't care what you've done to your PC, as long as it's installed on one PC only. This meant that the license allowed you to remove it from one PC, and transfer the license to another, as there's still only one user.
Windows Server also has licensing called CALs, or Client Access Licenses. The number of licenses can either be associated to the number of physical PCs, or instead be associated to the number of connections at any one time. That's on top of whether you purchased Windows Server as OEM or retail.
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The only difference is license key types accepted and that OEM may have an El Torito boot disk integrated into the CD.
I thought there might be a different in the OS itself, I have heard of it locking to one computer.
Windows 98 don't seem to give a sh** about on how many computers it has been installed with the same key. There was no mandatory online activations back then.
Not sure about how it works for Windows 2000, but I guess if there are license keys published on the site, it would mean you can use those without issues.
When (if) Windows XP and more recent versions ever become accepted on this site, it might become a bit more complicated since, as far as I know, only the professional, corporate edition accepts volume license keys which don't require online activation. Others, such as home edition or OEM / retail professional might require some kind of crack.
Yep, anything prior to Windows XP and there's no concern regarding activations as such. The corporate edition as mentioned by Constance doesn't require activation, though Microsoft did flag some of the most popular volume license keys becoming no longer genuine licenses as such.
Aside from activation files, there's no difference between OEM and retail editions, apart from slight differences in installation (i.e. some copies would not install as an upgrade from a previous version, expecting a blank hard disk).
For using Windows 98/2000 in VMs, just go with either. It won't make an ounce of difference apart from what license key you enter.
The key difference is all about the licensing - what everyone agrees to without really reading it during installation.
In short, OEM licensing is associated to the hardware, while retail is associated to the user.
OEM versions of Windows were offered to computer manufacturers at reduced pricing, however the license is essentially only good for one PC and is not transferable to another. With the later versions of Windows, an algorithm to generate a form of ID was sent back to Microsoft to represent the computer's hardware during product activation for association to the license key. While upgrading a graphics card would still be OK, replacing the motherboard may not as it considered potentially changing PCs. This was a measure to reduce the number of custom built PCs using the same product key built within days of each other and being able to activate.
Retail copies however are different in that you are licensed to use it on typically one PC and one user. The license doesn't care what you've done to your PC, as long as it's installed on one PC only. This meant that the license allowed you to remove it from one PC, and transfer the license to another, as there's still only one user.
Windows Server also has licensing called CALs, or Client Access Licenses. The number of licenses can either be associated to the number of physical PCs, or instead be associated to the number of connections at any one time. That's on top of whether you purchased Windows Server as OEM or retail.
So go with the OEM releases. There is no diffrence in the OS itself as far as I know.