Ken, thanks for the info, but you cause me to ask a few more questions.
In reverse order of your list....

3) Understood..no questions here.

2) By replacing my MB and PS, didn't I do an upgrade? Or is that just
considered replacing similar components. What do they consider an upgrade?
Bigger HD? Better CPU? New graphics card? And, sticking to the original
posters question, was it because he replaced the MB and CPU at the same time
that he had a problem?

1) Question...Retail version can be installed on a completely different
computer (assuming abandonment from the first) but OEM version cannot? If
that's true, it might be worth the extra few bucks.

Lastly, you mention a "completely generic" OEM version. Is that different
than the one I bought when I built?

Don






"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:us%234EAlEGHA.2708@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Don Brodhecker wrote:
>
>> I thought that the only difference between OEM and Retail, is that
>> Retail comes with lots of fancy packaging and useless offers, and it
>> also has free phone support with MS for a certain period of time. Other
>> than that, I'm under the impression that they are the same as
>> far as application and EULA's go.
>
>
> No, that's not correct.
>
> Although if you get a complete generic OEM version, it contains the same
> software, it has the following disadvantages as compared with the retail
> version:
>
> 1. Its license ties it permanently to the first computer it's installed
> on. It can never legally be moved to another computer, sold, or given
> away.
>
> 2. It can only do a clean installation, not an upgrade.
>
> 3. Microsoft provides no support for OEM versions. You can't call them
> with a problem, but instead have to get any needed support from your OEM;
> that support may range anywhere between good and non-existent. Or you can
> get support elsewhere, such as in these newsgroups.
>
> --
> Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
> Please reply to the newsgroup
>