You are absolutely correct.  If you use a "branded" OEM of Windows, it is all crammed on one disk - OS and all the hardware drivers.  I wanted to reinstall my HP OS, but I did NOT want all the crapware that came with it (this was several years ago).  I was able to get an UNbranded OEM OS disk, but HP was extremely uncooperative about even providing information about the drivers for their hardware (the hardware should have COME WITH drivers to operate it - entirely separate from any OS).  It took me about three months to find all the drivers.  HP said that they sold some of the space on the disk that I had purchased to vendors for their crapware/advertising-ware (i.e. sold the same disk space twice - once to me and once to advertisers (which is what the crapware actually is)).  

When I finally got everything installed, it worked fine....except the HP machine died within a few months after that.  Turned out there was a tiny fan on the processor, but HP had put NO case fan at all in the machine and it just burned up.  

Now I have a PC that I built myself in a LianLi case so I have a driver for every part.  I bought a retail version of Windows, which I can use if I upgrade my PC substantially. I'll probably never need to actually buy a new one again, but if I do, I have my own OS and I will not buy a branded PC again that comes with drivers and OS locked together.

If you have an UNbranded OEM OS disk, you can use it on any machine - you just have to use the OEM code that is on the side (or back) of your particular PC.  However, you won't have any drivers for your hardware - you have to find them yourself (if you were sold hardware with no separate drivers disk).  

If you ever want to change to Linux, for instance, you also need the drivers for your hardware.  I would refuse to buy any hardware that required drivers without the drivers being provided on a disk, separate from any OS.  If you buy the hardware,  you are entitled to the drivers - they are part of the hardware you purchased, which can be used with a different OS, should you so choose.  

It is not hard to build a PC.  You can research your parts online (start with the mobo and be sure every part goes with it).  There are many sites that review hardware.  Watch for sales on sites like newegg.   If you don't want to assemble it yourself, you can take the parts to a computer shop and let them assemble it - but WATCH them do it, or ask them to guide you in doing it yourself on their bench.  That's probably about $200 to $300 - less if you give them your old PC.  You may want to install your old hard drive as an aux drive, or get a case for it as an external.  If you are happy with your DVD recorder, re-use it.  An aluminum case stays MUCH cooler and be sure to load it up with big high-quality (ball-bearing) case fans.  Get a larger case than you need to allow good airflow between every part.  Install your hard drives in every other slot, instead of crammed together.  Tie up the cords out of the way of the airflow.

AnnaSummers



----- Original Message ----- 
From: [log in to unmask] 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 4:51 PM
Subject: Re: Windows Licensing


I also service Dells (and others) for a living. The Company specific 
installs of Windows usually contain chipset and other drivers that are 
specific to that brand of computer. If you install say an HP branded 
windows on a Dell, you'd have some drivers to fix before it would work.


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