Windows Home or Pr0

Is the layout the same with windows pro?

OEM is a lie anymore… just get the full version.

Not knowing the difference I got the OEM…

Its not a big deal but it is a big deal in context of previous windows.

I just need a clean install and was hoping if I decided to go with windows 10 I could use it on another comp. I have had several drives fail with windows on them and didnt know oems cant be transferred to a new drive

OEM keys can be transferred but you’ll be playing the phone game with MS support robots to get it activated.

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ok, no fun

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“Shipped and sold from Newegg = legit” - They have let marketplace vendors sell in the past. Those are questionable.

In situations where you’re testing hardware for extended periods of time (i.e., long enough to justify activating, but short enough to have frequent re-activations), after X number of re-activations (even if within your legal rights and operating within the letter of their license), you go from robo-activation which isn’t terrible to call center activation which involves talking to someone on a connection that sounds like it’s being broadcast through chickenwire and emailing a reciept.

This is true regardless of how “legit” your key is. It’s not a deal breaker. It’s just a mild inconvenience.

indigosoftwarecompany*com

That’s a grey market source.

If you want a legitimate copy expect to spend at least $100 on a key for Home. Anything below like $90 is most likely grey market. Microsoft has a very tight grip on how much retailers are allowed to sell their software for.

This is a very specific use-case that does not neatly tie in with SMB.

In Microsoft’s view if you are a business with more than about 50 machines you should seek volume licensing options.

But the dynamic and volatile nature of hardware testing such as above doesn’t make a whole lot of sense so often they just leave the trial page up and don’t activate it at all.

Grey keys would still be useless here.

You’ve got a 32 core 64 thread 128GB RAM system and you’re trying to shave a few bucks on the cost of the OS?

Is this really the straw thats breaking your back?

Thanks for the advice, I just don’t know anything about the Windows 10 licensing so learning. Im not going to buy a grey key and didn’t know the cheaper versions were not legit.

I wasn’t justifying grey keys - I was just saying if you’re in a situation where you’re swapping hardware, you end up having to deal with the call center and it goes from robo to a human/reciept verification.

This is true regardless of what kind of key you have. IF you wind up in that situation, if you have a retail key, you’re good to go. If you have an OEM key you are less likely to get anywhere (even if you’ve actually complied with the legally enforcable parts of their license terms…). Best to just go Retail for that reason.

Im used to Window 10 Home and never used the Pro version and I dont think I need the features but since Im using it on a higher end system I wanted to make sure I wasnt missing something that windows 10 pro offers concerning stability or other features that I dont know about. Im just really using it for Zbrush and Blender but Im working with very large files creating life size , monument sculptures that are 3d printed.

if you use the digital license which activates based on the motherboard then you should only have to have as many licenses as you do motherboards.

in terms of performance there is no diff between home and pro.

But do you have a NAS, do you need NFS support, stuff like that?

Otherwise yeah home would be all you need unless you plan on running more than 128 GiB of RAM.

I never said anything to the contrary?

BUT after a certain number of hardware swaps I’ve found that it will require activation even if the motherboard stays the same. Also - with the retail license you’re allowed to change motherboards until your heart is content.

Regardless of what you’re allowed to do or how many licenses you should have - you will inevitably end up needing to call the call center to activate.

Long story short - if you buy the “retail” license you have something you can re-use in the future. OEM license is a throw away.

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128 is the max Im planning to go, zbrush maxes at 64 and im not connected to a server