Change Windows Oem To Retail

Summary: If you are confused and have no idea to choose which Windows license key for your PC then, have a look at this article and know the Windows OEM vs Windows retail difference. This will help you in making a wise decision.

I have a Windows 7 OEM install. I want to uninstall its OEM license and install a retail key. Just change the key with slmgr /ipk your-retail-key if same edition. Click on the Start button in the bottom left of your screen and select Settings again (you can also press WINDOWS+I to open the Settings window) Click Update & Security and then select the Activation tab on the left. In the Activation tab, click Change product key Now enter your Windows 10 Pro OEM key and click Next to activate.

Retail

If you owe a Windows 10 operating system then you must have a Windows license key as it activates and verifies the Windows on your PC. In some cases, Windows 10 automatically get activated with a digital license instead of the product key.

Copying Windows 10 from one PC to another requires a product key to activate it. If you have copied Windows 10 from the other computer then you must get the license key for Windows to run on your PC.

Though there are four types of Windows licenses for different requirements such as Windows OEM, Windows retail, Windows volume, and Windows MSDN. If you are not developing any software or working in a large business then you can choose either OEM or retail license.

Go through this article and get to know the difference between OEM and retail Windows 10 and then make a purchase of Windows license for your PC to activate Windows 10.

Also, discover the relevant information regarding Windows 10 OEM and Windows 10 retailversion.

What Does OEM Windows 10 Mean?

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) is a Windows license that is pre-installed on your PC by the companies that manufacture PC. They include a copy of Windows in it so that you can immediately use your PC.

Though this OEM license is pre-installed, users can also buy them if they want to build a gaming PC or have a second-hand system that is either outdated or have no operating system.

Talking about whether to purchase this license or not, you can decide when you go through Windows OEM vs Windows retail difference.

What Is The Retail Version Of Windows 10?

A retail version of Windows 10 is a full packaged product. It is referred to retail license that users buy when they purchase a Windows 10 copy from any retailer store or Microsoft store.

If you have purchased Windows 10 retail license then you can transfer it from one computer to another but not at the same time, one device has to be deactivated plus no limit on the hardware.

Now, that you got to know about Windows 10 OEM and Windows 10 Retail. Let’s the Windows 10 OEM VS retail battle begin.

What Is the Difference Between OEM and Retail Windows 10?

Finally, we have arrived at the battleground of Windows OEM VS Windows retail.

First of all, talking about the features both the OEM and retail have a full version of the operating system, where the user can enjoy updates, functionality, and features that is expect from Windows.

Whether you are using OEM Windows 10 or retail you can upgrade your Windows to a newer version as long you have a Windows license.

Though there is not much of a difference between OEM and retail Windows 10, only a few that is stated in the below table.

Windows OEM

Windows RETAIL

In OEM Windows 10 any part of the computer can be replaced except the motherboard. As the SLIC (Software Licensing Internal Code) is stored in BIOS if when missing then Windows 10 OEM won’t get activated.In Windows 10 Retail License there is no limit in replacing the hardware of your PC. Even if you replace any hardware of your PC it will still be activated without any issue.
OEM Windows 10 license is Non-TransferableWindows 10 Retail license is Transferable from one PC to another.
Windows 10 OEM license is cheaper and when purchased online from Amazon or eBay the price gets lower.Retail license Windows 10 cost is more than OEM but when online purchased the price gets a bit low.
The user needs to contact the manufacturer of the device for any problem.Windows 10 Retail customer if run into any hardware or activation issue, directly contact Microsoft support.
OEM Windows 10 can be installed only once and that too locked in a single PC.The retail version of Windows 10 can be installed multiple times but to activate the product key into the new device, the old one has to be deactivated.

Keep Windows 10 System Error Free

Windows 10 comes with a lot of new features as well as bugs. Some stubborn bugs are not solved with manuals solutions therefore you need to try PC Repair Tool.

This is a professionally designed tool that is user-friendly and easy to handle, even a novice person can use to keep their Windows 10 system error-free.

You just need to download this tool and the rest of the work will be done automatically. It will scan your entire operating system, detects the error from your system, and solves them without any hassle.

Errors like BSOD, update error, DLL, game error & others, repairs inaccessible system files, prevents viruses, optimizes PC performance, and much more.

Get PC Repair Tool to Keep Windows 10 System Error Free

People Also Ask:

  • If you want to which Windows license key you are using, simply open the command prompt (PowerShell) by pressing Windows + X key
  • In the command prompt window, type Slmgr /dli or slmgr /dlv and hit the enter key
  • After a couple of minutes, the Windows script host will appear where your license type, product key, and license status will be mentioned.

YES, Windows 10 license can be transferred if you have purchased the Windows 10 retail copy. If you are upgrading your Windows to a newer version you are allowed to transfer the product key to a new device.

First of all, you have uninstalled the product key. For that open the command prompt (admin) and then type slmgr /upk command.

Change Windows 10 Retail To Oem

The Windows script host will let you know whether the product key is uninstalled or not. After that in the new PC, open cmd and type slmgr /ipk xxxxxxxx xxxx (xxxx means product key).

Wait for a couple of minutes for the Windows script host to tell you that the product key is installed successfully.

Conclusion

All right, so this was all about Windows OEM VS Windows retail.

I have listed down the difference between OEM and retail Windows 10 so that it will get easier for you to choose the license key for your PC to activate Windows 10.

If you have a pre-installed OEM Windows 10 then there is no need to change the motherboard and if not then go with the Windows 10 Retail license as it has more privilege.

Well, it depends on you which Windows license you buy. I hope that you liked this article and go to know about the retail OEM difference in Windows license.

Apart from this, if you have left with any questions or suggestion then write to us on our Facebookpage. Harry potter eo enigma do principe download. We’ll be happy to help you.

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Neha Kumari

Being a professional badminton player, Neha has won many awards in school and college level. During her college days, she also developed a passion for computer-related stuff which lead her to become a technical writer indeed. She writes so that other people can benefit from her acquired knowledge.

I, at Microsoft forums usually encounter a large number of cases related to activation-which include a variety of problems. Some have a pirated copy of Windows(which is either done intentionally or by a PC repair shop), some install a wrong version of Windows during a reinstall, some do a motherboard change hence the PC activation becomes void etc. The case #2 is fairly common, where the user installs a different version of Windows during a clean install(most commonly choosing Windows 10 Home rather than Windows 10 Home Single Language), rather than he has the license for. This also applies to when a user sends a PC for repair to a shop where they install either a pirated copy or a different edition of Windows. I would be discussing this case in this article.

Change Windows Oem To Retail Mode

How to install the correct version of Windows

If your Windows is not activated after a clean install and you believe you have a genuine license, first of all run the activation troubleshooter. The activation troubleshooter should tell you what is wrong with your license.

Let us take an example. Here the user has Installed Windows 10 Pro where he has got a license of Windows 10 Home Single Language. The activation troubleshooter would say something like this:

Windows Oem License

In that case, you would have to do a Reinstallation of the correct version of Windows as downgrading editions is not possible. Here are the references for doing a clean install:

How to force Windows 10 Setup media to Install the desired edition

Change Windows 10 From Oem To Retail

Change windows 7 oem to retail

Usually, the installation of the wrong edition of Windows is due to people not knowing that what version license do they have. As they can now know via the troubleshooter, Now, the question here comes that How should you force Windows Setup to install the desired version? The answer is simple, you need to instruct the Setup through a configuration file to install the specific version.

Igo primo gps maps. There are a number of cases on this:

  • You have a License of Windows 10 Home: To force Windows 10 to install Windows 10 Home during a clean install, you would need to create an ei.cfg file which instructs the setup media to install the mentioned edition and channel. For this do the following steps: (You can also download the file given below and paste it to the sources folder)
    • On the USB drive where Windows 10 Setup is, open Sources folder
    • Right-click New>New Text document.
    • Type in the following:
      [EditionID]
      Core
      [Channel]
      Retail
    • Click File>Save As
    • In the file name type in “ei.cfg” (with quotes)
    • Here Edition ID means Edition which is Core, Channel is Retail if you purchased it through MS Store.
  • You have a License of Windows 10 Home Single Language: This is a pretty common case. To force Windows 10 to install Windows 10 Home SL, you would need to create an ei.cfg file which instructs the setup media to install the mentioned edition and channel. For this do the following steps:
    • On the USB drive where Windows 10 Setup is, open Sources folder
    • Right-click New>New Text document.
    • Type in the following:
      [EditionID]
      CoreSingleLanguage
      [Channel]
      OEM
    • Click File>Save As
    • In the file name type in “ei.cfg” (with quotes)
    • Here Edition ID means Edition which is Home Single Language, Channel is OEM as Home SL language licenses always are OEM System builder license.
  • You have Installed Home but have a license of Windows 10 Pro: In that case, you need not to do a clean install. Go to Settings>Update and Security>Activation and click Change Product key and enter your Windows 10 Pro key.

Download for ei.cfg

You can download these Ei configuration files and paste them into sources folder of Windows 10 Media:

Windows Oem Download

As these are config files, Chrome might mark it dangerous. Please click on Keep in order to download.

Dvd studio pro 4.2.2 mac. So by adding a configuration file to Windows, you can install Windows 10 desired version.

A small note for Windows 10 Home Single Language

As Windows 10 Home Single Language ISOs are not available like Windows 10 Home and Pro, by this method you can create Home Single language Installation media too. This method would also work for doing an inplace upgrade to a more recent version too.

Residing from Chandigarh India, Sumit is a Windows Insider MVP awarded for the first time in 2018. He is also an Independent advisor for Microsoft customers and helps voluntarily as well on the forums.

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