{"id":14534,"date":"2013-05-08T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aidanfinn.com\/?p=14534"},"modified":"2013-05-08T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-05-08T12:00:00","slug":"tip-legally-deploying-images-windows-to-oem-licensed-pcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aidanfinn.com\/?p=14534","title":{"rendered":"Tip: Legally Deploying Images Windows To OEM Licensed PCs"},"content":{"rendered":"

As usual, I will not be answering licensing questions.\u00a0 All emails and comments will be deleted without a response.\u00a0 Please ask your reseller these questions instead – that’s why they add a margin to the license when they sell it to you, so make them<\/span> work for it.<\/em><\/p>\n

You cannot legally deploy an image of an OEM media installation of Windows.\u00a0 According to a Microsoft licensing brief<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Organizations do not have the right to reimage by using OEM media.<\/p>\n

An OEM image can only be preloaded on a PC by the OEM during manufacturing. An image can be individually recovered by the organization (or a service provider it chooses) by using the recovery media. The OEM recovery media should match the product version originally preinstalled on the system; no other image can be used to restore the system to its original state<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That means a company that buys hundreds or thousands of PCs, intent on using the OEM license, cannot create a custom image from OEM media (assuming OEM media can even be acquired!).\u00a0 Businesses hate<\/em> OEM builds because they are full of crap-ware and unmanaged security vulnerabilities.\u00a0 So what can you do to re-image these PCs?\u00a0 Do you need to buy a VL for every single machine?\u00a0 There are benefits to doing that, especially with SA attached, but that\u2019s not for everyone.<\/p>\n

There is a little known legal trick<\/a> that you can apply.\u00a0 According to Microsoft:<\/p>\n

Reimaging is the copying of software onto multiple devices from one standard image. Reimaging rights are granted to all Microsoft Volume Licensing customers. Under these rights, customers may reimage original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or full packaged product (FPP) licensed copies using media provided under their Volume Licensing agreement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These finer points are detailed in the licensing brief<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Basically:<\/p>\n