oem should be available on the 22nd of october, RTM is ONLY available to MSDN members
harpo
Strange if you claim to be an OEM why do you tell him wrong things?
RTM simply means the code is 'final' enough to press the DVDs of it/build images of it and ship it stores and OEMs.
An OEM version basically means that Microsoft sells it to a manufacturer who in turn can put it on a prefab PC (or not), add some of his own applications. Dell, HP, etc are good examples of OEMs. The upside is that licenses are sold in bulk, and Microsoft doesn't have to support the system running it, the OEM has to, so the OEMs get the licence very cheap. The downside is that the Windows licence is only valid on the system you buy it for. You can change some hardware if you want but if you change platforms (that means, if you go from an old Intel to a newer one, or from and AMD system to an Intel one or any combination) Windows will not work anymore. That brings us to..
Retail licences. They are a lot more expensive but you can keep on using it after you change platforms. While both Retail and OEM versions can be purchased at shops nowadays, typically when you buy Windows in a shop you get the retail version. Also, because you buy it 'directly' from MS and not from an OEM you can ask Microsoft for support. IIRC you could install retail versions on as much as 3 PCs with 1 licence before, but now they changed that. Retail versions can only be installed on 1 system now. However, if you own more than once PC they now have a family pack, which is a pretty good deal.
