Windows 7 - Confused...

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Schitzo

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Hiya! I've been Googling & asking a few questions to some of my Windows 7 questions & have received mixed if not confusing answers.:(

I'm considering Windows 7 Ultimate.

I've been trying to figure out what DSP stands for & what the difference is between DSP & other retail versions. I HAVE Googled it, but still am not sure what it means or what the differences are. :confused:

I've noticed some stores are selling a 32bit & 64bit Version of Windows 7 SEPERATELY. I was under the impression that both the 32bit & 64bit Versions were located on the SAME DVD. :confused:

I popped into Incredible today & asked a chap what DSP meant & why their version of Win7 Ultimate was so expensive. I was told that there version had more goodies compared to others who were cheaper. That can't be right can it?

If I wanted to get my hands on a full, retail version of Win7 Ultimate in Durbs, where would I have to go? :confused:

Apologies in advance for the dumb questions.:o
 
DSP is designed for hardware suppliers who build you a PC and sell you an OS with it. Its not the retail version, and doesnt come in a fancy box.

IT IS the full version of Windows, and has exactly the same OS as each of its retail counter part.

However, it cannot (should not) be sold off-the-shelf. The retail version can.

Incredible is generally expensive with software. PM me how much they charging for 7 Ultimate?

And that salesman should be shot :)

Oh yes, and 64/32bit as far as i know is on different CDs. Might be worth your while buying 64-bit if your hardware is NEW. or if you know for a fact that there are 64-bit drivers for everything you're using. Since 64-bit can always run 32-bit apps in compatibility mode without a problem, it would make sense to me to get the 64-bit.
 
rurapente said:
DSP is designed for hardware suppliers who build you a PC and sell you an OS with it. Its not the retail version, and doesnt come in a fancy box.

IT IS the full version of Windows, and has exactly the same OS as each of its retail counter part.

However, it cannot (should not) be sold off-the-shelf. The retail version can.

Incredible is generally expensive with software. PM me how much they charging for 7 Ultimate?

And that salesman should be shot :)

Oh yes, and 64/32bit as far as i know is on different CDs. Might be worth your while buying 64-bit if your hardware is NEW. or if you know for a fact that there are 64-bit drivers for everything you're using. Since 64-bit can always run 32-bit apps in compatibility mode without a problem, it would make sense to me to get the 64-bit.
Click to expand...

Hi! Thanks for clearing that up!

I've noticed stores like PC Zone, Matrix, Metabyte etc. selling Ultimate for R1600-R1800. Thats a BIG jump in the price compared to Incredibles R3199.95!

What worries me now is that how will I be able to distinguish between the Retail & DSP when I go into stores other than Incredible?

Roughly put, at that price am I getting the "Real Deal" Retail pack or the DSP? :confused:
 
Look basically you are paying R 3200 or R 1600-R 1800 for a whole of numbers and letters that make up the licence. You have to decide which store you want to give your cash to for those numbers and letters, RTM was out a long time ago - yes 32 & 64 bit. So it's your call dude.

DSP, as mentioned above, is the OS that comes with the pc you purchase or as in recent times you buy a hardware and the DSP with it. The DSP is restricted to the number of times you can activate it. The first time you activate, it remembers your hardware and stuff and then the count down starts until 5 or 7 (I stand corrected). The retail is different, apparently there's no restriction as long as you remove the OS from the one pc before installing on another (I also stand correct on this one as well).
 
Schitzo said:
What worries me now is that how will I be able to distinguish between the Retail & DSP when I go into stores other than Incredible?
Click to expand...

The DSP comes in a rather plain DVD style case. At least that is what I am expecting since the Vista DSP was released that way.

The retail package is a rather fancy box with a bit of documentation. The difference is quite obvious, but if you're really worried then the sticker on the box says DSP if it is a DSP version or not and will say if it is 32bit or 64bit.

I also expect the license for the DSP version to be slightly different to the retail version. I believe that the DSP version is meant to be installed on one PC and cannot be transferred to another PC (like if you bought a new pc sans OS.) I'm up for correction on this point though.
 
AFAIK DSP versions should be sold withe new hardware, and is licensed to the machine using the hardware, and not the user. IE: when the hardware is sold/given away or dies etc.... the OS goes with...
For retail versions the license is with the user, and not the hardware. Although it can only be installed on one PC, it is belongs to the user. Thus when the PC dies/is sold/given away, the OS does not have to follow, it can simply be unistalled and re-installed on another PC..
Hope this helps
GL
 
ive never checked if DSP is fixed to one PC. However I know i've probably gone through 7 installs of my Vista Retail package and after the 3rd it failed and would put me through to a call center agent to whom i explained i was either re-installing or bought new hardware etc. etc.

However since my last time i see its now an IVR that says "push 1, if its installed on less than 3 computers, push 2 if its on more than 3"

I assume pushing 2 results in suits arriving at your front door with a flak cannon... .
 
zakdoc89 said:
AFAIK DSP versions should be sold withe new hardware, and is licensed to the machine using the hardware, and not the user. IE: when the hardware is sold/given away or dies etc.... the OS goes with...
For retail versions the license is with the user, and not the hardware. Although it can only be installed on one PC, it is belongs to the user. Thus when the PC dies/is sold/given away, the OS does not have to follow, it can simply be unistalled and re-installed on another PC..
Hope this helps
GL
Click to expand...

true, some suppliers in the DSP section of the price list say "only for distribution with a new PC"
 
I seem to remember seeing that the retail is 32 & 64 in the box, whereas DSP is only one or the other chosen at purchase.

I can confirm the DSP is a very dull, white cardboad sleeve with a red DSP siticker around a DVD case with just the dvd and a license key sticker on it. You'll easily see the difference - one is cheap and ugly the other is nice and ad/marketing/packaged
 
jem said:
I seem to remember seeing that the retail is 32 & 64 in the box, whereas DSP is only one or the other chosen at purchase.

I can confirm the DSP is a very dull, white cardboad sleeve with a red DSP siticker around a DVD case with just the dvd and a license key sticker on it. You'll easily see the difference - one is cheap and ugly the other is nice and ad/marketing/packaged
Click to expand...

good point. there must be something causing the price increase between DSP and retail and I doubt its just a folded colored box. It could be the two versions shipped together and maybe one or two other things. But from a core OS perspective they will be the same.
 
Zakdoc89 is right (about DSP, but not entirely about FPP).

DSP is an OEM version, but one made available to small assemblers and aggregators who can't enter into individual full OEM agreements with Microsoft, as do say Dell, HP, and about three dozen others. It allows them to also benefit from "OEM Windows" so that they can compete with the Big Boys on price and capability. The licence is sold only with the machine, and lives and dies with it. What exactly constitues a machine is always the subject of constant debate (which we won't have here, please). It is very difficult for a vendor to manage DSP compliance, and often DSP software "leaks" into the retail market, or is fringes, as this discussion evidences.

DSP stands for "Delivery Service Partner", which is the Microsoft term for the channel through which it delivered this version of OEM software made available to small-time (in global terms) PC manufacturers down to one-man PC builders (not end-users, only resellers, ie people who assemble and resell PCs for a living). Many DSPs (ie the distributors) illegally distribute DSP OEM software, in breach of their written contracts wth Microsoft, to resellers and others.

DSP software does not come in a "pretty pack", and is also sometimes called "white box".

As originally conceived, the DSP (ie third party distributor) takes responsibility for first level support, so the end-user calls the DSP for all installation and configuration support. The DSP must have dedicated customer-accessible support staff for Microsoft DSP product. Microsoft supports the DSP.

The whole reason why it was introduced was to allow the small dealer to also have an OEM Windows so he could compete with the global players. It's the "small man's OEM". But it's still OEM, and the licence is not transferable to another PC, unlike FPP (Full Packaged Product) licences, which are transferable.

All Microsoft software is licensed to the machine. The EULA is a contract with the user (and various jurisdictions interpret this slightly differently). For Full Packaged Product (retail, in a "pretty pack" box), the licence can be transferred from one machine to another, subject to various conditions (one being that it be fully removed from the original machine before that machine is transferred to another owner, and in such a way that the software can only be executed on one machine at a time).

If you can "get DSP Windows" from anyone other than a friend who gives you the copy he got with his new PC, then someone somewhere has broken their agreement with Microsoft. Surprise inside info: Do you know who gets really upset when this happens? It's the Big Hardware Vendors and OEMs who severely fret and froth at Microsoft to put a stop to this "leakage".
 
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So if I was looking to upgrade my pc in 6 months time (new motherboard,CPU etc) it would be inadvisable to choose DSP since it will be useless once I upgrade?
 
Nduimiso said:
So if I was looking to upgrade my pc in 6 months time (new motherboard,CPU etc) it would be inadvisable to choose DSP since it will be useless once I upgrade?
Click to expand...

Yeah. Or you could hold out for 6 months and buy DSP then with your new mobo. Hopefully your upgraded system will last a good few years.
 
Nduimiso said:
So if I was looking to upgrade my pc in 6 months time (new motherboard,CPU etc) it would be inadvisable to choose DSP since it will be useless once I upgrade?
Click to expand...
You should get the DSP version with your new mobo/CPU, so when you upgrade your hardware you also upgrade you system software. That's what DSP is for. DSP should only be available with major componentry like mobo and CPU.

But you should not be able to get DSP now, without upgrading anything.
 
@ Arthur, thank you SOOOOO much for clearing that up for me & for going into detail about DSP.

I've decided to upgrade my PC & then switch over to Win7.

Thanks again for the explanations guys!
 
Arthur said:
You should get the DSP version with your new mobo/CPU, so when you upgrade your hardware you also upgrade you system software. That's what DSP is for. DSP should only be available with major componentry like mobo and CPU.

But you should not be able to get DSP now, without upgrading anything.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I cant wait that long, I've been running the RTM but it seems MS picked up on the crack and I dont want to run it for 6 months with pop ups all the time about unauthentic windows. It seems the price between DSP and retail is only R200-300, which would make retail worthwhile for me.
 
Nduimiso I was running a RC version and it to started to drive me nuts with pop ups about illegal software etc. I purchased a retail copy yesterday as I didnt want to start with a fresh install to go the Xp upgrade route or DSP because I change components often. I also didnt want to go to Ultimate I only need Home Premium and so needed to downgrade, which I found out can be done.

So in summary with a few small tweaks in regedit I was able to make a seamless install from my RC (Ultimate) version to Home Premium with all my installed software intact.
 
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