What does the OA stand for

[Todd]

Hi All,

A sticker on the back of a customer's laptop states that
it is "Windows 7 Home Premium OA".

Question: what does "OA" stand for?

And, I presume, an OEM "Windows 7 Home Premium" disk is
the correct disk to do a repair with?

Many thanks,
-T

 

[Monty]

Hi All,

A sticker on the back of a customer's laptop states that
it is "Windows 7 Home Premium OA".

Question: what does "OA" stand for?

A Google search for Windows 7 Home Premium OA gave me this answer
from Microsoft:

1. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Activation is also known as
OA. It basically is OEM basic input/output system (BIOS) activation --
meaning they've activated it already and you don't need to enter the
key and activate yourself.

2. You will only be able to activate one copy of Windows 7 with the
product key number being used for either the 32 bit or 64 bit version
at one time, not with both. It will only allow for one installed copy
with it to be activated. If you try to do it on both 32/64 bit
versions, you will probably get the Your Product Key is already in use
or The Windows 7 product key you typed is invalid for activation
message.

Hope this helps!

 

[Iceman]

Todd wrote 25 May 2012 in

Hi All,

A sticker on the back of a customer's laptop states that
it is "Windows 7 Home Premium OA".

Question: what does "OA" stand for?

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Activation is also known as OA. It
basically is OEM basic input/output system (BIOS) activation -- meaning
they've activated it already and you don't need to enter the key and
activate yourself.

And, I presume, an OEM "Windows 7 Home Premium" disk is
the correct disk to do a repair with?

That is so, I should think.

 

[Todd]

A Google search for Windows 7 Home Premium OA gave me this answer
from Microsoft:

1. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Activation is also known as
OA. It basically is OEM basic input/output system (BIOS) activation --
meaning they've activated it already and you don't need to enter the
key and activate yourself.

2. You will only be able to activate one copy of Windows 7 with the
product key number being used for either the 32 bit or 64 bit version
at one time, not with both. It will only allow for one installed copy
with it to be activated. If you try to do it on both 32/64 bit
versions, you will probably get the Your Product Key is already in use
or The Windows 7 product key you typed is invalid for activation
message.

Hope this helps!

Follow up: if I purchase a copy of "Windows 7 Home Premium OEM",
can I use it to do a repair on "OA"?

 

[Todd]

Todd wrote 25 May 2012 in

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Activation is also known as OA. It
basically is OEM basic input/output system (BIOS) activation -- meaning
they've activated it already and you don't need to enter the key and
activate yourself.


That is so, I should think.

Thank you!

 

[Dominique]

Follow up: if I purchase a copy of "Windows 7 Home Premium OEM",
can I use it to do a repair on "OA"?

You don't need to buy another licence to repair a system, copy the disk you
need from someone you know who has the version you need (SP level is
important), the licence is the key, not the disk. For one specific version,
say Home Premium SP1 - generic OEM, the disks are all the same.

And as far as repair is concerned I don't see why you could not use a
Retail or Upgrade disk of the same version and SP level on an OEM install,
I might be wrong on that one though.

 

[Todd]

You don't need to buy another licence to repair a system, copy the disk you
need from someone you know who has the version you need (SP level is
important), the licence is the key, not the disk. For one specific version,
say Home Premium SP1 - generic OEM, the disks are all the same.

And as far as repair is concerned I don't see why you could not use a
Retail or Upgrade disk of the same version and SP level on an OEM install,
I might be wrong on that one though.

I tried seeing if the pro version would do the repair thing
on a Home Premium install, and it told me it was the wrong version.

This is interesting. The disks for the "bit" versions are all the
same, except for the sources/ei.cfg file. If you know how to
edit an ISO, you can make yourself up a disk of any version you
like from another version, including switching from Retail and
OEM. (You have to stick with the same bit version.) I made up
a Home Premium OEM from my Pro OEM disk. (I am handy with Linux.)

Here is a kicker: if you up and delete ei.cfg, you get
prompted for what version to install. But, here is a problem:
the ei.cfg free version will *only* install. It will not do a
"Repair". It always tells you you have the wrong version.

So you have to edit ei.cfg to what you need, rather
than erasing it.

-T

 

[Todd]

Thank you!

Confirmed: the "OEM" disk works fine with the "OA" Key.

-T