We often hear about ESD, OEM and Retail licenses, but what are these licenses really? What's their difference? Can anyone downgrade?
First of all there are not only OEM and Retail, but: OEM, OEI, Retail, GGK, VL, MAK, KMS, MSDN, Refurbished etc.
Some sold digitally (ESD), some boxed, others in both ways. Let's see them together:
Windows 10 OEM
There is a lot of confusion about this license and it is often confused with the OEI license. The true OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) license is a license sold with the PC. It is only used by System Builders with Microsoft.These license keys are digital and integrated into the BIOS of the computer together with the serial of the PC. Often System Builders always use the same Windows 10 code (see DELL, ASUS, ACER etc.). For computers that are born with Windows 10, we find only a Microsoft holographic stamp of originality in front of the PC, without the license key. It cannot be sold separately and the only way to have it is combined with a PC.
Only System Builders can, through a national distributor, (list at the bottom of the article) have access to these types of contracts to integrate license keys on PCs.The OEM license of Windows 10 Pro allows the legal downgrade to a previous Pro version of Windows (Windows 7 Pro, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro). For instructions on how to downgrade properly, just contact your PC manufacturer.
The holographic sticker present on the Computers as shown in the image has various anti-forgery and anti-tampering features.
Windows 10 OEI or DSP OEI
Often when we hear and read about OEM license we are actually talking about an OEI (Delivery Service Partners Original Equipment Installation).
A license that can be purchased individually to combine it with a PC. The license is linked to the machine and once activated it is possible to reactivate it only on the same PC. The OEI license is a license that must be purchased by the assemblers who will include it with the PC.
The OEI licenses are sold in the DVD package + label with the product key code (commonly called COA).
The support is operated by the PC manufacturer, not Microsoft.
The Windows 10 Pro OEI license allows for a legal downgrade to an older Pro version of Windows (Windows 7 Pro, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro). For instructions on how to properly downgrade, just contact the PC manufacturer.
ATTENTION to those who only sell you the COA label, these only label licenses are not original. DSP OEI licenses are sold paired with DVD + sticker, while COA labels alone are not legitimate licenses and as such cannot be resold as legitimate Microsoft software.
With the latest versions of Microsoft's CD or DVD products, additional optical security features are visible on both sides of the disc, near the inner hole and along the outer edge. These features are built into the disc: it is not a sticker. When the disc is turned upside down, the text or numbers are visible as a mirror image on the opposite side.
Windows 10 Retail or FFP Retail
A license that can be freely purchased by everyone in an ESD digital version, or in a boxed version with USB. It allows those who buy it to install Windows 10 on their computer with the possibility of transferring the license to another machine .
The support can be done by the vendor, or by Microsoft itself. The Retail license does NOT allow downgrading to a previous version of Windows in any way.The Certificate of Authenticity label, applied to the outside of the end user software packages, describes the product and indicates the country it is intended for use and the country of origin. The label has the following anti-counterfeiting characteristics:
- Holographic functionality
- Color Change Functionality
Windows 10 GGK
We come now to the lesser known one, the GGK (Get Genuine Kit).This is used to make a counterfeit or unlicensed version of Windows original. A simple and effective solution that includes, like the OEI version, a DVD and a COA label to be affixed to the PC.The GGK license, like an OEI license, is not transferable and is linked to the machine.The support is provided directly by Microsoft.The GGK license does NOT allow in any way to downgrade to a previous version of Windows.
For anti-counterfeiting, the same rules apply as for OEI versions, on the latest versions of Microsoft products on CD or DVD, additional optical security features are visible on both sides of the disc, near the inner hole and along the outer edge. These features are built into the disc: it is not a sticker. When the disc is turned upside down, the text or numbers are visible as a mirror image on the opposite side.
VL Licenses
Then we have the VL licenses (Volume License) are licenses with various types of contract (Open License, Education etc.). Depending on the type of company, school or public administration, they are digital licenses for which the customer, through a distributor or partner, enters into a contract to receive product keys of the products concerned for the agreed number of machines.
For a Volume Licensing contract, tailor-made estimates are made, while the end customer always receives access to the Microsoft Volume Licensing site from which to download the Software and activation keys.
For a Volume Licensing contract, tailor-made estimates are made, while the end customer always receives access to the Microsoft Volume Licensing site from which to download the Software and activation keys.
You cannot receive Volume Licensing keys without accessing the Microsoft site. Volume Licensing keys are divided into two types:
- MAK keys They are serial reusable several times depending on the number of licenses purchased for more computers. Each MAK key has a counter on the Volume Licensing site which indicates the number of installations made.
- KMS keys Not to be confused with software used to hack windows. They are serial that need a centralized client server to be managed and installed. The customer thus has the ability to activate a specific number of workstations and to deactivate, when necessary, a workstation to free the license and move it to another machine.
The Windows 10 Pro VL licenses only allow the legal downgrade to a previous Pro version of Windows with the addition of the Software Assurance option. For instructions on how to downgrade properly, just contact your Microsoft Partner.
Call us to buy VL Licenses ( 01710171121 / 01950010050 )
MSDN Licenses
(Microsoft Developer Network) are licenses for professionals, advantageous in price, can only be used by Microsoft partners for internal and demonstration use.
Windows 10 Refurbishment
These are licenses that we find on Computers remanufactured by Microsoft Refurbishment Partners and are licenses that bind to the machine to replace the original OEM which is often Windows 7 or Windows 8.