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Vista OEM Product Keys

Definition of OEM:

The term, OEM (original equipment manufacturer) refers to companies that make products for others to repackage and sell. Resellers buy OEM products in bulk, minus the costly retail packaging that comes with individually sold units. The product itself is essentially the same as its more expensive, retail-packaged sibling. OEM products are used in many industries, but are perhaps most prevalent in electronics.

Generally, dealers of OEM products add something of value before reselling the merchandise. An OEM vendor that does this is known as a “value added reseller” (VAR). A VAR might build components, sub-systems, or systems from quality OEM parts. OEM goods allow VARs a wide range of creative marketing choices, which permits smaller dealers to be competitive in the marketplace.

OEM software will have different product numbers than retail packages, and support may be provided by the VAR, rather than the maker of the software. Functionally, OEM and retail versions of software should be essentially the same.

Three kinds of OEM Product Keys:

OEM:SLP Keys
* OEM SLP (System-Locked Pre-installation) keys are only issued to the big manufacturers such as Dell, Asus, Sony, etc.
* These are the only keys that are able to bypass activation that is, perform offline activation without contacting Microsoft.
* They will work with any OEM SLP system, regardless of the OEM system’s brand i.e. Product Keys are not brand specific.
* These keys are not be displayed on a product sticker or made public.
* Product Key Group ID 146

OEM:NONSLP Keys
* OEM NONSLP Keys (Non System Locked Pre-installation) are similar to Retail, but distributed and supported by an OEM (pre-installed by a small manufacturer also known as a System Builder).
* Needs activation by phone or online and they are not brand specific.
* These keys will work in general same as Retail or Upgrade keys and can be used only once.
* Product Key Group ID 146.

OEM:COA Keys
* OEM COA keys (Certificate of Authentication) are regular OEM keys that require activation, either by phone or online and they are not brand specific.
* The OEM:COA (for Vista that comes with a OEM:SLP or OEM:NONSLP key pre-installed by OEM) key would be required if a reinstallation is needed.
* The COA sticker should be affixed to the body of the computer.
* These keys will work in general same as Retail or Upgrade keys and can be used only once.
* Product Key Group ID 144.

Image of Small Manufacturer Pre-installed Windows Vista COA

Image of Large Manufacturer Pre-installed Windows Vista COA