With the release of Windows Vista® and Office 2007 a number of changes have been made to the both the OEM System Builder licensing and packaging. These include new license language, new packaging and a new way of pre-installing Office 2007.

For Office 2007, system builders pre-install a single master image using the new 2007 Office OPK Master Kit for all the Microsoft Office business suites on new business PCs. When a PC is sold, the system builder sells a 2007 Microsoft Office suite: Basic, Small Business, or Professional. System builders sell customers a Medialess License Kit, which will include a product key to unlock the suite (Basic, Small Business, or Professional). Users who choose not to buy Office immediately with new PCs have a free 60-day trial period, which system builders can help activate. Customers can buy the Medialess License Kit from a system builder within 90 days after the PC sale. The Kit will provide the key necessary to unlock the preinstalled software with no additional work by the system builder. Customers can easily acquire media from Microsoft by following instructions in the Kit.

What are the rules for buying OEM software?

Microsoft OEM software is sold for installation on a new PC by a system builder. A system builder is anyone who builds and sells new, complete or bare-bones PCs or servers. When you break the seal on the product you are accepting the OEM System Builder Licence terms - the key elements are that you should install the software onto a new machine and that software is tied to that machine and is non-transferrable. System builder software should not be distributed to consumers.

What are the rules for installing and distributing OEM software?

You must preinstall the software on the PC using the OEM pre-installation kit (OPK). The OEM license on one PC cannot be transferred to another PC. Check the Microsoft OEM System Builder License link below for the complete rules.

For more information on these changes, visit the Microsoft OEM website.