Gigastudio on Windows XP OEM, Will it work?

[Jaibulu]

The Tascam website states that Gigastudio does not support OEM versions of Windows XP. I have OEM Windows on my laptop and I would like to get Gigastudio on it. Does anyone have Gigastudio working on an OEM version of Windows XP?

[geronimo001]

I don't see why not? It's the same software.

I'm not sure how it will perform on a lap top though?...

[JonFairhurst]

As I recall, GS3 isn't *officially* supported on XP OEM, but it's not disabled on OEM either. Because there are so many custom configured XP OEM versions, you never know what the configuration is. It would be impossible for Tascam to acquire and test every version - PC vendors don't necessarily share all their XP OEM version change information.

So, Tascam makes no guarantees with XP OEM. The only way to find out if it works on a given OEM version is to try is out...

[K Lundquist]

Uhm... could someone explain to me what OEM means now? I remember once being told that OEM software is the same as none OEM (or whatever you want to call it) it just doesn't come in the fine packaging?

[geronimo001]

Uhm... could someone explain to me what OEM means now? I remember once being told that OEM software is the same as none OEM (or whatever you want to call it) it just doesn't come in the fine packaging?

That's kind of what i understood too?:confused:

[JonFairhurst]

As I understand it, the manufacturer buys an XP OEM license that it passes on to the consumer, but the image on the disc is up to the manufacturer to configure. There's garbageware, special drivers, unique configurations and other unpredictables that HP, Dell, Gateway, Sony, Toshiba and all of the other manufacturers customize, based on what they think is best for their machine.

Sure, Microsoft makes a single OEM version, but it's not just generically loaded on your store-bought PC.

[Jaibulu]

Thanks for your replies. Is anyone running Gigastudio on an OEM version of Windows without any issues?

[pcor]

Thanks for your replies. Is anyone running Gigastudio on an OEM version of Windows without any issues?

I ran gigastudio 2.54 on a dell for the last 5 years. It actually has had more trouble recently than when I started. It was a dimension desktop with 1.7GHz P4 and 1 GB ram. I got it to run GOS with DP on a mac. Since then I moved to an ADK dual core machine and run kontakt as a vst-simpler.

Paul

[Wafflemaster]

I've run GigaStudio 3 on a Dell desktop without any problems.

It is my understanding that OEM manufacturers of desktops don't modify the Operating System very much if at all. For example Dell does have a customized help system but that is about it.

OEM manufacturers DO make OS modifications for laptops, primarily for better performance and power management.

If you think about it, OEMs only mess with the OS when they have to because they have to support those changes. This is why the majority of their changes include things like different help screens or an OEM startup screen.

OEMs like Compaq used to modify the OS with older systems like Win98 but they wised up because of the support costs.

You shouldn't have a problem with mainstream desktops.

[JonFairhurst]

But even desktops come with a bunch of garbageware these days. For instance, some will have software installed that polls the manufacturer's website for software upgrades. If that happens during a high polyphony playback moment, you could get a click or drop out.

Of course, you can uninstall software, stop services and remove programs from auto-starting, but you never know what problems they might have left behind, especially in the registry.

My conclusion is that XP OEM will generally work, but might take more time to optimize. And there's always the chance that one of your optimizations will kill something important. It could be worth the risk though.

Ironic, isn't it? The least technical people are the most likely to buy the OEM version, but the OEM version might require the most work to optimize for audio.

[ddarwin7]

I've been running GS3 with OEM Windows XP Home withough any problems for 2 years. But I was running only with SP1, so far. But yesterday I updated to SP2. Now I am thinking I may have done a mistake. I am getting some loading errors with it now. So I would recommend, stick with SP1.

Dd

[Jaibulu]

Has anyone heard when Gigastudio 4 will be released?

[kitekrazy]

The Tascam website states that Gigastudio does not support OEM versions of Windows XP. I have OEM Windows on my laptop and I would like to get Gigastudio on it. Does anyone have Gigastudio working on an OEM version of Windows XP?

Doesn't make a lot of sense does it? I doubt the OS isn't really any different.

[JonFairhurst]

Doesn't make a lot of sense does it? I doubt the OS isn't really any different.It makes a lot of sense to me. As I posted earlier, companies often load their systems with garbageware and unique drivers. You don't know what you can remove safely, and what will kill the box. GS3 works at the Kernel level, and might conflict with the unique drivers. The garbageware can introduce interrupts at any time that can cause pops and clicks. And... it's impossible for Tascam to get their hands on all of these configurations.

They don't guarantee that GS3 won't work on those systems, but they can't very well guarantee that it will, can they?

[Ouch that hurts]

Are we sure we're all talking about the same thing?

It seems to me that "OEM" can have two different meanings. At the simplest level, it just refers to the licensing arrangement. "OEM Windows" just means that your license is only valid for running XP on the computer that it was bought with. OTOH you can buy a copy of "OEM Windows" as long as you buy a piece of significant hardware with it. In this case, there is absolutely no difference between the OEM and retail versions. They are the exact same code, just subject to different licensing arrangements. Clearly they'll work the same way with Gigastudio.

However "OEM" can also mean that a laptop manufacturer has buggered about with the standard Windows installation and adapted it to the specific hardware of their laptop. Which is what everybody here seems to be presuming.

We need to know what Jaibulu means. If all he means is that the sticker on his laptop, or the entry in the manul that came with it, says that his Windows license is "OEM", then he has nothing at all to worry about.

If however he means that his laptop manufacturer has put a highly unusual and customised Windows install on the laptop, then maybe it's different. I rather suspect, however, that even in this case it's unlikely to be a major problem. Most manufacturers don't do that much that really runs all that deep and can't be reversed. I suspect Tascam are just covering their arses so they're not accountable for getting Giga working on every single wacked-out Windows install under the sun.

[Ouch that hurts]

Hey that's cool! The benefits of coming from the other side of the pond:

You guys can't say "~~~", but I can say "arse"!


You say tomehdo, I say tomahdo.

[Jaibulu]

I am interested in installing Gigastudio on a computer that I built to run a standard OEM version of Windows from Microsoft. Not the type that comes from Dell or pre-installed from a laptop. I'd be purchasing it at a computer store. I'll just have to buy some additional hardware to get the OEM version.

I assume by what you are saying, this type of OEM is exactly the same as the retail version, with no garbageware. If so, what can't Gigastudio recommend that type of OEM instead of ruling out all types of OEM?

[Ouch that hurts]

Yes, you should have no problem at all in that case. It would make no difference to your installation whether the copy of Windows you use is "retail" or "OEM", it's purely a licensing issue.

I wasn't aware of this position of Tascam's, and I don't know the exact way they phrased it, but I'm sure it's a language/communication issue. I expect what they mean is that they can't guarantee Giga to run on specific Windows installs that have been customised by the manufacturer. Different meaning of "OEM" altogether, and responsible for the misunderstanding here.

[Jaibulu]

Great! Thanks for the clarification.