What is the difference between Operating System packaging?

Question

When purchasing an Operating System, what is the difference between purchasing an operating system that is packaged in a heavy weight card stock envelope sleeve and an operating system that is packaged in a large retail box? There is a significant price difference between the two packages.

Answer 1

The envelope copy is an OEM version and the retail version is boxed. The difference is price and who provides the initial tech support. Initial tech support for retail versions is provided by Microsoft and by the manufacturer of the computer for the OEM versions. It's for that reason that OEM versions are cheaper.