Matching a COA to a re-install DVD?

[Davej]

Dell COA says "Windows 7 Pro OA" and has several numbers on it that might be part numbers. How can I get the correct DVD? People sell them on Ebay but maybe there are different flavors? I hope OA means 64-bit. Thanks.

 

[Paul]

Dell COA says "Windows 7 Pro OA" and has several numbers on it that might be part numbers. How can I get the correct DVD? People sell them on Ebay but maybe there are different flavors? I hope OA means 64-bit. Thanks.

https://www.dell.com/support/diagnostics/us/en/04/nondiagnostichome?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&DoNotRedirect=y

An OEM PC has two license keys.

When Dell installs the OS at the factory, the OS is set up to
activate automatically, when the user starts the machine for
the first time.

Instead of typing in a different license key into each machine,
the OS is "SLIC" activated. The BIOS has a number of data tables,
and these tables can be passed to the OS. The table names are things
like DSDT. Anyway, one of the tables is SLIC, which contains
identification that says "I'm a Dell". If I take my Asus motherboard
here, and check the SLIC, it won't be claiming to be a Dell. Note
that there are a couple web sites, that (quietly) work on
defeating SLIC and putting fake SLIC tables into the PC BIOS.

OK, so when the OS activates automatically, there will be a license
key. It'll be the same license key, on all the machines.

This is not the same license key value, as is shown on the COA sticker.
That's a "real" license key. That license key is intended for installation
of the OS, using a "real" OS installer disc (not the Dell recovery CD).

I've actually done this. On my Acer laptop, it had Windows 7 and
was SLIC activated. I have a Windows 7 SP1 DVD I downloaded.
I reinstalled the OS, used the key off the COA, and the machine
did not immediately activate. I had to enter a 56 digit number
into an automated Microsoft phone service, and in return a 56 digit
response was spoken over the phone. I typed that into the screen
of the Windows 7 laptop, and that finished the activation. From
then on, a license key check, would show the COA key, and not
the generic Dell-wide key for that OS. And it would show
it was activated.

So you can reinstall an OS, using the COA. But the license key
has to be for that OS. Or, for whatever range of OSes are
qualified by that key (in case you have downgrade rights, it
might work on more than one OS).

If you purchase recovery DVDs or CDs, multiple OSes can work.
Since the Dell box says "I'm a Dell", I could restore a
Dell WinXP disc to the machine, or a Dell Windows 7 disc to
the machine, and in both cases, SLIC activation would be automatic.
A difference would be, the drivers are likely missing, and
I'd need to have the drivers disc handy to finish the job.
So if you have exactly the right restore disc, all the
drivers are likely in it. If you use a restore disc from
some other generation of Dell, the drivers could be a mess.
When I reinstalled my Windows 7 laptop, I had to use the
drivers disc to finish the job and have a clean Device Manager.
(I burned a drivers and other discs, when prompted to do so by
the laptop, when it was new. That's why I had a drivers disc
in hand, when it came time to reinstall using a non-Acer disc.)

Windows 8 computers differ a slight bit. Licensing on Windows 8
is different. An actual key is stored in the BIOS. Each computer
has a unique BIOS load. The machine is only guaranteed to activate
the OS that came with it. While there may be downgrade rights, I
don't know exactly how you go about getting the previous OS
version to install. As there is no COA on the machine at all.
Windows 8 machines don't come with a COA or COA key value. You
get the license key in the BIOS (possibly encrypted). It's
unclear whether a Windows 8 machine contains a SLIC table,
and that SLIC table can activate restored (not installed) OSes.

Options:

1) Within warranty period, maybe you can get discs for nothing.
Maybe the discs will cost $50. Try the first link above.
2) Past the warranty period, a third-party vendor may sell
the disc set for $50.
3) For OSes before Windows 8, just use a restore disc set, and
the SLIC will activate the OS.
4) For Windows 8 machines, the internal license key only
activates the one OS. With no COA, the only way a downgrade
OS install would work, is a restoration and SLIC activation.
5) If you have a retail disc set, like maybe a system builder
OEM version of Windows 7, you may be able to use the COA key
with that, and activate. But it likely involves either an
unattended phone call, or a call to a human, to complete
the activation.

I installed X17-24209.iso on my laptop, used the COA, and
it required the 56 digit challenge/response over the phone,
to complete the activation. I got X17-24209.iso by downloading
it from DigitalRiver (a seller of electronic OS installs). The
download was free, as the DigitalRiver URLs are well known, and
can be obtained from a search engine. You can also search
on the MD5SUM or SHA1SUM, to find those things. The checksums
are in circulation, to reduce the risk of getting an
adulterated disc image. When digitalriver turns off those
downloads, there will always be torrent copies - in which
case the MD5 or SHA1 sums will be more important to have in hand.

X17-24209.iso 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 (bootable)
3,319,478,272 bytes
MD5sum = 971843a457b6e0db0af61258cbe7256a

Searching on the MD5sum value, will get you sample web pages
full of Digital River URLs.

Before doing the install, do a backup of the existing disk drive.
If you get in trouble, simply restore. You can use Macrium
Reflect Free for this.

Paul

 

[Davej]

https://www.dell.com/support/diagnostics/us/en/04/nondiagnostichome?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&DoNotRedirect=y



An OEM PC has two license keys.

When Dell installs the OS at the factory, the OS is set up to
activate automatically, when the user starts the machine for
the first time.

Instead of typing in a different license key into each machine,
the OS is "SLIC" activated. The BIOS has a number of data tables,
and these tables can be passed to the OS. The table names are things
like DSDT. Anyway, one of the tables is SLIC, which contains
identification that says "I'm a Dell". If I take my Asus motherboard
here, and check the SLIC, it won't be claiming to be a Dell. Note
that there are a couple web sites, that (quietly) work on
defeating SLIC and putting fake SLIC tables into the PC BIOS.

OK, so when the OS activates automatically, there will be a license
key. It'll be the same license key, on all the machines.

This is not the same license key value, as is shown on the COA sticker.
That's a "real" license key. That license key is intended for installation
of the OS, using a "real" OS installer disc (not the Dell recovery CD).

I've actually done this. On my Acer laptop, it had Windows 7 and
was SLIC activated. I have a Windows 7 SP1 DVD I downloaded.
I reinstalled the OS, used the key off the COA, and the machine
did not immediately activate. I had to enter a 56 digit number
into an automated Microsoft phone service, and in return a 56 digit
response was spoken over the phone. I typed that into the screen
of the Windows 7 laptop, and that finished the activation. From
then on, a license key check, would show the COA key, and not
the generic Dell-wide key for that OS. And it would show
it was activated.

So you can reinstall an OS, using the COA. But the license key
has to be for that OS. Or, for whatever range of OSes are
qualified by that key (in case you have downgrade rights, it
might work on more than one OS).

If you purchase recovery DVDs or CDs, multiple OSes can work.
Since the Dell box says "I'm a Dell", I could restore a
Dell WinXP disc to the machine, or a Dell Windows 7 disc to
the machine, and in both cases, SLIC activation would be automatic.
A difference would be, the drivers are likely missing, and
I'd need to have the drivers disc handy to finish the job.
So if you have exactly the right restore disc, all the
drivers are likely in it. If you use a restore disc from
some other generation of Dell, the drivers could be a mess.
When I reinstalled my Windows 7 laptop, I had to use the
drivers disc to finish the job and have a clean Device Manager.
(I burned a drivers and other discs, when prompted to do so by
the laptop, when it was new. That's why I had a drivers disc
in hand, when it came time to reinstall using a non-Acer disc.)

Windows 8 computers differ a slight bit. Licensing on Windows 8
is different. An actual key is stored in the BIOS. Each computer
has a unique BIOS load. The machine is only guaranteed to activate
the OS that came with it. While there may be downgrade rights, I
don't know exactly how you go about getting the previous OS
version to install. As there is no COA on the machine at all.

Windows 8 machines don't come with a COA or COA key value. You
get the license key in the BIOS (possibly encrypted). It's
unclear whether a Windows 8 machine contains a SLIC table,
and that SLIC table can activate restored (not installed) OSes.

Options:

1) Within warranty period, maybe you can get discs for nothing.
Maybe the discs will cost $50. Try the first link above.

2) Past the warranty period, a third-party vendor may sell
the disc set for $50.

3) For OSes before Windows 8, just use a restore disc set, and
the SLIC will activate the OS.

4) For Windows 8 machines, the internal license key only
activates the one OS. With no COA, the only way a downgrade
OS install would work, is a restoration and SLIC activation.

5) If you have a retail disc set, like maybe a system builder
OEM version of Windows 7, you may be able to use the COA key
with that, and activate. But it likely involves either an
unattended phone call, or a call to a human, to complete
the activation.

I installed X17-24209.iso on my laptop, used the COA, and
it required the 56 digit challenge/response over the phone,
to complete the activation. I got X17-24209.iso by downloading
it from DigitalRiver (a seller of electronic OS installs). The
download was free, as the DigitalRiver URLs are well known, and
can be obtained from a search engine. You can also search
on the MD5SUM or SHA1SUM, to find those things. The checksums
are in circulation, to reduce the risk of getting an
adulterated disc image. When digitalriver turns off those
downloads, there will always be torrent copies - in which
case the MD5 or SHA1 sums will be more important to have in hand.

X17-24209.iso 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 (bootable)
3,319,478,272 bytes

MD5sum = 971843a457b6e0db0af61258cbe7256a

Searching on the MD5sum value, will get you sample web pages
full of Digital River URLs.

Before doing the install, do a backup of the existing disk drive.
If you get in trouble, simply restore. You can use Macrium
Reflect Free for this.

Paul

Good God Paul I hope you are a fast typist -- you are making me feel very guilty when I ask a question. This is a used Dell m4500 laptop off Ebay thatcame with a COA but no HD. I do not want Windows 8 and specifically wanteda Win 7 machine. I have now installed the Digital River Windows 7 Pro 64-bit for the purposes of checkout and the wild hope it might actually validate, but I see that the part number displayed is not the same as the one on the Dell COA. Oddly in System Information there is that strange option to change the product key. I don't know if that is worth trying.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...al-river/66a8439b-0d16-4b70-92f7-1c8486a46ebf

I have in the past upgraded Dell laptops with Ebay purchased copies of Dellwindows, but in that situation the seller knows how to match up the COA with the proper DVD.

So far the laptop seems to be working although I have occasionally seen a strange and very severe case of mouse pointer drift which I had previously only seen occur with touch pads. Hopefully this is just a missing driver or one that needs an update.

Thanks

 

[Paul]

Good God Paul I hope you are a fast typist -- you are making me feel very guilty when I ask a question. This is a used Dell m4500 laptop off Ebay that came with a COA but no HD. I do not want Windows 8 and specifically wanted a Win 7 machine. I have now installed the Digital River Windows 7 Pro 64-bit for the purposes of checkout and the wild hope it might actually validate, but I see that the part number displayed is not the same as the one on the Dell COA. Oddly in System Information there is that strange option to change the product key. I don't know if that is worth trying.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...al-river/66a8439b-0d16-4b70-92f7-1c8486a46ebf

I have in the past upgraded Dell laptops with Ebay purchased copies of Dell windows, but in that situation the seller knows how to match up the COA with the proper DVD.

So far the laptop seems to be working although I have occasionally seen a strange and very severe case of mouse pointer drift which I had previously only seen occur with touch pads. Hopefully this is just a missing driver or one that needs an update.

Thanks

But didn't you have to enter the product key off the COA ?
I don't remember now, but at least some of the installs
I've done, the key is entered early in the procedure.
If it really doesn't like the key, it should reject it
out of hand.

I somehow doubt my download was exactly the right one for
the job. Mine could have been a retail version download,
but I went for it anyway. The version matched, as I was
installing Home Premium, and that was also the download DVD.
It was a Home Premium. But it might not have been a
System Builder Home Premium disc. Not every version is
available for download that way.

It's possible to change some of the Microsoft DVDs into
"universal" installers, by removing ei.cfg. There is even
a tool for doing that to an ISO9660 image, all without needing
any ISO tools to do it. Initially when this was discovered,
people were using ISO9660 editing tools, to remove or insert
a modified file. But later, someone made tools for it. I've
never tested these, but read of the practice.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-t...ll-from-single-edition-dvd-disc-media-or-iso/

"Windows 7 ISO Image Edition Switcher
ei.cfg Removal Utility"

So I take it then, you haven't tried to activate. Do you
have a phone next to the computer ?

I would be surprised if you get 30 days grace. I would
have expected 72 hours or 3 days. In which case, there's
practically nothing to lose by attempting to activate.

And yes, drivers are a killer for this stuff. On a laptop,
the hardest part is the video driver. In many cases, downloading
the driver from ATI or NVidia, that driver won't work with a
laptop panel. Since the laptop LCD panel doesn't have normal
plug and play detection. You would go to the Dell site and
see if they had a Windows 7 driver, before beginning. If they
didn't have a video driver, I'd find it first before moving
to the next step.

If you have a Dell desktop computer, with external monitor,
an ATI or NVidia download will work with those. It's the laptop
you can't be sure of.

Trackpad drivers are filter drivers. A trackpad is detected
as a HID device by default. That gives it an almost "mouse-like"
initial interface. When you install the trackpad driver later,
it is a filter driver that "sniffs' the coordinates and finger taps,
and converts any gestures into events for the OS. So the filter
driver is not conventional, in that it isn't "programming"
the trackpad. But it does interpret your movements on the
trackpad, or if you tap a hotspot, it can convert that into
left-mouse, right-mouse or whatever. I don't know if it
knows how to stop "drift" or not. So the trackpad will
come alive in a minimal mode, with no user installed driver,
but needs the proper driver if all the functions are to be
supported.

It sounds like you know more about this stuff that I
do, and activation isn't going to be a problem. If phone
activation is required, the computer will print a toll free
number on the screen. And prompt you with the details.
It's always possible, if you're using a DVD for the wrong
region, it won't present the correct toll free number. I
didn't go through all the language options. I was hoping
by giving an MD5SUM as a breadcrumb, you'd find one of those
huge lists, with all the different available languages and
regions.

When you would do a key change, is if you used a "no-activation"
key. People doing KMS stuff, they have special keys to fool
the installer DVD into letting the installation begin. Then,
they use Microsoft tools like "slmgr" to request a key change,
and then the "real" key is given to the OS, followed by
activation. So even if you're in a situation where you have
no valid key at the very beginning, you can advance the
installation process along anyway. Just like the digitalriver
thing, there's a page with the "null" kinda keys for the job.
These do not change the grace period, which is likely still
30 days for the stuff we have access to. Enterprise might
have a different grace period.

In your case, you've used the only key you had on hand, it
was accepted, and now you're ready to activate. Short of
not being able to find the drivers, I'd just activate that
puppy If you wanted to be a purist, you could mess
around with ei.cfg, and do the install all over again.
Your choice.

I'm more careful, if working with my System Build WinXP install,
as with that one, too much activation shenanigans can put me
in the penalty box. That one has only ever been reinstalled
the one time. With the Dell one, I would not expect
it to be as much of an issue. I suppose if you screw around
too much, you'll end up talking to a human.

Paul

 

[Davej]

But didn't you have to enter the product key off the COA ?
I don't remember now, but at least some of the installs
I've done, the key is entered early in the procedure.
If it really doesn't like the key, it should reject it
out of hand.

I somehow doubt my download was exactly the right one for
the job. Mine could have been a retail version download,
but I went for it anyway. The version matched, as I was
installing Home Premium, and that was also the download DVD.

It was a Home Premium. But it might not have been a
System Builder Home Premium disc. Not every version is
available for download that way.

It's possible to change some of the Microsoft DVDs into
"universal" installers, by removing ei.cfg. There is even
a tool for doing that to an ISO9660 image, all without needing
any ISO tools to do it. Initially when this was discovered,
people were using ISO9660 editing tools, to remove or insert
a modified file. But later, someone made tools for it. I've
never tested these, but read of the practice.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-t...ll-from-single-edition-dvd-disc-media-or-iso/
"Windows 7 ISO Image Edition Switcher

ei.cfg Removal Utility"


So I take it then, you haven't tried to activate. Do you
have a phone next to the computer ?

I would be surprised if you get 30 days grace. I would
have expected 72 hours or 3 days. In which case, there's
practically nothing to lose by attempting to activate.

And yes, drivers are a killer for this stuff. On a laptop,
the hardest part is the video driver. In many cases, downloading
the driver from ATI or NVidia, that driver won't work with a
laptop panel. Since the laptop LCD panel doesn't have normal
plug and play detection. You would go to the Dell site and
see if they had a Windows 7 driver, before beginning. If they
didn't have a video driver, I'd find it first before moving
to the next step.

If you have a Dell desktop computer, with external monitor,
an ATI or NVidia download will work with those. It's the laptop
you can't be sure of.

Trackpad drivers are filter drivers. A trackpad is detected
as a HID device by default. That gives it an almost "mouse-like"
initial interface. When you install the trackpad driver later,
it is a filter driver that "sniffs' the coordinates and finger taps,
and converts any gestures into events for the OS. So the filter
driver is not conventional, in that it isn't "programming"
the trackpad. But it does interpret your movements on the
trackpad, or if you tap a hotspot, it can convert that into
left-mouse, right-mouse or whatever. I don't know if it
knows how to stop "drift" or not. So the trackpad will
come alive in a minimal mode, with no user installed driver,
but needs the proper driver if all the functions are to be
supported.

It sounds like you know more about this stuff that I
do, and activation isn't going to be a problem. If phone
activation is required, the computer will print a toll free
number on the screen. And prompt you with the details.

It's always possible, if you're using a DVD for the wrong
region, it won't present the correct toll free number. I
didn't go through all the language options. I was hoping
by giving an MD5SUM as a breadcrumb, you'd find one of those
huge lists, with all the different available languages and
regions.

When you would do a key change, is if you used a "no-activation"
key. People doing KMS stuff, they have special keys to fool
the installer DVD into letting the installation begin. Then,
they use Microsoft tools like "slmgr" to request a key change,
and then the "real" key is given to the OS, followed by
activation. So even if you're in a situation where you have
no valid key at the very beginning, you can advance the
installation process along anyway. Just like the digitalriver
thing, there's a page with the "null" kinda keys for the job.

These do not change the grace period, which is likely still
30 days for the stuff we have access to. Enterprise might
have a different grace period.

In your case, you've used the only key you had on hand, it
was accepted, and now you're ready to activate. Short of
not being able to find the drivers, I'd just activate that
puppy If you wanted to be a purist, you could mess
around with ei.cfg, and do the install all over again.

Your choice.

I'm more careful, if working with my System Build WinXP install,
as with that one, too much activation shenanigans can put me
in the penalty box. That one has only ever been reinstalled
the one time. With the Dell one, I would not expect
it to be as much of an issue. I suppose if you screw around
too much, you'll end up talking to a human.

Paul

Well, it accepted the COA key during the install, but the part number that appears on the screen for the digital-river download is not on the COA, so I figured the 30-day grace period would be all I would get. Now you say it might allow me to authorize, but perhaps with a phone call game?

I have not seen the mouse problem today. I hate touchpads and would like them to auto-disable whenever a USB mouse is connected. I thought I had set it that way in the bios but so far the touchpad is still alive. For driversI just went to Dell and manually downloaded everything that was marked "urgent." Then I went back to Dell once the laptop had the LAN working and letit look at it for driver updates.

 

[Davej]

Dang, it required that automated phone call, but it worked! Woo hoo!

 

[Paul]

Dang, it required that automated phone call, but it worked! Woo hoo!

Yes, the fun with the 56 digits. I can just
imagine the meeting where they discussed how
many digits we'd have to enter. In the past,
I've joked that this is Microsoft's way to get
a voice sample

Paul

 

[Davej]

Yes, the fun with the 56 digits. I can just
imagine the meeting where they discussed how
many digits we'd have to enter. In the past,
I've joked that this is Microsoft's way to get
a voice sample

Paul

I don't know what the purpose is. I expected it to ask for numbers off of the COA but it just wanted to play its own challenge & response type of numbers game. I doubt an elderly person could ever get all those numbers correct. Why couldn't it just send and receive those numbers over the internet?

 

[Paul]

I don't know what the purpose is. I expected it to ask for numbers off of the COA but it just wanted to play its own challenge & response type of numbers game. I doubt an elderly person could ever get all those numbers correct. Why couldn't it just send and receive those numbers over the internet?

That's exactly the question I asked.

The phone system does give them an opportunity to collect
more geolocation or tracking information (such as Caller ID).
I guess they're not expecting you to call in the challenge
from a phone booth

Note that activation can be denied, if it comes from the wrong
country. Say you buy a North American copy of the OS, then
install the OS while sitting in a hotel room in Italy. If
you phoned and attempted to activate from there, you
would be denied. They want activation attempts, to happen
in the country in which the software is sold. It may require
talking to a human to straighten that out.

Paul