Help with Win 7 HP

[xapo99]

I just got a Dell T3500 with a win 7 Pro COA sticker on its top, I paid basically peanuts for the machine, but when I try and activate it, it says, invalid, then in use or something like that. I can only presume, someone has poached the key for another machine, as this came from a mass reseller of these machines.

I'm not that arsed (bothered) because it was really cheap and I have a copy of Win 7 HP and it is a single CPU machine so I don't need pro anyway.

I was given the HP key by a friend in the business who told me he wasn't sure if it was off his MSDN subscription, and he certainly had one, or it was retail.

I don't want to install it to have it tell me the same thing, in use, expired, whatever, as I'm pressed for time.

I used a tool called PKC and it comes up with this : (I removed some bits, not sure if they cross reference the product key itself)

Description: Windows 7
Key Type: HomePremium
Product ID: XXXXX-(removed)
Channel: Retail
Activation ID: 3b965dfc-(removed)
Crypto ID: 172
Validity: Valid

Does this mean it is bog standard retail ?


Anyone know....many thanks in advance.

 

[Fardringle]

Dell machines activate Windows automatically when you use a Dell installation CD/DVD with the same version of Windows that came with the machine. The key on the sticker can't actually be used to activate Windows through the normal online activation methods.

In other words, you need the Windows installation disc that came with the computer (or the same disc from another Dell machine).


Edit: Either that or use a normal (unused) retail disc and license key.