OEM Windows Installation Discs

I just had a very nice chat with a tech at Dell and at Microsoft regarding
the use of OEM install discs. I was under the impression that as long as
the install disc was, for instance, produced by Dell and installed on a Dell
machine, it would install with no issues as to validation and activation.

According to both these gentlemen that is wrong. You cannot use an OEM Dell
Windows 7 installation disc from one Dell on a Dell machine running an
installation of a Dell OEM Windows Vista OS. In other words, you would have
to purchase a Microsoft Windows 7 install disc to upgrade that machine with
a clean install of Windows 7. You can't use your brother's Win7 disc from
his Dell or your best buddies Win7 disc from his Dell or a copy you bought
off of Craigslist.

Apparently, both Dell and Microsoft have been swamped with calls from people
who have now got the "This copy of Windows is not genuine." message on their
desktops. A lot of the calls are generated after people did exactly what I
used as an example above. They used a friends copy of Windows 7 to install
on their machine.

Of course, most of the calls resulted from people who obtained, in various
ways, copies of OEM Windows 7 installation discs and installed the OS on
their Dell desktop or laptop. According to the tech at Microsoft, one
product key was registered over 20,000 times. Many dozens of product keys
had installations numbering from a few hundred to several thousands.

The Dell tech confirmed that Dell does not sell OEM versions of the Windows
OS except for those systems where the install disc is included from Dell.
They will happily sell a Microsoft Windows install disc, however. Now I
know that many of you will probably insist that you can and have used OEM
install discs and have done so for years but I'm just relaying the
information that was told to me by representatives of Dell and Microsoft. I
even have an old Dimension 2400 that has an OEM copy installed on it that
came from I don't know where, but I do know for sure it isn't the copy that
shipped with the machine. It's been running for two years with no issues
pertaining to Windows Validation.

Apparently, Microsoft is stepping up its efforts to check and ensure
activation and validation.

In news:kwAaq.7400$,
webman6 wrote:
> According to both these gentlemen that is wrong. You cannot use an
> OEM Dell Windows 7 installation disc from one Dell on a Dell machine
> running an installation of a Dell OEM Windows Vista OS. In other
> words, you would have to purchase a Microsoft Windows 7 install disc
> to upgrade that machine with a clean install of Windows 7. You can't
> use your brother's Win7 disc from his Dell or your best buddies Win7
> disc from his Dell or a copy you bought off of Craigslist.

Oh course, you can only run the Windows version you are licensed for.
The only exception is the ones with downgrade rights. But that only
allows you to run an older version of Windows than you are licensed for.
And AFAIK only found in Pro versions or higher of retail versions.
Although where do you get a copy of an older version of Windows?
Microsoft doesn't say.

What bothers me the most is say when the computer has an OEM license for
Windows, but there isn't a recovery disc. And Microsoft won't help you
and often the manufacture won't either. Thus out of ideas you end up
buying another license of Windows that comes with an install disc. And
you find out that COA label on your computer is basically worthless. So
lots of computers have two or more paid for licenses for the same thing.
And I don't think this is very fair.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

On Sep 9, 11:07*pm, "webman6" <webm...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I just had a very nice chat with a tech at Dell and at Microsoft regarding
> the use of OEM install discs. *I was under the impression that as long as
> the install disc was, for instance, produced by Dell and installed on a Dell
> machine, it would install with no issues as to validation and activation.
>
> According to both these gentlemen that is wrong. *You cannot use an OEMDell
> Windows 7 installation disc from one Dell on a Dell machine running an
> installation of a Dell OEM Windows Vista OS. *In other words, you wouldhave
> to purchase a Microsoft Windows 7 install disc to upgrade that machine with
> a clean install of Windows 7. *You can't use your brother's Win7 disc from
> his Dell or your best buddies Win7 disc from his Dell or a copy you bought
> off of Craigslist.
>
> Apparently, both Dell and Microsoft have been swamped with calls from people
> who have now got the "This copy of Windows is not genuine." message on their
> desktops. *A lot of the calls are generated after people did exactly what I
> used as an example above. *They used a friends copy of Windows 7 to install
> on their machine.
>
> Of course, most of the calls resulted from people who obtained, in various
> ways, copies of OEM Windows 7 installation discs and installed the OS on
> their Dell desktop or laptop. *According to the tech at Microsoft, one
> product key was registered over 20,000 times. *Many dozens of product keys
> had installations numbering from a few hundred to several thousands.
>
> The Dell tech confirmed that Dell does not sell OEM versions of the Windows
> OS except for those systems where the install disc is included from Dell.
> They will happily sell a Microsoft Windows install disc, however. *Now I
> know that many of you will probably insist that you can and have used OEM
> install discs and have done so for years but I'm just relaying the
> information that was told to me by representatives of Dell and Microsoft.*I
> even have an old Dimension 2400 that has an OEM copy installed on it that
> came from I don't know where, but I do know for sure it isn't the copy that
> shipped with the machine. *It's been running for two years with no issues
> pertaining to Windows Validation.
>
> Apparently, Microsoft is stepping up its efforts to check and ensure
> activation and validation.

There is some disinformation there. Will comment more later when I
have some time... Ben Myers

On 9/10/2011 7:49 AM, Ben Myers wrote:
> On Sep 9, 11:07 pm, "webman6"<webm...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> I just had a very nice chat with a tech at Dell and at Microsoft regarding
>> the use of OEM install discs. I was under the impression that as long as
>> the install disc was, for instance, produced by Dell and installed on a Dell
>> machine, it would install with no issues as to validation and activation.
>>
>> According to both these gentlemen that is wrong. You cannot use an OEM Dell
>> Windows 7 installation disc from one Dell on a Dell machine running an
>> installation of a Dell OEM Windows Vista OS. In other words, you would have
>> to purchase a Microsoft Windows 7 install disc to upgrade that machine with
>> a clean install of Windows 7. You can't use your brother's Win7 disc from
>> his Dell or your best buddies Win7 disc from his Dell or a copy you bought
>> off of Craigslist.
>>
>> Apparently, both Dell and Microsoft have been swamped with calls from people
>> who have now got the "This copy of Windows is not genuine." message on their
>> desktops. A lot of the calls are generated after people did exactly what I
>> used as an example above. They used a friends copy of Windows 7 to install
>> on their machine.
>>
>> Of course, most of the calls resulted from people who obtained, in various
>> ways, copies of OEM Windows 7 installation discs and installed the OS on
>> their Dell desktop or laptop. According to the tech at Microsoft, one
>> product key was registered over 20,000 times. Many dozens of product keys
>> had installations numbering from a few hundred to several thousands.
>>
>> The Dell tech confirmed that Dell does not sell OEM versions of the Windows
>> OS except for those systems where the install disc is included from Dell.
>> They will happily sell a Microsoft Windows install disc, however. Now I
>> know that many of you will probably insist that you can and have used OEM
>> install discs and have done so for years but I'm just relaying the
>> information that was told to me by representatives of Dell and Microsoft. I
>> even have an old Dimension 2400 that has an OEM copy installed on it that
>> came from I don't know where, but I do know for sure it isn't the copy that
>> shipped with the machine. It's been running for two years with no issues
>> pertaining to Windows Validation.
>>
>> Apparently, Microsoft is stepping up its efforts to check and ensure
>> activation and validation.
>
> There is some disinformation there. Will comment more later when I
> have some time... Ben Myers

I know you are working on the Windows XP updates. But maybe afterwords.
I for one one are really interested in what you have to say.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v3.0
Centrino Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz - 2GB - Windows XP SP3