Rob--
Wow!!!!!! this time I see 21 posts in response to solving a simple problem
from Rob!!! We are getting a lot of noise here.
Try the key and see if it works; that's the bottom line. All this
speculation here springboarding off your comment that the company got DVDs
"like" MSDN. They may not be MSDN keys at all and probably are not. The
worst that could happen on that laptop is that you might want to buy a
retail DVD and then again, the company might pay for it and if not, I
suspect it will have Vista preinstalled. Only Dell that I know of so far
has promised to ship an OS DVD for Vista bucking MSFT who wants to screw you
out of one with an OEM purchase.
The reason for a Vista DVD is that it ensures you can reach Win RE's startup
repair to maximize chances to fix problems in Vista, and Startup Repair will
fix problems that are significant fast when it works that are not problems
that prevent you from "starting up" or reaching Windows Vista.
See Dell blog.
Bloatware, Operating System Discs and Dell Software Support
http://www.direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/10/17/3132.aspx
It's clear Rob that most of the responders while knowlegable, don't know
exactly what type key you have. Again when you get the notebook try the
key. You don't get physically harmed if the key does not work. And you can
always setup Vista for 30 days without a PK. We have a possible command
that can reup that 30 days--I haven't had to use it, but Micheal offered it
on another thread and that command is
slmgr -rearm in the run box and its documentation is
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/plan/faq.mspx
<quote>
Q. What is Initial Grace?
A.Initial Grace (or OOB Grace) starts the first time you start your computer
after you install
the operating system. It provides 30 days for the computer to be activated.
The Initial Grace
period can only be restarted by running sysprep /generalize, or by using
slmgr.vbs -rearm.
These processes reset the Initial Grace timer to 30 days. This will only
work three times.
</quote>
I haven't had to use it so I don't know if it works
You are correct that OEMS send a lot of garbage but you're smart enough to
pick that off in a NY Booklyn Bridge heartbeat; and you can opt out of
installing it. The thing I like that you are smart enough to recognize is
that the OEM recovery discs are pure crap and will not allow you to recover
no boot Vista much of the time; and they do not ship Win RE at all contrary
to what Jim Allchin was dreaming about in his blog a couple weeks ago.
Allchin could not name one company that does this and he's the boss of the
guy technically or metaphorically that forces OEMs not to send you a Vista
DVD --by Vista I mean the OS not some recovery piece of garbage. The guy is
OEM VP Scott Di Valerio and companies will tell you MSFT leans on them
because they want you to buy a retail DVD for recovery purposes.
Here's what to do. LOL--when you get your new notebook (I hope they give
you the lattitude to get one you enjoy with features you like since you have
to live with it for a while) it will probably come with an OEM preinstalled
Vista.
You used the word version but you meant actually "edition." I would suspect
that that notebook is going to have an OEM preload and the usual recovery
disc crap. However, be aware that Dell has bucked Microsoft with Vista and
Dell has promised to actually ship an OEM DVD for Vista. I don 't know if
your company is like some that rent machines from OEM, or is telling you to
buy whatever you like.
Good luck,
CH
