OEM Produck Key

[john]

Hi, hope someone can help. I just purchased a Toshiba laptop with Vista
Business. It came with recovery discs and a Vista upgrade disc. The Vista
upgrade disc did not come with a product key. I used the upgrade disc to
do
a clean install on my desktop to see if my hardware was compatible, etc....
I now have Vista installed on my desktop without having entered a produck
key and I have 30 days to activate the OS.
Obviously, I can't use the OEM produck key that came with laptop to
activate
Vista and when I checked the activation area on my Vista desktop it has
what
seems to be a generic key that does not resemble the usual 5 grouped
produck
key. How can activate and pay for this?

TIA,
john

 

[John Barnes]

You will have to buy a retail or another OEM product. It is highly unlikely
that you will be able to use the installation you have done with the Toshiba
recovery disk.

 

[Mark]

I'm confused:
Did you recover or upgrade?

You will have to buy a retail or another OEM product. It is highly
unlikely that you will be able to use the installation you have done with
the Toshiba recovery disk.

 

[Michael Jennings]

Maybe he got it with business and did an anytime upgrade to ultimate,
but I have no idea how that would work. He should be able to use the
recovery disks to restore it to the way Tosh shipped it. If that's not
what he wants, he should call Toshiba and ask them what to do.

 

[john]

Maybe he got it with business and did an anytime upgrade to ultimate,
but I have no idea how that would work. He should be able to use the
recovery disks to restore it to the way Tosh shipped it. If that's not
what he wants, he should call Toshiba and ask them what to do.

Sorry for any confusion, I'll try to clear this up.
The Toshiba laptop came with recovery discs specific to the laptop, but it
also came with a separate Vista DVD to be used for an anytime upgrade. The
Vista disc seems to be the same as a retail disc, except for no product key.
The Vista DVD is what I used to install on my desktop with no product key.

BTW, sorry the "produck" spelling, there's a Freudian slip in there
somewhere

john

 

[Mark]

Okay, back to original response.
If you recover, you can get the OEM to work with phone activation. (It's
installed on the machine it was licensed with.)

If you want to upgrade, use the Windows Anytime Upgrade and purchase the
upgrade license you desire, download the small installation file, insert the
upgrade DVD and run the file.

 

[Guest]

Hi, hope someone can help. I just purchased a Toshiba laptop with Vista
Business. It came with recovery discs and a Vista upgrade disc. The Vista
upgrade disc did not come with a product key. I used the upgrade disc to
do
a clean install on my desktop to see if my hardware was compatible, etc....
I now have Vista installed on my desktop without having entered a produck
key and I have 30 days to activate the OS.
Obviously, I can't use the OEM produck key that came with laptop to
activate
Vista and when I checked the activation area on my Vista desktop it has
what
seems to be a generic key that does not resemble the usual 5 grouped
produck
key. How can activate and pay for this?

TIA,
john

You still need key if for upgrading to vista (from xp tablet. if that is
what it originally came with) There's no such "special upgrade dvd" that
needs no key. The key you should have is upgrade key. So use that key to
install/upgrade over the vista (That's how your license will work... only
retail or oem keys will install totally clean). Toshiba's recovery disc
usually also comes with separate applications.

personal opinion: I hate toshiba's bloated software packages.

 

[Guest]

I have a somewhat different problem. I have a new Dell, with Vista
preinstalled. I have activated Vista. When I go to try to get support from MS
(other problems I won't go into now!!). I click "Let Microsoft locate the
product identification number:
"- but I am then told that the product ID no. is not valid! I've tried
entering it manually, with the same result.

Can anyone suggest a solution to this?

Dell support says that they don't understand Vista and I should go to MS for
support. But I can't get to MS without first getting my product ID
acknowledged, a real Catch 22.

 

[John Barnes]

MS does not support OEM product. It is up to Dell, whether they like it or
not.

 

[Guest]

Dell is going to have to resolve your problem.
Your version is OEM and Microsoft will provide literally no support for OEM
versions.

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP]

Burt

If Dell are releasing machines to the public that have been pre-installed
with Vista, then they are obliged to support it whether or not they like it
or know it..

One has to wonder what they would tell a customer were they to be asked a
Linux support question.. good news that Dell are thinking about releasing
Linux machines? I hardly think so.. they can't properly support products
that they have been selling for years, let alone anything new..

I have a somewhat different problem. I have a new Dell, with Vista
preinstalled. I have activated Vista. When I go to try to get support from
MS
(other problems I won't go into now!!). I click "Let Microsoft locate the
product identification number:
"- but I am then told that the product ID no. is not valid! I've tried
entering it manually, with the same result.

Can anyone suggest a solution to this?

Dell support says that they don't understand Vista and I should go to MS
for
support. But I can't get to MS without first getting my product ID
acknowledged, a real Catch 22.

--


Mike Hall
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/

 

[john]

Burt

If Dell are releasing machines to the public that have been pre-installed
with Vista, then they are obliged to support it whether or not they like
it or know it..

One has to wonder what they would tell a customer were they to be asked a
Linux support question.. good news that Dell are thinking about releasing
Linux machines? I hardly think so.. they can't properly support products
that they have been selling for years, let alone anything new..



--


Mike Hall
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/

I agree, Toshiba software packages are not only bloated, but redundant.
Also, I wouldn't trust Toshiba's or any another software vendor to do a BIOS
update.

john

 

[Michael Jennings]

key. How can activate and pay for this?

OK, you used the DVD that came with your laptop to install Vista
on your desktop. You want to get legit. Digital marketplace link:
http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/d...4&WT.mc_id=0107_50&wt_svl=20117a&mg_id=20117b

The link is for Business Upgrade - buy & ship or download.
The Homes and Ultimate are down in Other Windows Vista Editions.

I wasn't awake when I first responded - sorry about that.

 

[Dan]

Dell has been doing this for years, even with XP. They get away with it
cause of the dollars that they make for MS is my guess.

Dan

 

[Guest]

Preinstalled vista should be pre-activated. so i'm not sure what you mean by
"I have activated Vista".

Secondly, if Dell rep says what you just wrote, ask for manager. Vista
support is a different department... you'll be surprised how little the
departments can communicate with each other. OEM must support the software
that is preinstalled on system. MS will only support if you purchased from
MS or from retail. That is why they will tell you that the product id is
invalid in their system.

CALL DELL. Insist support.

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP]

Dan

What has Microsoft gotten to do with Dell support? Dell need a wake up call
from customers. ALL OEM vendors should provide good support for the entire
package. As OEM vendors, they make this undertaking every time they load a
hard drive with Windows. The fact that Dell and others seem incapable of
hiring the right staff is no fault of anybody other than Dell and the other
OEM vendors.

 

[Dan]

Microsoft requires that the OEM support any OEM Microsoft software installed
on the OEM's machines. Dell and other manufacturers seem to get away with
not supporting the software so I assume its because of the dollars of MS
product that the big OEM's purchase. MS needs to enforce these rules and get
Dell and the others to comply with the OEM agreement. Thats what MS has to
do with Dell.

Dan