need to delete OS off recovery drive!

What info did you give them over the phone?

When I went to the System screen (I think that's what it was) and looked in the lower left-hand corner to see if my Windows was activated, it said I needed to do so in 30 days...

I clicked that link and it gave me the option to call by phone, which was my last resort as I had tried the Product Key that came with the retail version as well as the one that was beneath the battery on the "rainbow sticker"...

When I clicked that link, it gave me a set of like seven letters with a series of corresponding letters below those, and blank spaces beneath them... When I read off the numbers to the automated phone system, it would say "correct" until I had completed all of them. The phone system then gave me a series of numbers as my new product key which I entered into the blanks.

You only needed to give 7 letters over the phone?

No, beneath the seven letters were a series of corresponding numbers -- each letter has about five numbers associated with it.

So in total... I had to read about 35 numbers to the automated system before it spat out a product key to use.

Should be 8 sets.

Sounds right... remember, I'm going from memory here now as it all occurred late last night.

gms said:

Is there a way to check in the System what product key was used to activate Windows?

You can find key used with app. Keyfinder | Magical Jelly Bean

Product Key Number - Change

The key you entered when you installed it is the key that has been used up.

MS will know that from the long sequence of numbers you gave them.

Did you enter the key you Purchased during installation ?

If you really want to , you could call them again and explain the pc came with an oem key on the sticker - you didn't know you could use that and purchased another.

I expect they will let you use that stickered key , and release the purchased one to use on another machine.

They are pretty good about that kind of thing.

You can reinstall use the same key, on the same PC as as many time as you like.

Look at Control Panel>System (or Computer>Properties) activation link to see if there is an "OEM" in the Product Key string listed there.

If not, you used your retail key which can be retrieved to be used again when needed by clicking on the "Change Product Key" link next to the listed key.

If OEM is in the key string, then you used the correct key to activate the Win7 license which came with that machine.

The bottom line is that you bought that OS included with the machine and as long as you installed the same version of Win7 it will activate with the OEM key stickered to the machine.

Sorry, but I hate to waste money.