Windows 7: how do I activate & validate Windows 7 using small manufacturer's COA

damianspower · 27 Nov 2011

How do I activate & validate Windows 7 using small manufacturer's COA?
The COA is 14 digits as opposed to Microsoft's 25 digit product key. When I try entering this code it is immediately rejected.

gregrocker · 27 Nov 2011

Can you post back a camera snap of the COA sticker or type out everything on the sticker except the actual numbers?

Is it a holographic sticker similar to COA stickers you may have seen before?

It's possible it's not MS but the manufacturer's S/N or other identifiers.

Do you have a Recovery Partition on the HD, or Recovery disks you made or received - as these should auto-activate.

Brink · 27 Nov 2011

Hello Damianspower, and welcome to Seven Forums.

That's not the OEM-COA product key number. It does indeed need to be the 25 numbers in groups of 5. Here's a couple of examples of a OEM-COA sticker from the tutorial below to help find your product key number.

Product Key Number for Windows 7 - Find and See

Hope this helps,
Shawn

NoelDP · 27 Nov 2011

OT @Brink.....
I've never seen the second COA you've posted there - is that a special for a machine with the cable TV widget pre-installed?

Brink · 27 Nov 2011

Hello Noel,

LOL, to be honest I don't know what it's from. I got the images from a Google search. My guess would be one for the OEM-SLP #, and the other for the OEM-COA #.

theog · 27 Nov 2011

Hi Shawn

Top is the old type,
Bottom is the new type.

Ray.

NoelDP · 27 Nov 2011

Quote: Originally Posted by theog

Hi Shawn

Top is the old type,
Bottom is the new type.

Ray.

New type of what?
There's TWO Keys shown there??

theog · 27 Nov 2011

Sticker.

NoelDP · 27 Nov 2011

99% of COA stickers have only one Key - this one has TWO - why?

Windows 7: how do I activate & validate Windows 7 using small manufacturer's COA

how do I activate & validate Windows 7 using small manufacturer's COA problems?