windows & key

hawkie · 17 Mar 2016

Hi I have had a HP win 7 home laptop for sometime and never really liked it much.

My main has had xP for a long time now but many things including Firefox are now telling me they will no longer support XP, some web sites are getting a little funny as well.

After playing wiith Win 7 on a spare box I feel the HP install is not working that well and a clean install would help with speeds.

I used some code to exstract to key from registery and it does not match the code on the certificate on the sticker.

I am now confused as I was led to believe the one in registry is the correct one?

why am I getting different results ?

ICIT2LOL · 17 Mar 2016

Hello Hawkie mate the COA sticker is the code you should be using and just what are you installing from??

ThrashZone · 17 Mar 2016

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
What's wrong with the activation key on the sticker = unreadable ?

AddRAM · 17 Mar 2016

The key you found is the mass factory activation and can not be used if you reinstall windows, as stated you use the key on the COA.

The factory is not going to use a different key on every pc they make, that would take forever.

AddRAM · 17 Mar 2016

Some other things that will help the HP laptop, which I don`t understand why you say it`s not working ok, but anywho.

1) a solid state drive to install windows on

2) max out the memory

those are the 2 best things you can do, and you won`t believe the difference they will make.

ICIT2LOL · 17 Mar 2016

Without seeing what the response is the sticker on the machine should have the unique code that the manufacturer puts on it via their mass install licence unless I have got it terribly wrong.

A case in point is the Asus ROG I bought and after a lot of harassing the seller gave me that unique code/key for the machine where the Belarc and Magic Jelly Bean were giving me the key for their install process licence.
I have reinstalled since using an ISO and using the code I got from them and Magic Jelly Bean is showing up the correct code/key.

I ma now wondering if the machine has had an OEM put on after the original factory install?? and the sticker code is not working for that reason??

AddRAM · 17 Mar 2016

No John the code on the sticker is not the code the company uses to activate windows , that is for the end user to use if they ever decide to reinstall windows.

And that rule may not apply for a mom and pop store where they might build custom PC`s and use individual COA`s and attach them to the PC or give the install DVD and COA directly to the customer (very rare)

If you bought that PC you speak of 2nd hand and not brand new from the factory, then the seller may very well have used the COA code and that`s why when you use Jelly Bean that code works.

Or he may have used an altogether different code and that is why it`s different from the COA.

Are you saying you reinstalled and did not use the key on the COA ?

Because that`s the key I would have used and it would be all legal like :)

As long as you are installing the same version that is on your COA, there is no reason it should not work, even if you had to make the robo call to Microsoft. (which technically you shouldn`t have to do) that COA key should be usable over and over on the same motherboard indefinitely.

Golden · 17 Mar 2016

ICIT2LOL said:

Without seeing what the response is the sticker on the machine should have the unique code that the manufacturer puts on it via their mass install licence unless I have got it terribly wrong.

Nope. That's not correct...the product key on the COA is the one to use to activate the Windows 7 version quoted on the same COA sticker.

Layback Bear · 17 Mar 2016

If I may.

I only know of two purposes for the OEM/SLP key.

1. To auto activate a computer from the factory with pre-installed Windows 7.

2. To be able to activate after using the built in Recovery Partition that the manufacture installed.

If one wants to do a Clean Install or a Repair install the COA key on the Microsoft sticker is the only one that will work.

---------------

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I like learning.

torchwood · 17 Mar 2016

Hi Hawkie,

Basic explaination

The Unshown code on the comp probably, (4FG99-BC3HD-73CQT-WMF7J-3Q6C9), is installed during manufacture, by them in this case HP, as they paid MS to put the OS on thier own brand computers and you get the pair cheaper.
As its imprinted on the comp and you have minor issues, you can either use the Factory restore option or a set of THIER recovery discs to reinstall the OS, with no further actions required by you to activate/register the comp again.

However if you have a major problem, your Factory recovery option is lost or you have to use 3rd party installation discs, because youve lost the originals, then the back-up code on the sticker will need to be input during reinstallation, to activate/register it.

Roy