Windows Activation Error - Dell Inspiron, Win7 Home Prem. SP1 64-bit

Let us know what Dell says on how this problem should be handled.
It would be nice to know their policy. It may help others.

Duh! ... I blame my flu/old/lergy for that!

(still feeling like death warmed up)

The most common explanation for this problem is the use of retail media for a reinstall - while using the Key found with a Keyfinder app, rather than the one from the COA.

Note that if a machine (from a major manufacturer) doesn't have a COA sticker, then it almost certainly didn't ship with Windows installed - you should be able to check that on Dell's site with the Service Tag. However, the MGADiag report shows the presence of a SLIC table which appears to be genuine - and which implies that the machine did in fact ship with Windows installed.

Looking a little deeper at the available data, it seems that the Inspiron 545 shipped with Vista installed - I can't find any references to it having shipped with Win7. This possibly means that the Win7 SLIC table we're seeing is the result of either a hack, or a mistaken BIOS update from Del (they did issue a few with SLIC tables in - which they aren't supposed to do)
Removing or defacing the COA sticker is a common practice where people have installed counterfeits with the idea of selling them on.

NoelDP said:

Looking a little deeper at the available data, it seems that the Inspiron 545 shipped with Vista installed - I can't find any references to it having shipped with Win7. This possibly means that the Win7 SLIC table we're seeing is the result of either a hack, or a mistaken BIOS update from Dell (they did issue a few with SLIC tables in - which they aren't supposed to do)
Removing or defacing the COA sticker is a common practice where people have installed counterfeits with the idea of selling them on.

The history of the machine is most likely the cause of confusion. I think it's been resold more than one time. Any of the sellers could have removed the Vista COA so the buyer didn't think they were getting a raw deal - dunno.

How it got an OEM SLIC table is another guess - if one of the sellers was savyy enough, they might have used a Dell OEM disc to install Win7, which would invalidate the install. If that seller used the OEM disc to update many machines, MS would have blacklisted the key. This is all supposition on my part of course.

Dell is Darkstrike's last hope to avoid buying a retail Windows. IF the machine was originally sold with Windows 7 (I didn't check and take you at face value on the Vista stuff) and IF Dell is willing to supply a new key, then the install will be legal.

Other than that - Linux????

Good luck Darkstrike - Dell giving you a Win7 key is a long shot, but it's a shot.

Bill
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The OEM_SLP Key included in all OEM Recovery media from large manufacturers is blocked from activation anyhow - it's supposed to self-activate using the SLIC table and licenses included in the media itself.

You're welcome,

Glad it all worked out for all concerned.
When you get the chance, please mark your thread closed.

Thanks,

Bill
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