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OEM key from BIOS
I’m trying to retrieve an OEM Widows 7 product key from a Dell Latitude E4300 BIOS.
This person supposedly bought this laptop from a “thrift” store, and there is nothing on the hard drive at all.
I’ve tried showkeyplus and RWeverything portable, but all the comes up is Windows 7 OEM marker present in firmware & the product key shown in picture 1.
I try to activate Windows w/ the key in the picture and get the error in picture 21.jpg2.jpg. Where that product key comes from I don’t know.
The Windows DVD came in a CD envelope and “seems” legit to me being the Microsoft logo is on it, but where the key in the picture comes from I don’t know.
I believe I’ve gotten the product key from laptops in the past and used them, but no any luck w/ this laptop so far.
The label w/ the key that Dells come with practically all of it is torn off.
This person supposedly bought this laptop from a “thrift” store, and there is nothing on the hard drive at all.
I’ve tried showkeyplus and RWeverything portable, but all the comes up is Windows 7 OEM marker present in firmware & the product key shown in picture 1.
I try to activate Windows w/ the key in the picture and get the error in picture 21.jpg2.jpg. Where that product key comes from I don’t know.
The Windows DVD came in a CD envelope and “seems” legit to me being the Microsoft logo is on it, but where the key in the picture comes from I don’t know.
I believe I’ve gotten the product key from laptops in the past and used them, but no any luck w/ this laptop so far.
The label w/ the key that Dells come with practically all of it is torn off.
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That's an Enterprise key. Enterprise Keys are not OEM, they are only available through Volume License agreements sold to companies. It's possible the computer has Windows 7 Enterprise pre-installed at the factory thanks to a deal with Dell and the customer and it may not have an OEM key you can use. You may need to buy a new license for Windows 10.
@Lee
Yes!
Yes!
Guess I won't find out until I try, but if I somehow get another version of Windows 7, such as Pro or any version other than enterprise, do you think the OEM key automatically activate, or actually show me the key rather than Windows firmware.
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Lee's answer is spot-on about what key you have.
If you have a legitimate OEM key (which would be difficult as they are usually tied to a specific computer and not transferrable), you should be able to install Windows 7 and activate it. You may then be able to upgrade to Windows 10 (the legality of that is a much longer discussion!). If that works (and successfully activates), I'd start all over with a clean install of Windows 10. It should activate as it will recognize your computer as having already been activated with Windows 10.
If you have a legitimate OEM key (which would be difficult as they are usually tied to a specific computer and not transferrable), you should be able to install Windows 7 and activate it. You may then be able to upgrade to Windows 10 (the legality of that is a much longer discussion!). If that works (and successfully activates), I'd start all over with a clean install of Windows 10. It should activate as it will recognize your computer as having already been activated with Windows 10.
I really assume there's no safe way to buy a product key. You only can buy the media that comes w/ the key.
Are there Dell OEMs for Vista and 8?
Asking because I have more than 1 laptop.
Asking because I have more than 1 laptop.
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We believe in human intelligence. Our moderation policy strictly prohibits the use of LLM content in our Q&A threads.
Only after Win8, will a GENERIC Windows media installation automatically activate successfully (if key available in BIOS).
In the Win7 era, you're still depending on a COA sticker. Probably due to its age, it's worn off already.
In the Win7 era, you're still depending on a COA sticker. Probably due to its age, it's worn off already.
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Windows OS
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This topic area includes legacy versions of Windows prior to Windows 2000: Windows 3/3.1, Windows 95 and Windows 98, plus any other Windows-related versions including Windows Mobile.