HP & DELL installation DVD not asking for product key

[JJ Shephard]

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum and hope to become a regular, as I'm finding it increasing diffucult to find relevant search results through the search engines. That might be another topic entirely, perhaps for later, would like to get some ideas and opinions others.

Anyhow my first post is about the HP & DELL Windows installation DVD's, I don't know if anybody notices with the standard windows install disks when installing it never asks for a product key to activate and then when installed it is already activated? This only occurs with certain models of HP & Dell. For example, I might have a Dell laptop which is licensed for Vista however when using a Dell Windows 7 install disk to install windows 7 it never asks for a product key and then turns out to be already activated upon completion. Has anybody else come across this?

JJ Shephard

 

[cliffordcooley]

The activation key has been stored in the BIOS on many OEM machines. The installation media will find the key and never need to ask. As to the question of whether I have seen this, the answer is no I haven't. I've only dealt with home-built machines the last 8 years.

 

[mailpup]

I have two old Dell PCs and I have seen this in both of them. When reinstalling Windows in either machine, entering the product key was not necessary. As Clifford said, it is stored in the BIOS.

 

[JJ Shephard]

Thanks for the replies, I guessed as much, only strange for the machine to be licensed for Vista yet also will take Windows 7 without requesting product key.