64 bit Win7 on M4500 "Advertised Special"

For the last several days Dell has been listing a "Performance Package" as one of the featured systems on the M4500 small & medium business page. This model comes with an additional $139 of instant savings ($448 vs $309 for the other featured systems). The catch is that 64 bit Windows is not an option. Does anyone know of any tricks to getting the higher instant discount with a 64 bit Windows 7 configuration?

TIA

Mike

 

Just call up a rep and tell him/her that you want the exact same deal but with 64 bit. I can't see why they wouldn't agree.

Get them to lower the price while you're at it

 

If you don't mind giving Microsoft a call for activating your Windows install, you can just use the OEM license key for a 64-bit version of the same OS that ships with the system. You can legally obtain a copy of the 64-bit version of Windows 7 that you require and reinstall the OS, which I would recommend regardless to promote system stability and user control.

The alternative is to order the system and nag Dell for a 64-bit reimage disc, which should not pose too much of an issue, especially if you have 4GB or more RAM installed. Either way, as long as the system ships with the version of Windows you prefer, there is little to stop you from using the same license for 64-bit.

 

Was planning an OS reinstall anyway, so that is a great suggestion!

Just to confirm, I recently built a W7 64 bit desktop machine...I could use the install CD for from that build and during the reinstall use the license key that came with the factory installed version and end up with a "legal" W64 M4500?

 

You can download a fully legal version of Win 7 64-bit from Microsoft and use your product key. Search this forum for the links.

 

I would just like to reiterate that the disc must contain the same version of Win 7. There is a means to modify the disc contents to allow the installation of any version, though I am uncertain if providing that information violates any rules at these forums.

If the disc contains the same version of Win 7 that will ship with the M4500, then yes, regardless of whether the CD is for retail installs, the license key will permit a Win 7 installation. However, it more than likely will fail to activate, and you will have to call Microsoft for an activation key. This should prove a trivial process, which I have done several times before. The license, OEM or Retail, remains valid for the version of Windows to which it is tied, and is not specific to 32-bit / 64-bit. Any time a company charges you extra, they are shafting their customers, who may not know better otherwise.