Dell.com, can't order M6500 with recovery media?

That is a little wrong.
Legally you can only install the operating system that you have the license for but dells bios doesn't care.
What I mean is if the system that you have Vista on has ever shipped from dell with windows 7 on it from the factory the bios has been updated to slp 2.1. So windows 7 will activate.
Its just like how the only thing stopping people from installing and having a fully activated win7 ultimate if you purchased win7 home premium is the fact that you would be violating the license agreement with Microsoft.

 

Right but I work in a tech shop, nobody has their CD's anymore. Sometimes the COA is rubbed off and the only way to install Windows and have it activated is using the Dell branded discs.

I have also tried many combinations, unless the model came with Vista and then 7, you cannot use the discs accordingly. In the rare case it may activate.

 

That's how I found out about it. I was doing test install to see if win7 would run good on some of the older dell models. On any system that came with vista that was latter sold from dell with win7 from the factory and the most resent bios update installed I was shock to find the systems had activated and were now running in trial mode. Dell win7 cd were what I used for the test. I also fond that dell win xp would install and activate on all the dell systems that I tested too.

 

Thank you guys. Great info.