Warning! Alienware M17x-Rev3 and using Win7 Ultimate Anytime Upgrade

Hi all!

Just wanted to post a warning saying that if you order a new Alienware M17x Rev3 with Windows 7 Home Premium installed and decide afterwards to upgrade to Ultimate, and buy a "Windows Anytime Upgrade" key for Ultimate (I got mine new and sealed from Amazon so I know that it is legit), it may not work.

Follow the story HERE or HERE


The long and short of it is:
* Bought brand new M17x R3 with Home Premium
* Installed all Windows Updates
* Decided that I needed Ultimate
* Bought brand new, sealed key from Amazon
* Anytime Upgrade never succeeds
* Trying to "Update product key" just says that that key won't work, that I would have to run a new install of Windows 7 or use a Home Premium Key.
* Have tried Safe Mode, minimal Boot, all windows updates, running SLUI, SLMGR, and CMD prompt key changing, MGADT diagnostics, etc (see threads from forums above).
* I cannot do a repair install from the supplied Dell disk as it only seems to contain Home Premium and at no point asks for a serial code.


So again, if you decide to get a M17x (possibly other models too), just plump the extra for Ultimate straight away or stick to Home Premium, because Anytime Upgrade does not work.


Current Stage Of Progress:
* Bought spare HD and copied main hard drive as a backup
* Fresh install created with supplied Home Premium disk. Nothing else installed except drivers. Anytime upgrade failed again. Will try fresh install with another Win7 disk.
* Tried fresh install with Windows 7 disk. Removed all cracked and activated with OEM serial key successfully. Tried to activate with upgrade key and it failed again.

 

Did it on my first one with no problems. Came installed on the second one. And upgrade worked fine on my M18x also. Hmmmm? Wish I could help more

 

Download a windows utl. iso and use your key.

 

Right, I got the hard drive and did a backup, installed the Home Premium disk that came with the laptop and NOTHING else installed. Upgrade still fails.

Then I formatted again with a .ISO as suggested by DR650SE and removed all "activation" thingies and such, back to trial stage, and activated successfully with supplied OEM key. Tried to upgrade with Ultimate upgrade key, and it failed again.

Any ideas, aside from just selling this key and buying a full version?

 

contact microsoft i think it will be the easyer way to sort ur problem . maybe its a burn key. IE someone that works at amazon used that key and so did his mates and so on and so on... i know its a shot in the dark but its possible this things happen , if you got a receipt just call microsoft and they will send your a new key

 

I have tried to contact Microsoft, sadly not had much luck:

Any idea for a MS line where I can actually talk to someone helpful who can issue a new key or something? >_<

 

I don't like to double-post but I should probably wrap this one up in case anyone comes here searching with a similar problem...

All calls to Dell and Microsoft were useless in the end, I just kept being passed from pillar to post, each blaming each other. I never did find a solution so I bought a brand new retail version of Ultimate from Amazon, which worked fine. BEWARE though, if you have an Alienware then AlienFX which controls the light schemes (or, I guess, any OEM program which relies on the OEM Windows installation) may fail to work after installing a retail version.

The upgrade key worked fine too, for someone else. I sold the package on eBay and requested the seller keep in touch as I wanted to check that it worked. He bought the key to upgrade the laptop (assumably a UK/EU installation also, since he was also from the UK, like me) from Home Premium to Ultimate, and confirmed to me that that worked fine. So, it wasn't a duff key.

Finally, there has been some talk on my other thread that for EU / UK users, we may be required to buy a version called "Ultimate N" rather than the Anytime Upgrade to upgrade our UK/EU OEM Windows 7 Home Premium installs. I have no idea about this so can neither confirm nor deny, but if you are in a similar situation and have some spare cash, maybe try tracking down this Ultimate N version instead and see if that does any good.

Finally, thank you to everyone who contributed ideas and suggestions in this thread - I appreciate all your efforts!

 

I just entered in my MSDN Ultimate key and it upgraded in 10 minutes.

 

Mine updated. I would have complained to M$ more. Its their crappy activation they need to deal with it.

 

I did a Windows Upgrade on my R3 24hrs ago. It went without a hitch. This is the second Alienware system I have done this to. The first was the R2.

Ensure you are doing it right and " compatible keys ". Alienware Upgrade keys are different from Dell Upgrade Keys.

 

Dell and AW keys?? I used a generic Windows Anytime upgrade off Amazon.

 

Good to see that lots of people upgraded without problems but I've seen posts out there on other forums where people haven't had as good luck either, same as me. I just want to warn people that it's not a guarantee of success and there is no-one to turn to if things go wrong.

I assume that most of you are in the US also - there seems to be some discrepancy between US and EU keys.

My key was a Windows Anytime Upgrade, from Home Premium to Ultimate bought brand new and sealed from Amazon DIRECT (not a seller on Amazon). Key worked fine for someone else. I was doing it correctly and followed the normal directions, AND jumped through a million hoops to try and get it to work. I'm an IT Technician - not an idiot, I know how to enter a serial key. Sadly if and when something DOES go wrong, Dell and MS both shrug their shoulders and blame each other, and there's nothing that one can do about it - these big companies are terrible when it comes to customer service and really someone should hold them to account for it, but sadly they don't.

So yeah, as I say - my advice is to avoid the Anytime Upgrade keys, and just but Ultimate retail or get it built in with the system - as much of a protest against non-functional software and apathetic support staff as it is about saving you hassle and money.

 

Try to ask any friend with alienware ultimate edition win 7 cd and install with your key... it may work...Try torrents for alienware win 7 ultimate if you don't find any lcuk with your friend... All the best...

 

Yeah I am not gonna go look up the phone number But I know that you can get a phone number of MS and talk to a real person, not just a recording...if there is a problem I really thing a person would help you!! Seriously if your key is valid...they arent just gonna be like, "Oh well, cant help ya!"