M11x R2 English O/S restore disc needed

Can anyone help ?

I'm getting a M11X R2 in Japan due to the Warranty but unfortunately the O/S is Japanese -( but for some reason you can get a US keyboard ???)

Dell (JP) doesn't want to help and I can't order the disc

Could I ask some kind M11x R2 owner if I could get a image or copy of the Home Premium 64 restore CD ?


Joe

 

Pretty sure that's illegal.

 

Why would it be illegal ?

I have a legal COA for Windows 7 Premium Home x64 on the bottom of the laptop with a valid serial Number

The problem is that Dell (serial numbers) need a Dell install disc

Joe

 

I think the Dell install disc has the persons key pre-installed/activated.

 

I don't think that's right if the disk is silver it's pressed it wouldn't contain any keys

 

I haven't checked the reinstall cd for the m11x, but with most dells. The key is in \I386\winnt.sif.

 

That's the OEM key it's not the one on the bottom of laptop these disks only work on Alienware laptops nothing else (they look at the bois)

 

ALL Dell Operating system are BIOS locked. There is no key to speak of. The OEM key on the system sticker means nothing more than you are genuine. It wouldn't work even if it asked for a key. The BIOS along with a Dell OEM disc is all you need. You can use any DELL Windows 7 OS, and it will never ask you for a key or to activate.

 

If you are getting it w/ Windows 7 Ultimate, then you got nothing to worry about. There is Language Packs that you can use.

 

Just to clarify this, is the problem that your m11x will be shipped with the OS in Japanese and you just need it to be in English? If this is the case can't it just be restored and select English as your OS language? Or ask some friendly neighbour to find the control panel and set it for you? I wasn't sure if there are japanese/english/german etc only installs from dell.

Any one else that can yay or nay this? Thanks

 

Makes sense to me. Seems like if you were to access the restore partition you would get to choose the language.

Don't know if you can change the language after the fact but I would think you would be able to change it if you can friend a friendly Japanese speaking neighbor as stated previously.

 

I just had a look at the Dell install CD.

They key is in plain text in AUTOUNATTEND.XML

Unless the key is the same for everyone, I don't see how this can be legal for you to get another person's cd.

 

The key is a generic OEM key. If you surf the net you can find it fairly easily. The key loaded in your actually OS is different to the key found on your COA.

Google "Magic Jelly bean keyfinder" and use that to check the key you have installed vs the key on your computer, and you'll find that it is different. The OS CD that Dell provides only checks the BIOS to ensure that it is a Dell machine, and installs the OS without any need to provide a key or activate. If you do not have a Dell BIOS, it will prompt you for a key and ask you to activate.

I know this because I work with Dell's on a daily basis as I'm a sysadmin. Besides, imagine the complexity of a system that individually loaded your individual CD Key onto your OS CD to create a personalized key. It would be nice, but that would be crazy expensive and hard to manage, not to mention it'll slow down delivery times.

 

Does this mean you could install ultimate and it would activate even if your computer originally came with home premium?

 

Here you go man you owe me one

http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso

Windows 7 ISO x86 and x64 Official Direct Download Links (Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium) My Digital Life

Use the key on the bottom of the laptop you might have to phone in to activate but everything is legit just use the key on the bottom of the laptop and my link which is home premium x64. Get the drivers from dell just use your service tag and it should pull it up

 

Yes. Of course I'm not promoting or condoning such action, because it's illegal if you don't have the appropriate COA and License.

But for purely a knowledge point of view, if you have a Windows 7 Ultimate CD (or any Dell OS CD for that matter), you can install the OS on your machine (or any Dell machine) and not worry about activation or CD keys. It's all reliant on having a Dell BIOS.

And yes, it works on your 8-year-old Dell laptop.

And yes, it works on Dell Desktops too.

And yes, it works on all business and home machines (optiplex, latitude, precision, inspiron, adamo, XPS). I have owned or worked with all the above to confirm this. What I cannot confirm is if it works with an Alienware (but I suspect it will). I will let you know when I receive my M11x.

Oh and can I reiterate that I'm saying this purely because this information is already well documented on the net, and that even knowing this information, you should always use the same OS version that you have a COA (got to cover my )

 

GeneNZ, is there anything customized about the repair/factory OS CD Dell provides with AW systems then?

 

I have no idea. The M11xR2 I recently ordered will be my first Alienware machine, and I haven't received it yet.

If the Alienware OS CD is the same as the Dell OEM OS CD (and I suspect it is), then there is 'some' customization, but for the most part its fairly clean. For example, Dell has customized the CD by putting in the OEM bmp image, so you see the Dell logo in various locations (e.g. in WinXP in system specs you saw the Dell Logo. In Vista, on the "Getting Started" screen, you saw Dell). Dell also inserts additional drivers not found in the default retail media. For example, the Dell OEM CD has AHCI drivers bundled in it, so the install process doesn't need you to insert additional drivers to see storage.

I understand that Dell is starting to move away from providing OS disks now, and are starting to use recovery partitions. The concepts here are the same (i.e. the OS in the recovery partition is still using a generic OEM key), but it prevents people from performing licensing "quirks" as explained above.

 

If I want a completely fresh install of windows for when I get my M11X ( To get rid of all the dell crap ) what is the easiest thing to do?

I was also told by a dell rep that the M11X didn't come with an OS disk. Dunno if that is a Asia/Pacific thing or if it is simply untrue.

 

I'd say Dell don't provide an OS disk anymore. Dell are scaling back on providing CD media for various reasons (primarily cost and environmental reasons), and are moving towards a recovery partition paradigm that Toshiba has had for years. For 'business systems' like Precision and Latitude, you can demand it, but I'm not sure about home systems.

It sucks for expert users, because the recovery partition image is full of crap, and it takes up about 10GB of your disk. Nevertheless, it makes sense for your grandma at home who knows nothing about computers.

I don't know for sure, but I'd assume you install with a base install CD, install the drivers from the Dell website, and download the AlienFX which is freely available on the alienware site to control the lights.

 

I think that's where you are wrong. When I brought the Studio 1557, it came w/ full Windows DVD, and not a recovery DVD. When I got my M11x there is a DVD also, and I think it's a full OS DVD also. The label look like a Dell customize DVD, but the file structure look like a normal Windows install DVD. Havn't tried boot from it yet. But I think it's customize Windows install DVD with all the drivers installed.

 

I'm refering to a recovery partition on the hard drive that get's sold with the laptop. Not a recovery CD. I believe Sony and Toshiba have had it like that for years. I know Toshiba had it because I used to have a Portege R100, and I wiped the OS to reinstall, only to learn you need a special CD Rom to reinstall the OS. Had to send it in to the service centre to get the drive reimaged, and from that point forward I used the recovery partition.

I doubt Dell would do a recovery DVD anytime soon, given they already have the infrastructure in place to send out Windows and driver DVD's and it's worked for so long. But from what I've seen and read recently, there are starting to be fewer and fewer machines that get sent out both the Windows and Driver DVD's. I recently received two Adamo XPS's. They came with the Windows DVD but no driver DVD (which I consider pointless).

It makes sense though to move to a recovery partition, because:
1) Its cheaper for Dell
2) Its more environmentally friendly, and Dell is trying to market how good they are at being environmentally friendly
3) there are more and more machines that are single spindle (i.e. no optical drive).

 

What are you talking about, maybe I didn't made this clear. When I tried the DVD on Dell Studio 1557. I have wipe out all the partition on the harddrive. I start w/ clean slate, not just format the current partition. So I know for the fact that atleast the DVD that came with Studio 1557 is a full OS install. The DVD that came w/ M11xR2 appear to have the same structure. I just haven't feel the need to use it yet. Although you could say it's more environmental friendly to have recovery on the harddrive. But it's not necessary cheaper. Because that you assume the recovery partition is good. And you assume that customer know how to make recovery DVD. If customer end up calling tech support asking how to make recovery DVD, then Dell fail. And tech support labor will eventually cost more than actually shipping the DVD.
Especially on the Windows Vista and 7, Microsoft employ a technology that when those OEM DVD run the install, the serial get read off the CMOS. Yes, it's stored in the CMOS. So, it's as easy as popping in the DVD and click a few buttons, and then it's done. It's an elegant method and save the tech support time.

 

I never said that the Windows DVD provided with the computer isn't the Full Windows DVD, because it is. It is a basic install of Windows, with a few customizations (e.g. the Dell OEM.bmp image is there), but in essence it is the same as the retail Windows DVD media.

Dell's don't come with recovery DVD's, like that of Sony and Toshiba, which have images on them. Above I'm talking about a recovery partition on the hard drive, and yes it is cheaper. What I mean by recovery partition is: if you want to reimage your machine, you press a button on the keyboard at boot time, and it automatically goes into a recovery mode and installs your machine with a predefined image. There is no need to burn or create any DVD's.

It IS cheaper than shipping out a Windows DVD and a Driver DVD especially when tech support is involved. This is because even if you supply Windows and Driver DVDs, tech support will have to explain to the untrained individual how to install Windows and install drivers to get their computer back to a working state. Have you ever tried to explain to an non-tech-savvy individual how to reinstall a machine?

On the other hand, the recovery image has already got a working windows image with drivers already installed. Plus recovery is automated. So the untrained individual just needs to enter the correct recovery sequence, answer a couple of questions and wait. Subsequent to recovery, they have a fully working machine. You always assume the recovery partition is good because its an image. If you get the base image right, you get the recovery partition right. I know this because I've created a bazillion images using Ghost/clonezilla/Ghost enterprise/FAI for the company I work for.

I'm not too sure what you mean by your serial is preloaded into the CMOS. The CMOS does not have your specific COA serial preloaded into it, but it does have a generic key preloaded into the BIOS. Like I said in a previous post, a simple way of checking this is to download "Magic Jelly bean keyfinder" ( http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/) and check what key it says you're currently using vs the key on your COA. It is different. This is because Dell use a OEM SLP Key.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Locked_Preinstallation
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/...nnel-slp-nonslp-and-coa-license-product-keys/

 

To answer your original I suggest you use this freeware called Vistalizator from http://www.froggie.sk
Just follow the instruction and you can change your Windows language to English for like more than 90% of it.
I also bought Alienware m11x R2 in Japan w/ US Keyboard. Just got it last Sat, really like it.