Studio 17 from outlet - Windows 7 not genuine and no COA

I recently received a Studio 17 from the oulet, which worked fine for about a month. Now it is telling me that my Windows 7 Pro is not genuine. How can this be?? To make matters worse, there is absolutely no sign of a COA anywhere on my laptop and, yes, I have checked under the battery. I promise you there isn't one.

Any ideas how I can sort this out?

 

It may have had a different Win 7 install from the previous user and Dell didn't restore it back to its original factory cookie cutter install that may be the issue. If your system shipped with the original Dell OEM Windows 7 Professional DVD, the product code is embedded in the DVD and you can reinstall and activate.

 

Thanks, yes I did get an OEM Win 7 Pro DVD, so I'll give a reinstall a go. How annoying

 

I meant to ask, is it worthwhile me contacting Dell about the lack of COA, or would that be a painful, fruitless task?

 

Reinstallation from the Dell OEM Win 7 Pro DVD didn't work First thing I did was try to activate, and it tells me:

"The Windows 7 Professional product key you typed is invalid for activation"

This is the same thing I was getting before. I didn't actually type one, I guess it's automatically done during installation? Without a COA sticker, I'm now absolutely stumped.

 

they didnt send me a COA with my windows 7 ultimate for an exchange laptop and I demanded the rep to send one. He initially told me that for exchanges they don't provide a COA label but I have received exchanges before and they indeed did have the COA label. I told him that what if I wanted to resell the computer and the buyer wanted COA he told me the installation cd is all you need. Eventually he agreed to send me a COA label.

 

I thought that, using the provided Windows 7 Pro OEM DVD that Dell ship with laptops, it shouldn't even need activation? Doesn't the BIOS have some license key in it which does it automatically? This is so frustrating, why can't things just be easy :/

 

you can try updating the bios and if you have the latest bios try downgrading to previous version. I had a similar issue with the old bios and windows started telling me that it wasn't genuine. Updated the bios and the problem was resolved.

 

i received a studio 1745 yesterday from Dell outlet, was pretty impressed with the look of it until i turned it on and had the same problem that the copy of windows wasn't genuine. lucky for me i did had a COD sticker and after an hour of the dell idiot asking me a load of questions i was given the number to microsoft and told to do the usual telephone activation. So all in all a waste of my lunch break just to get the bloody thing working.

 

I updated to the latest BIOS and re-installed, still no joy, what a nightmare. Looks like I'll be phoning Dell next week, can't wait to try and explain this to them...

 

Just an update on this, I ran some Windows licensign diagnostic tool as advised by someone in the Microsoft support forums, and it reported back that my bios didn't have the SLIC bios marker. So no COA and no SLIC bios marker for my laptop from Dell... great. Any ideas how my bios came to have no SLIC marker? It's a Studio 1747 with the new A08 bios.

 

Have you called Dell and explained the situation? If its only been a few months then what have you got to lose but maybe a few minutes to an hour on the phone with them? Vs.. reinstalling OS's and flashing bios, and pulling your hair out, etc.

 

hi i was told recently that if you activate by using the microsoft activation and the telephone it will activate but i have not tried it. did you manage to solve it or not

 

I ended up managing to convince Dell that there was no COA anywhere to be seen on or in my laptop or accompanying documents, and to be fair to them they sent me out a brand new retail Windows 7 with a COA which installed and activated fine.

If you don't have a COA on your laptop, and the pre-installed Windows 7 won't activate, then I'm afraid this is your only hope.