Installing Win Vista OEM version software

Hi all

I am hoping someone has done this before and can share there experience. I bought a brand new laptop with vista already installed, of course no DVD/CD copy. I have a license reader which gave me the license key which is different then the one on the bottom of the laptop. Anyway what i am trying to ask is if I do a clean install and use the product key that they reader gave would this work? Is there a way to test this before I go about deleting my hard drive and try the reinstall to find out that I lost everything and the key doesn't work? Can you dual boot vista on 2 seperate drives to try it out and then delete the old one if it works?

Any help would be great.

 

Hi.

The licence you got with the reader is a pre-activate serial, that the manufacture used when installing your Vista.

Regards

John.

 

This is the thread that you will want to visit.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228

It will show you how to backup your license, reinstall Vista, and then reload the license.

 

That's the one!!!!!

Just follow it carefully and you're in business!!!!!!!

 

This method did not work for me on a Dell or my Sony FZ. I used the license key on the bottom of the computer for both.

To the OP - I did a clean install with a disk I made from the thread on making your own Vista disk. I initially entered my OEM key on the bottom of the computer during the initial Vista install and it did not take, so I just proceed onward figuring I would call in later. Then I tried activating Vista online after I was done and it worked (I subsequently re-installed my OS image again 4 hours later, activated again online w/o any problems). There are others here who called in and got a new activation key - which is what you would normally do if you had to replace the HDD. So, either way, go ahead and do a clean install, you'll be fine.