Request a Reinstallation DVD/USB from Dell

Microsoft have finally followed most of my and many others feedback regarding Windows installation media.

Windows 10 OEM Licenses

Windows 10 TH2 has a proper Digital Deployment. See Download Windows 10 TH2 (OEM and Retail) for more details. Windows 10 TH2 installation media accepts Windows 10 OEM product keys which are embedded in the UEFI BIOS.

(A) For Windows 10 OEM the Windows 10 TH2 installation media will automatically input your UEFI BIOS Embeddd System Locked Preinstallation Key during installation provided you have the correct Edition selected.

Win10OEMCorrect

(B) If you are installing the wrong Edition you will be asked for a key….

Win10OEMWrong

For Dell Systems sold with Windows 10 TH2 or later there may also be a Downloadable Dell Customised Image. See Dell Recovery Image of Microsoft Windows.

The following stickers are affixed to Windows 10 OEM systems.

Windows 10 Home Editions:

Win10Home

  • Windows 10 Home Most Common
  • Windows 10 Single Language Common
  • Windows 10 Home N Rare

Windows 10 Pro Editions:

win10Pro

  • Windows 10 Pro Most Common
  • Windows 10 ProN Rare

Windows 8.x OEM Licenses

Windows 10 TH2 has a proper Digital Deployment. See Download Windows 10 TH2 (OEM and Retail) for more details.

look-for-this-sticker-if-you-want-a-new-windows-10-pc-right-now-486011-2

Windows 10 TH2 installation media accepts Windows 8.x OEM product keys which are embedded in the UEFI BIOS.

(A) For Windows 10 OEM the Windows 10 TH2 installation media will automatically input your UEFI BIOS Embedded System Locked Preinstallation Key during installation provided you have the correct Edition selected.

Win10OEMCorrect

(B) If you are installing the wrong Edition you will be asked for a key….

Win10OEMWrong

One may also Download Windows 8.1 OEM from Microsoft providing that they don't have a "with Bing" OEM edition*. See Download Windows 8.1 with Update 2 (OEM and Retail) .iso. Windows 8.1 with Update 2 installation media will also automatically input a Windows 8.x product key during installation provided the correct Edition matches.

* Use Windows 10 TH2 Installation Media for "with Bing" OEM Editions.

The following stickers are affixed to Windows 8.x OEM systems.

Windows 8.x Home Editions:

Win8HomeWin8Bing

  • Windows 10 Home Most Common
  • Windows 10 Single Language Common
  • Windows 10 Home N Rare

Note for Windows 10

  • Windows 10 Home = Windows 8.1 (Home) with Bing = Windows 8.1 (Home)
  • Windows 10 Home Single Language = Windows 8.1 (Home) Single Language with Bing = Windows 8.1 Single Language (Home)
  • Windows 10 HomeN = Windows 8.1N (Home)

Windows 8.x Pro Editions:

Win8Pro

  • Windows 10 Pro Most Common
  • Windows 10 ProN Rare

Note for Windows 10

  • Windows 10 Pro = Windows 8.1 Pro
  • Windows 10 ProN = Windows 8.1 ProN

Windows 7 OEM Licenses

Windows 10 TH2 has a proper Digital Deployment. See Download Windows 10 TH2 (OEM and Retail) for more details.

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Moreover Windows 10 TH2 installation media accepts Windows 7 OEM. For Windows 7 you will need to input the 25 digit product key on the Code of Authenticity (COA) which should be affixed to your system.

Windows 7 COA

To prevent the COA from fading the COA is likely residing in the battery compartment of Laptops and inside the computer cover of Desktops. Use your smartphone to take a picture of it before installation.

Laptop COA

If the key on this COA is faded and your Windows installation works upgrade to Windows 10 TH2 via the Windows 7 Desktop see Upgrading to Windows 10 TH2. If the key on this COA is faded and your Windows installation doesn't work install Windows 10130 and then upgrade to Windows 10 TH2 via the Windows 10130 Desktop see the Unofficial Windows 10130 Upgrade Path. Both upgrade paths register your systems hardware with a Microsoft Product Activation server which means you can later clean install by skipping entry of a product key.

Windows Vista OEM License

Windows Vista is at End of Mainstream Support and all systems sold with Windows Vista OEM have expired warranty hence this OS has no support from Microsoft or Dell.

untitled1 (1)

There is no official free upgrade path to Windows 10 for these two versions of Windows. However you may install Windows 10130 and then upgrade to Windows 10 TH2 via the Windows 10130 Desktop for free see the Unofficial Windows 10130 Upgrade Path. Both upgrade paths register your systems hardware with a Microsoft Product Activation server which means you can later clean install by skipping entry of a product key. Dell systems with Windows XP OEM require capable hardware. All Dell systems sold with Windows Vista OEM should be capable.

Windows XP OEM

Windows XP is at End of Life and all systems sold with Windows XP OEM have expired warranty hence this OS has no support from Microsoft or Dell.

There is no official free upgrade path to Windows 10 for these two versions of Windows. However you may install Windows 10130 and then upgrade to Windows 10 TH2 via the Windows 10130 Desktop for free see the Unofficial Windows 10130 Upgrade Path. Both upgrade paths register your systems hardware with a Microsoft Product Activation server which means you can later clean install by skipping entry of a product key. Dell systems with Windows XP OEM require capable hardware.

23 thoughts on “Request a Reinstallation DVD/USB from Dell

    1. Theres no online request form unfortunately and the only way is to call Dell.
      Its something I have been mentioning on IdeaStorm frequently.

      1. I'm a OEM user of windows 8…is there any dvd to upgrade to win 8.1?

        I know its free via windows store..but I want a DVD to install!
        Here the problem is that,mine is OEM licensed!!

      2. Its a problem I've been asked on several occasions and a guide I'm working on.

        The first catch is the OEM product key is hidden however you can use the RW-Everything program to obtain your Windows 8.0 product key via the MSDM table.

        The second catch is Windows 8.1 media will reject Windows 8.0 product keys. I do not know why Microsoft done this as 8.1 is a Service Pack of 8. You may then install with a generic product key and activate via the change key.

        The third and final catch is that you then need a retail Windows 8.1 .iso which matches your version; Core or Home or a MSDN/Technet .iso which has both versions. Unfortunately this is the major hurdle the procurement of media which you cannot get it unless you buy a new Windows 8.1 license or are a MSDN/TechNet subscriber. All which are paid solutions for a "free" update. This is naturally leading to a surge in piracy as the only means to get a "free" update for clean installation without paying again is via illegitimate sources.

      3. Moreover Dell are tied by Microsoft's not very well thought out policies so cannot send you out a Windows 8.1 Reinstallation DVD unless you buy a new Dell system with Windows 8.1.

  1. My friend has Dell system with Windows 8.1.He can get DVD from Dell.
    Doesn't it work on my laptop?

    1. The Windows 8.1 Reinstallation DVD will reject the Windows 8.0 OEM BIOS embedded product key.
      However there are workarounds, its a guide in progress as I have just got access to a Windows 8.0 system to demonstrate the procedure on.

      Firstly you need the product key.This can be found by using the RWEverything utility:
      http://rweverything.com/download/
      Go to access in the top left and select ACPI tables and then the MSDM tab. This tab will contain your 25 digit product key.

      To install you need to input a generic product key. See here for the generic product keys:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/download-windows-8-1-iso/
      There is also a video which tells you how to activate using your Windows 8.0 Product Key once Windows 8.1 is installed.

      Note its also possible that you can convert the DVD to a .iso usding ImgBurn and make a bootable USB with the EI.cfg and PID.txt files added. I would recommended making a .iso of the DVD so you have a copy in case you need it later.

      1. Thanks philipyip…
        I have called to Microsoft and Dell many times,they didn't help me.But you have given me a solution.
        Once again thank you very much.

      1. I installed and activated as you said..but Windows showing watermark on desktop!!

        "Windows 8.1 Single Language
        SecureBoot isn't configured correctly
        Build 9600"

        I did change BIOS settings many times..no change at all!
        But it worked perfectly on my friend's laptop.

        Mine is inspiron 5521.
        BIOS details:
        Secure Boot:Enabled
        Load Legacy Option ROM:Disabled
        Boot List Option:UEFI
        Secure Boot Mode:Standard

      2. After installing Windows updates,I got rid of that water mark from my Desktop.

        (Control Panel–>System and Security–>Windows Update)

        Thanks for helping me.

  2. "however as mentioned the optical drive is obsolete" – er, the term 'obsolete' implies no longer useful, not just 'out of fashion'.

    Obsolete? Nah, not when USB drives contain FIRMWARE that can be HACKED (cracked / flashed, whatever you want to call it).
    Advanced malware CAN and WILL do this (and likely remain undetected, too, since everyone's looking for 'Windows malware .exe files'). I realised this before (once I realised just how software-dependent on ALL levels, USB was/is).
    However only this year, 'BadUSB' has become known. Google it.

    Why the F**K anyone would choose to use a writable USB for something as integrity-crucial as an OS install, I don't know.

    I guess that would be the 'tard majority (sorry, bit troll-like there, I know) WHO VALUE CONVENIENCE OVER RELIABILITY AND INTEGRITY.

    USB sticks and their boot sectors are AFAIK writable by ANY simple malware designed for the purpose, let alone what advanced BadUSB can do at the firmware of the USB device level). Reminds me of Terminator 3 with the ridiculously-easy cracking done by the Terminatrix plus how Skynet hooked-in, etc.

    I never saw a piece of malware write to a finalised, already-burnt ROM disc, did you?

    1. Obsolete in the fact that many/most systems are being sold without an optical drive, for the same reason that Microsoft removed DVD codecs and native DVD playback in Windows 8 and 8.1. Obsolete in the same manner that CD sales have plummeted and almost been completely superseded by MP3 players. Internet connection speeds are fast enough so that streaming or direct downloads of avi/mp4 is gradually superseding DVD playback. The fact is that there will be less and less systems shipped with an optical drive from now on. Blu-Ray never reached the mainstream market. I just removed the optical drive from my laptop and replaced it with a HDD bay and I replaced the original HDD with a SSD giving both storage and performance boosts.

      If you see the way I have wrote this, I would recommend the Reinstallation DVD primarily because it has no prebundled software such as McAfee, personally I would prefer a download to the .iso so I can make a USB at any time of my choosing.

      The BadUSB exploit is a huge threat and this is also one of the reasons for PC manufacturers moving to Secure Boot and UEFI BIOS as standard: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/dn168167.aspx
      Disabling SecureBoot and UEFI to boot off an external USB to optical Drive is likely to be more risky than installation from a USB drive.

      If you want to be super paranoid you should not be using any USB devices including a mouse and keyboard. You also shouldn't trust any BIOS updates or firmware updates that come from the internet which is a circular argument as firmware updates may enhance the security of the device. The BadUSB is essentially malicious code that is firmware and hence has to be targeted to a specific device. Its also possible to target an optical drive(s) firmware also and PS/2 firmware but more likely USB flash drives will be targeted first simply because there are more of them and they are more widely circulated in corporate and consumer environments. In particular models of USB drives which are common. Luckily at the moment there is a huge diversity in USB devices which will seriously delay this from infecting absolutely everything as people who write security blogs would have users believe (i.e. the worse case scenario).

      Rumour has it that for Windows 9 there will be a different means for OS installation for OEM systems where you connect to a Microsoft server via BIOS and download an up to date image from a Microsoft Account.

  3. Only for your interest. I'm from Germany and Dell delivered the Dell W8 Recovery Media DVD through UPS. They said to me that this is a one-time delivery and it will only done if your notebook has still garanty through Dell.

    1. Thanks for replying to let me know their current policy. Actually I don't recommend getting installation media from Dell for Windows 8 anymore. The Windows 8.1 Media Creation Tool works pretty well (unless its a Windows 8.1 with Bing Edition). This will give you more up to date media than Dell will send out for a Windows 8.0 license and save the hassles from upgrading from Windows 8.0 to Windows 8.1 via the Store:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/download-windows-8-1-retail-and-oem-iso/

    2. Hey what did you do to get the Recovery Media? I am looking for a Recovery Media for the new XPS13

  4. Good, clear guide, lots of interesting info, thanks. Especially the "April fool's joke" regarding the fake disks Dell sent out… I think I'm a victim. I ordered a Dell Precision M4600 laptop from Dell USA (I'm in South Africa) 3yrs ago and requested a genuine Win7 install disk as well. I received the disk but didn't take much notice of it until 10 days ago when I wanted to do a test Win install on a new SSD. Lo and behold, the disk isn't English, it's French/Turkish/Arabic!

  5. AND WINDOWS WONDERS WHY PEOPLE ARE FLOCKING TO GOOGLE TABLETS AND UBUNTU LUNIX

  6. I have lost win 7 reinstalltion dvd and some other reason i formatted the hard disk.so i have lost Dell factory reset form and slso dvd so but i have service tag no.so it can help to reistall win 7 or can buy win 7 dvd and where can available in India?

    1. Procurement of physical installation media is a thing of the past….

      Either Download the Windows 10 Version 1703 .iso and clean install with your Windows 7 Pro/Home/Ultimate OEM key printed on the system's COA (often under the battery in laptops) or let it automatically input your WIndows 8.1 Pro/Windows 10 Pro key from your systems MSDM table embedded in the UEFI BIOS). For more details see here:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/windows-oem-faqs-and-downloads/#CleanInstall15063

      If you must stick to Windows 7 then see here:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-dell-windows-7-64-bit-reinstallation-sp2-oem-iso-for-a-uefi-bios/

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