This is a legacy guide. The procedure has been made much easier to follow here.
Contents
- What is OEM SLP Activation?
- What is the ABR Program?
- Download Links and System Locked Preinstallation Keys
- Restore
- Backup
- My System came with Windows Vista OEM Can I Install Windows 7 OEM Instead?
- Ineligible Systems
- Additional Information
What is Original Equipment Manufacturer System Locked Preinstallation Activation?
Examples of Microsoft’s Major Partner Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) are:
- Alienware/Dell
- Lenovo/IBM
- HP/Compaq
- ASUS
- Acer
- Samsung
- Sony
- Toshiba
- MSI
- Fujitsu
Microsoft Major Partner OEMs preinstalled Windows 7 on millions of machines. In order to save production time these Major OEM licenses utilised a BIOS based activation mechanism. The conventional way would have required the OEM to input a unique 25 digit product key and call Microsoft for every single machine…
This BIOS based activation mechanism is called OEM System Locked Preinstallation as an activation mechanism. Customised Windows 7 installation media inputs a generic product key known as a System Locked Preinstallation (SLP) key which results in offline product activation if and only if the System License Internal Code (SLIC) is valid i.e. the system has an eligible system BIOS. For more details on determining the SLIC see my BIOS/UEFI guide.
Lets take Dell and the Edition Windows 7 Professional for example. Every single Dell PC shipped with Windows 7 Professional OEM has the same product key 32KD2-K9CTF-M3DJT-4J3WC-733WD and this will show up in system properties as Product ID: 00371–OEM-8992671-00524 (the first 5 digits differ depending on language, English is shown). A Dell Branded Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation DVD will automatically select to install Windows 7 Professional and input this product key and offline product activation if and only if the system has an eligible Dell BIOS and has been sold with Windows 10 Pro OEM (via downgrade rights), Windows 8.1 Pro OEM (via downgrade rights) or Windows 7 Professional OEM.
Lets take Dell and the Edition Windows 7 Home Premium for example. Every single Dell PC shipped with Windows 7 Home Premium OEM has the same product key 6RBBT-F8VPQ-QCPVQ-KHRB8-RMV82 and this will show up in system properties as Product ID: 00359–OEM-8992687-00095 (the first 5 digits differ depending on language, English is shown). A Dell Branded Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation DVD will automatically select to install Windows 7 Home Premium and input this product key and offline product activation if and only if the system has an eligible Dell BIOS and has been sold with Windows Home Premium Pro OEM.
Note if your OEM e.g. Dell have only certified a particular model to run Windows XP or Windows Vista, there will not be a Dell BIOS update available and hence the system will not be certified for Windows 7 OEM System Locked Preinstallation and Product Activation will fail.
To identify if your system has been installed using a Microsoft’s Major Partner OEM SLP you will have a product ID of the form:
- xxxxx-OEM–899xxxx-xxxxx
You may check your activation status by pressing [Windows] and [Pause|Break] or by going to Start and right clicking computer and selecting properties.
If there is no OEM in the Product ID you have a Retail or Volume license and these licenses are not supported with this guide…
Note if the product ID has the form:
- xxxxx-OEM–910xxxx-xxxxx
You have Windows 7 installed via the unique 25 digit product key from the Code of Authenticity (COA) affixed to your computer.* This activation mechanism works however OEM System Locked Preinstallation is in general preferred.
* It should be noted that there are two very poorly understood additional OEM licenses which may lead to confusion. These two licenses are Commerical OEM System Builder Licenses and Manufacturer Refurbisher OEM Licenses. These licenses do not have OEM System Locked Preinstallation and are hence not supported in this guide.
Although OEM media which applies OEM SLP is preferred. For Windows 7 Microsoft had a terrible Digital Distribution with only Retail installation media being made downloadable. There is no official OEM download for most OEMs. For Dell systems:
- For 6th generation Intel Dell system’s a 64 Bit Windows 7 Pro Skylake January 2016 Media Refresh .iso may be officially downloaded.
- For 1st-5th generation Intel Dell systems a 64 Bit Windows 7 Pro, Home Premium and Ultimate April 2016 Media Refresh .iso may unofficially be downloaded
This Dell branded Reinstallation media is more up to date than Microsoft’s offerings and automatically applies OEM SLP.
Identification Stickers for Windows 7 OEM System locked Preinstallation
I will mention identification stickers now…
If the system is shipped with a Windows Pro OEM Edition and is eligible for Windows 7 Pro OEM System Locked Preinstallation:
If the system is shipped with a Windows Home OEM Edition and is ineligible for Windows 7 OEM System Locked Preinstallation i.e. product activation will fail:
If the system has an OEM branded Windows 7 COA it is eligible for OEM system locked preinstallation from that OEM:
These COAs are often found under the battery compartment or computer cover to prevent fading:
If the COA is unbranded it is not eligible for OEM System Locked Preinstallation. A commercial OEM COA even for a Pro Edition has no Downgrade Rights as tit doesn’t support OEM System Locked Preisntallation.
Unfortunately there are many systems sold with incorrectly licensed Windows 7 COAs. A HP system sold with a Dell branded COA or a Dell branded COA sold without a Dell system is non-genuine. This can become confusing for end-users when they have bought an older Dell Windows Vista system and this PC has had its Windows Vista COA removed and replaced with a Dell branded Windows 7 COA. Needless to say these non-genuine COAs aren’t supported and OEM System locked Preinstallation will fail for system models where no BIOS Update is available to certify the system to run Windows 7.
What is the Activation Backup and Recovery Program?
OEM system locked preinstallation keys cannot be used in the traditional manner… If one uses traditional Retail installation media (or Commercial OEM installation media) downloadable from Microsoft OEM SLP will not be applied.
If one attempts to input the OEM System Locked Preinstallation Key during installation:
Or via Change your Product Key:
It will result in an unactivated Windows Edition.
The Activation Backup and Recovery (ABR) Program is a third party utility which allows one to Backup and Reapply OEM System Locked Preinstallation. The backup procedure obtains the OEM cert file and OEM SLP key in text form however because the cert file files are in mass circulation e.g. every single Dell Windows 7 Professional OEM install has the same cert file and same OEM SLP key, in most cases the Backup feature is not required.
The use of the ABR Recovery utility alongside the cert file means one can install Windows 7 Retail without a Product Key to initiate a 30 day trial and then apply OEM System Locked Preinstallation.
As ABR only applies OEM System Locked Preinstallation it will only work on eligible systems. If the cert file and OEM SLP key is used on an illegal system you will be given 9 days to input a valid product key.
This tool is useful if there is a product activation issue and Dell/HP OEM SLP needs to be reapplied without reinstallation or if one has a Retail Installation DVD.
Download Links and System Locked Preinstallation Keys
- ABR-beta.exe: http://directedge.us/content/abr-activation-backup-and-restore
- Windows 7 backup-cert.XrML and backup-key.txt collection: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/software-os/m/microsoft_os/20440287.aspx
Most major OEMs are supported with this collection:
- Alienware/Dell
- Lenovo/IBM
- HP/Compaq
- ASUS
- Acer
- Samsung
- Sony
- Toshiba
- MSI
- Fujitsu
These were obtained from here which covers a few more less common major OEMs.
Restore
Download ABRbeta (Windows 7) and the Activation Files.
The following steps may look a bit more complicated than they actually are. Essentially all you are doing is extracting two folders. One has two programs activation_backup.exe and activation_restore.exe. The cert and product key files must be copied to this extracted folder so the activation_restore.exe can be launched.
Extraction
Right click the “Dell/HP ABR Activation Files Vista and 7” and select extract all.
Opt for the extracted files to be in downloads.
Select to open the folder and snap it to the right. Next snap downloads to the left. Extract ABRbeta.exe (Windows 7) or ABR.exe (Windows Vista) by double clicking it.
Accept the warnings to run it
Again select the default location of downloads and select extract
You will now have a folder called ABR, open it to the left and open the ABR activation files to the right.
Activation-Restore.exe
Select your version of Windows.
I will use Professional as an example. Move the backup-cert.XrML and backup-key.txt file to the ABR folder.
Once these files are copied across run activation-restore.exe by double clicking it and accept any user-account control. It will input the Major OEM SLP key from the backup-key.txt and use this with the backup-cert.XrML to activate Windows Vista or Windows 7.
Note: You may be prompted to continue press [y] and [enter] if asked (usually you are asked this only if you entered a product key during installation which was not recommended).
Product Activation Check
Restart your computer and check your activation status by pressing [Windows] and [Pause|Break]. Windows 7 should be activated in the exact same manner as the OEM factory install.
The rest of this guide is just additional information… and won’t be required in most cases…
Backup
In the rare cases where the Cert file is not downloadable or you wish to backup your own one.
Check to see if your computer is running an OEM license by looking at the product ID in System Properties (press [Windows] and [Pause|Break]:
Look at your Product ID; the product ID of a major Windows 7 OEM license with OEM SLP will have the form of xxxxx-OEM-899xxxx-xxxxx and for a major Windows Vista OEM license the SLP will have the form xxxxx-OEM-733xxxx-xxxxx. The ABR backup will not work for a system without such a product ID.
Download ABRbeta (Windows 7) or ABR (Windows Vista). Extract ABRbeta.exe (Windows 7) or ABR.exe (Windows Vista) by double clicking it.
Accept the warnings to run it
Select the default location to extract.
This will extract to an ABR folder, open it.
Launch the activation_backup.exe
Accept any UAC prompts, you will now have a backup-cert.XrML file and backup-key.txt file created.
Copy the ABR Folder to a safe place for later use. These can be used later to restore your OEM product activation.
If you have the cert file for any OEM thats not Dell or HP you may add the files to a zip file and save this to OneDrive and share it in the comments section. It can help other users with Vista or 7 from your OEM which wish to clean install and whose hard drive or installation has failed and have no recovery media.
My Dell Shipped with Windows Vista OEM – Can I Install Windows 7 OEM Instead?
Windows 7 OEM was a Free Upgrade for Late Windows Vista OEMsystems. Microsoft marketed Windows 7 OEM as a “Free Upgrade” to Windows Vista OEM if the system was sold 6 months before the release of Windows 7 OEM. Windows 7 OEM was released on the 22/07/2009.
This “6 months” is just a rough guide. In reality it is the hardware which dictates the ability to perform the Free Upgrade from Windows Vista OEM to Windows 7 OEM… Lets take the Dell OptiPlex 760 system which was released by Dell on the 29th of October 2008. It may have been sold any time from November 2009 to December 2009. This makes the vast majority of these models sold in the 6 months before the release of Windows 7 OEM (Microsoft’s marketing Window). Irregardless of the precise point of sale, Dell the OEM classify them as the same model and they have the same BIOS update making them eligible to run Windows 7 Pro OEM.
As a consequence most models released around this time are eligible to run Windows 7 OEM provided they have their latest BIOS update applied.
- The latest BIOS Update in many cases updates the SLIC to 2.1 from SLIC 2.0 making the system valid for Windows 7 OEM SLP (for more details see my BIOS/UEFI guide).
Dell models released in this time period are eligible to run Windows 7 using Dell OEM SLP providing their following BIOS update is applied.
After applying the latest BIOS Update check to see if your SLIC is 2.1. If it is WIndows 7 OEM will activate if it isn’t Windows 7 OEM will fail to activate. For more details on checking this see my BIOS/UEFI guide. This check is needed on the Mid 2008 systems (I don’t have all the hardware to test).
Adamo Desktops
- Adamo (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A08
Dimension Desktops
- Dimension 1000 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A03
- Dimension 2010 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A04
Inspiron Desktops
- Inspiron Zino 300 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A01
- Inspiron Zino 400 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A01
- Inspiron 535 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A03
- Inspiron 537 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A03
- Inspiron 537s (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A03
- Inspiron 545 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A12
- Inspiron 545s (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A12
- Inspiron 546 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A11
- Inspiron 546s (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A11
- Inspiron One 19 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A06
Inspiron Laptops
- Inspiron 1318 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A06
- Inspiron 1320 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A05 x86, Legacy BIOS A05 x64
- Inspiron 1410 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A03
- Inspiron 1425 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A06
- Inspiron 1440 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A07
- Inspiron 14z 1470 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A05
- Inspiron 1545 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A14
- Inspiron 15z 1570 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A05
- Inspiron 1750 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A06
- Inspiron Mini 1010 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A11
- Inspiron Mini 10v 1011 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A06
- Inspiron Mini 10v 1018 (Late 2010) Legacy BIOS A02
- Inspiron Mini 11z 1100 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A04 x86, Legacy BIOS A06 x64
- Inspiron Mini 11z 1200 (Late 2010) Legacy BIOS A06
- Inspiron Mini 11z 1121 (Late 2010) Legacy BIOS A01
Latitude Laptops
- Latitude 2100 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A06
- Latitude D631 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A12
- Latitude E4200 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A24
- Latitude E4300 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A26
- Latitude E5400 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A19
- Latitude E5500 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A19
- Latitude E6400/E6400 ATG/E6400 XFR (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A34
- Latitude E6500 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A29
- Latitude XT2 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A13
- Latitude XT2 XFR (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A15
- Latitude Z600 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A11
OptiPlex Desktops
- OptiPlex 360 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A07
- OptiPlex 760 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A16
- OptiPlex 780 (Late 2009 Legacy BIOS A15
- OptiPlex 960 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A18
Precision Desktops
- Precision T1500 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS 2.4.0
- Precision T3500 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A17
- Precision T5500 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A16
- Precision T7500 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A16
Precision Laptops
- Precision M90 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A08
- Precision M2400 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A28
- Precision M4400 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A29
- Precision M6400 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A13
- Precision M6500 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A10
Studio Desktops
- Studio D540 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.1.3
- Studio D540s (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.1.3
- Studio 1747 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A14
- Studio One 19 1909 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A10
Studio Laptops
- Studio 1440 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A04 x86, Legacy BIOS A04 x64
- Studio 1435 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A06
- Studio 1450 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A06
- Studio 1457 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A08
- Studio 1458 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A07
- Studio 1535 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A06
- Studio 1536 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A06
- Studio 1537 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A11
- Studio 1555 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A13
- Studio 1557 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A09
- Studio 1735 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A05
- Studio 1737 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A09
- Studio 1745 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A04
- Studio XPS M1340 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A15
- Studio XPS M1640 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A15
- Studio Hybrid D140g (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.1.0
Vostro Desktops
- Vostro 220 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.0.16
- Vostro 220s (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.3.0
- Vostro 410 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.0.3
- Vostro 420 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.3.0
Vostro Laptops
- Vostro 1014 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A07
- Vostro 1015 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS A06
- Vostro 1088 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A03
- Vostro 1200 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A09
- Vostro 1220 (Mid 2009) Legacy BIOS 1.3.0
- Vostro 1310 (Early 2008) Legacy BIOS A15
- Vostro 1320 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A08
- Vostro 1500 (Early 2008) Legacy BIOS A06
- Vostro 1510 (Early 2008) Legacy BIOS A15
- Vostro 1520 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A08
- Vostro 1700 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A07
- Vostro 1710 (Early 2008) Legacy BIOS A12
- Vostro 1720 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A08
- Vostro 2510 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS A06
- Vostro A90 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A04
- Vostro A840 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A04
- Vostro A860 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS A02
XPS Desktops
- XPS Adamo 13 (Late 2009) Legacy BIOS A04
- XPS 430 (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS A01
- XPS 435MT (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.1.4
- XPS 625 (Early 2009) Legacy BIOS 1.0.2
- XPS 630 (Early 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.0.13
- XPS 730 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.0.6
- XPS One (Mid 2008) Legacy BIOS 2.0.6
- XPS One 24 (Late 2008) Legacy BIOS 1.1.4
Ineligible System Example Test
This is just a demonstration to show that the Activation Backup Recovery program or Dell Windows 7 Reinstallation DVD won’t work on ineligible systems.
A Dell Latitude D820 was used with an Vista Business COA in this test. It has a genuine Windows 7 Upgrade license and was later activated using it.
This system was only sold by Dell with Windows XP and Windows Vista, hence the latest BIOS revision only has markers for Windows XP and Windows Vista. If one tries installing with a Dell Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation DVD or using the ABR files for Windows 7 which mimic the activation mechanism of the Reinstallation DVD on this system, Windows 7 will not activate. Instead you will get a 9 days until automatic activation as shown below.
When you click to activate now you will be unable to activate with the Dell SLP key and will be prompted to enter another product key. After 9 days you will get:
System Locked Preinstalaltion Key and Product ID List
Dell OEM SLP Keys and Product IDs
Product IDs (the first 5 digits differ depending on language – English UK is given here):
- Windows Vista Home Basic xxxxx-OEM-7332166-00096
- Windows Vista Home Premium xxxxx-OEM-7332157-00204
- Windows Vista Business xxxxx-OEM-7332141-00054
- Windows Vista Ultimate xxxxx-OEM-7332132-00141
- Windows 7 Starter 00342-OEM -8992707-00082
- Windows 7 Home Basic 00346-OEM-8992752-50258
- Windows 7 Home Premium 00359-OEM-8992687-00095
- Windows 7 Professional 00371-OEM-8992671-00524
- Windows 7 Ultimate 00426-OEM-8992662-00400
SLP keys are:
- Windows Vista Home Basic 3YMR2-WMV49-4WD8X-M9WM7-CH4CG
- Windows Vista Home Premium 4GPTT-6RYC4-F4GJK-KG77H-B9HD2
- Windows Vista Business 368Y7-49YMQ-VRCTY-3V3RH-WRMG7
- Windows Vista Ultimate 2QBP3-289MF-9364X-37XGX-24W6P
- Windows 7 Starter 36Q3Y-BBT84-MGJ3H-FT7VD-FG72J
- Windows 7 Home Basic 36T88-RT7C6-R38TQ-RV8M9-WWTCY
- Windows 7 Home Premium 6RBBT-F8VPQ-QCPVQ-KHRB8-RMV82
- Windows 7 Professional 32KD2-K9CTF-M3DJT-4J3WC-733WD
- Windows 7 Ultimate 342DG-6YJR8-X92GV-V7DCV-P4K27
Alienware OEM SLP Keys and Product IDs
Product IDs (the first 5 digits differ depending on language – English UK is given here):
- Windows 7 Home Premium 00359-OEM-8992687-00008
- Windows 7 Professional 00371-OEM-8992671-00188
- Windows 7 Ultimate 00426-OEM-8992662-00008
- Windows 7 Ultimate 00426-OEM-8992662-00120 (Variant 2)
SLP keys are:
- Windows 7 Home Premium V3Y2W-CMF9W-PGT9C-777KD-32W74
- Windows 7 Professional 4CFBX-7HQ6R-3JYWF-72GXP-4MV6W
- Windows 7 Ultimate 4HMYB-6YHYT-TW2J6-FQBC3-6GBFW (Variant 2)
Lenovo and IBM OEM SLP Keys and Product IDs
Product IDs (the first 5 digits differ depending on language – English UK is given here:
- Windows 7 Starter 00342-OEM-8992752-30169
- Windows 7 Starter 00342-OEM-8992702-00153 (Variant 2)
- Windows 7 Home Basic 00346-OEM-8992752-50213
- Windows 7 Home Premium 00359-OEM-8992687-00249
- Windows 7 Professional 00371-OEM-8992671-00437
- Windows 7 Professional 00371-OEM-8992662-00537 (Variant 2)
- Windows 7 Ultimate 00426-OEM-8992662-00537
SLP keys are:
- Windows 7 Starter 273P4-GQ8V6-97YYM-9YTHF-DC2VP
- Windows 7 Starter 22P26-HD8YH-RD96C-28R8J-DCT28 (Variant 2)
- Windows 7 Home Basic 22MFQ-HDH7V-RBV79-QMVK9-PTMXQ
- Windows 7 Home Premium 27GBM-Y4QQC-JKHXW-D9W83-FJQKD
- Windows 7 Professional 237XB-GDJ7B-MV8MH-98QJM-24367
- Windows 7 Professional 6K2KY-BFH24-PJW6W-9GK29-TMPWP (Variant 2)
- Windows 7 Ultimate 6K2KY-BFH24-PJW6W-9GK29-TMPWP
HP and Compaq OEM SLP Keys and Product IDs
Product IDs (the first 5 digits differ depending on language – English UK is given here
- Windows Vista Starter xxxxx-OEM-7332204-00603
- Windows Vista Home Basic xxxxx-OEM-7332166-00021
- Windows Vista Home Premium xxxxx-OEM-7332157-00174
- Windows Vista Business xxxxx-OEM-7332141-00039
- Windows Vista Ultimate xxxxx-OEM-7332132-00015
- Windows 7 Starter xxxxx-OEM-8992752-30008
- Windows 7 Home Basic 00346-OEM-8992752-50008
- Windows 7 Home Premium 00359-OEM-8992687-00010
- Windows 7 Professional 00371-OEM-8992671-00008
- Windows 7 Ultimate 00426-OEM-8992662-00010
SLP keys are:
- Windows Vista Starter 223JH-DDMFR-3WBTR-H3V93-28JK8
- Windows Vista Home Basic 2VX48-BVXT6-GD2PK-BD3R2-44MV3
- Windows Vista Home Premium HW7V9-XYT4W-PFR9Q-2DKGJ-RR4TD
- Windows Vista Business 2Q2WM-VCB98-8C6BG-C9BT2-3XDRY
- Windows Vista Ultimate 23CM9-P7MYR-VFWRT-JGH7R-R933G
- Windows 7 Starter RH98C-M9PW4-6DHR7-X99PJ-3FGDB
- Windows 7 Home Basic DX8R9-BVCGB-PPKRR-8J7T4-TJHTH
- Windows 7 Home Premium 4FG99-BC3HD-73CQT-WMF7J-3Q6C9
- Windows 7 Professional 74T2M-DKDBC-788W3-H689G-6P6GT
- Windows 7 Ultimate MHFPT-8C8M2-V9488-FGM44-2C9T3
For other OEMs the details are found in this text file here. Its Windows 7 content is shown below:
STARTER (OEM-8992752 & OEM-8992707)
RDJXR-3M32B-FJT32-QMPGB-GCFF6 XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30004 ACER/GATEWAY/PACKARD
6K6WB-X73TD-KG794-FJYHG-YCJVG XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30005 ASUS (Eee)
6PB94-MC2C6-4F37H-KTJ32-PF2PT XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00097 CASPERERA
BB2KM-PDWW3-99H7J-F7B9R-FXKF6 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00010 COMPAQ/HP
4FQRW-9R6H7-6P49K-2QKW6-WVK46 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00222 CREA
36Q3Y-BBT84-MGJ3H-FT7VD-FG72J XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00082 DELL
BHP4B-MXP9G-RG7KQ-T8R84-CW3D3 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00232 EXCIMER
4FRH4-WQDGJ-M9HRY-K73D8-RGT3C XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00228 EXPER
PMXH9-M23P9-QJJMB-2FWRC-7CDKP XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30007 FUJITSU
BRFCY-XMXRV-28JHQ-F6D9B-BV73C XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30198 HANNSPREE
RH98C-M9PW4-6DHR7-X99PJ-3FGDB XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30008 HP/COMPAQ
6KTVJ-RY667-X3Q9J-26MXJ-KKWT8 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00133 KSYSTEMS-IRBIS
273P4-GQ8V6-97YYM-9YTHF-DC2VP XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30169 LENOVO/IBM
22P26-HD8YH-RD96C-28R8J-DCT28 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00153 LENOVO/IBM
2V3W2-JXTTR-28RD8-R228D-KR69C XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30099 LG
2K8WH-JVQDM-C9HVC-YR2XC-8M76G XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30065 MEDION
2W4DJ-JFFJV-DMCPP-2C3X8-883DP XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00121 MSI
2YKPV-BFXFW-X8GJQ-9KQFF-KCXGD XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30271 MSI
2XGHP-9TQK2-8CF28-BM2P2-8FRX8 XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30269 NOKIA
4BBMG-9W3GV-W48DD-KX6MB-XMMMK XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00174 OEGSTONE
344HQ-3YHDT-C7VCT-BDPBV-4KTR3 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00192 OLIDATA
PV9BD-YBRX6-CTMG6-CCMJY-X8XG7 XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30013 SAMSUNG
32J2V-TGQCY-9QJXP-Q3FVT-X8BQ7 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00016 SONY
6RVFM-RTMTJ-4DGWV-TXTQW-7GFFB XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30173 TAROX
TGBKB-9KBGJ-3Y3J6-K8M2F-J2HJQ XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30015 TOSHIBA
6TQ9G-QB2WK-FM2TB-CKBDP-9D6HM XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30215 VIEWSONIC
7W842-2HCPJ-BC3MJ-B79K6-TD2HQ XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30214 VILIV
6JPKB-P8D84-6DT8D-P2QHB-QMKP9 XXXXX-OEM-8992752-30069 ZOOSTORM
6CYKC-TDDYQ-K4B6G-HQD89-CWDP3 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00169 ?????
4HGWK-KHT8C-J2KCF-F3PVF-44PD4 XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00172 ?????
32TF3-PT6YV-V6GCK-RR8GM-VM4QG XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00180 ?????
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HOME BASIC (OEM-8992752)
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GFDW7-7T4B9-VB8W7-TTHRM-JG2KB XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00079 ?????
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BD8CB-7Q28H-B8KQR-MDCVP-42XP8 XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00210 ?????
BVQFP-FKQGV-J82F3-2JTVV-733D2 XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00236 ????? / ZOOSTORM ?
76QPJ-99DMC-MW43P-8JKHY-6YMRQ XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00280 ?????
3XCH4-KCYHJ-FFFVX-9P87K-RG7QP XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00276 ?????
HT89B-V9F8T-TJQP6-7DB4P-WYPY9 XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00248 ?????
H3XR7-PH8M6-2BYCP-HKCMM-MCQJM XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00140 ?????
7MJXM-FTDGX-7VJF7-7D287-P792Y XXXXX-OEM-8992687-00100 ?????
PROFESSIONAL (OEM-8992671)
YKHFT-KW986-GK4PY-FDWYH-7TP9F XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00004 ACER/GATEWAY/PACKARD
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2QGXM-V9W9W-6Q7MR-64C4X-R26CV XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00207 LG ?
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BV4Y4-DVXDT-3FC64-X2QR7-DW82M XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00468 ?????
6FWJ7-TDRCV-BYTP3-JWB98-9J64J XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00211 ?????
862R9-99CD6-DD6WM-GHDG2-Y8M37 XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00205 ?????
7QY32-TQCBJ-G7MC8-Y4PGF-7TGB8 XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00284 ?????
36KXM-JVMP6-88WMK-YCCGV-YFDVX XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00230 ?????
CRYGF-JG347-QPJKH-BR82M-3MQP3 XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00101 ?????
7MB39-TFBVT-9KJKK-6G7H4-66Y7W XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00098 ?????
6HKBJ-JJ8DR-HJGMM-4CXWP-HTVCH XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00155 ?????
24437-XVJQQ-F36R3-7HM2B-RXTCX XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00433 ?????
9FY83-9H2MW-983JB-6VGKY-6KVQV XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00011 ?????
9CQKK-KR6BD-PRF8P-CXP6X-YW7YT XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00595 ?????
BPM2T-G28MM-DYPRD-CDFQB-JG89V XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00254 ?????
38TCQ-GQKDQ-7GF72-2HY97-6B2Y6 XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00448 ?????
BCM2T-PC84R-R6GTX-MQ2RP-H3XTF XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00268 ?????
2KH22-2H9QT-YG6WX-8X6Q8-Y89K4 XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00105 ?????
FBTRK-D394V-87QR3-K4BQM-FM6R6 XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00252 ?????
2XGJT-GV4QG-QBHPB-D6DBW-DTW9Q XXXXX-OEM-8992671-00097 MITAC
ULTIMATE (OEM-8992662)
FJGCP-4DFJD-GJY49-VJBQ7-HYRR2 XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00006 ACER/GATEWAY/PACKARD
VQ3PY-VRX6D-CBG4J-8C6R2-TCVBD XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00008 ALIENWARE
4HMYB-6YHYT-TW2J6-FQBC3-6GBFW XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00120 ALIENWARE
2Y4WT-DHTBF-Q6MMK-KYK6X-VKM6G XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00173 ASUS
342DG-6YJR8-X92GV-V7DCV-P4K27 XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00400 DELL
9CW99-79BBF-D4M3X-9BK9M-4RPH9 XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00009 FUJITSU
MHFPT-8C8M2-V9488-FGM44-2C9T3 XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00010 HP
6K2KY-BFH24-PJW6W-9GK29-TMPWP XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00537 LENOVO/IBM
76MTG-QMQJQ-46DQR-CHRBB-7K3HD XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00194 OEGSTONE
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2WX6M-X2HKM-86X8X-2QD44-F3FGJ XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00481 ?????
78FPJ-C8Q77-QV7B8-9MH3V-XXBTK XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00366 ?????
9D4JH-GPGMP-CTQYB-XM74F-2CTYY XXXXX-OEM-8992662-00267 ?????
Hi,
Have downloaded the Win7 Ultimate SP1 and did all what you said here. Once I start the installation in a new HDD of my Inspiron M5040 an error come up saying:
Have tried to find a driver for the HDD in DELL support site but the one available driver is not working. Tried the HDD site, not luck.
Any suggestions as to how resolve this?
Thanks!
Saying what? I assume you are not on the product activation stage and that you are the Windows installation stage. If I’m correct have a look at these videos:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows-7/downloading-preparing-and-loading-sata-drivers/
You’re right. I made the error entry in caps and was deleted by the blog. Anyways, what the error say is: No drivers available, etc…This is a brand new Hitachi HDD with the new Advance Format system file.
M5040 is an AMD system and not an Intel one. I am less experienced with AMD than Intel systems as I prefer Intel. According to WD you shouldn’t need a driver for AMD:
http://www.wdc.com/global/products/features/?id=7&language=1
Obviously you are finding that you do. Its the AMD A50M Chipset family so you need the AMD AHCI drivers.
They might be obtained within the Chipset driver listed by Dell R313347. Once extracted with 7zip there is a folder called packages and within it a folder called drivers. I would try selecting this folder to load during the Windows setup. However I am not sure if the Dell driver will cover an AF HDD so I would go for the one direct from AMD:
http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/chipset?os=Windows
Try the top one. Once extracted with 7zip select the drivers folder:
13-4_vista_win7_win8_32-64_sb\$_OUTDIR\Packages\Drivers
I have completed a hardware upgrade on a Dimension E510 and purchased a Dell reinstallation DVD for Windows 7 Pro. The installation went fast and smooth but the Product Activation Code I’ve purchased from a noted online software retailer is not working. I wrote them and they sent a second PAC which did not work either. I’m a bit confused right now about the article above but is it possible that I need to buy the PAC from Dell to activate the copy of W7 Pro or will the procedures outlined in your article above work for me?
Thanks for your answer.
Neither the Reinstallation DVD or the ABR program (which mimics the activation mechanism of the Reinstallation DVD) will work on your system.
The Dimension 5100 was sold by Dell with only Windows XP and maybe in some cases Windows Vista. Thus Dell have only placed the markers for Windows XP and possibly Windows Vista in the system BIOS. They have not placed the Windows 7 markers in the BIOS and the activation mechanism will therefore sees an invalid BIOS and hence will not activate. See notes on ineligible systems:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/microsoft-product-activation/the-activation-backup-and-recovery-program-windows-vista-7-version/#Ineligible
A retail license should activate directly. See here for details describing the differences between OEM and Retail:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/the-oem-or-retail-license/
In your case you have purchased a Reinstallation DVD and a COA so phone activation may work:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/microsoft-product-activation/phone-activation-windows-vista-7/
In reality a Dell Windows 7 COA should not be sold separately from a Dell system so it is also possible you were sold a non-genuine license. Theres lots of piracy of fake Windows 7 COAs and for these reasons COAs are removed in Windows 8 and later. The system builder OEM license is usually just Microsoft branded.
Thanks. This is pretty frustrating since I had upgraded my wife’s PC at her office which was from the same era as this one but was of the OptiPlex variety, I think. The cases were shaped the same except my wife’s was taller. It runs W7 with no problems at all and validated itself. The little E510, so far, runs W7 just fine, too.
The PAC was purchased from buycheapsoftware.com, not one of those on ebay that I looked at prior to the purchase and didn’t trust in the slightest. I can’t see them selling fake licenses but they may not know about the markers you speak of.
So phone activation through Microsoft is the only possible way you see to activation? Your link above points to a page that is no longer there but it is one of the options available after the activation attempts I’ve made have failed.
Thanks again.
Sorry I updated that link, it should work:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/microsoft-product-activation/phone-activation-windows-vista-7/
If your wifes was an OptiPlex 760, Dell sold it with Windows 7 so the latest BIOS does have the markers for Windows 7 Dell OEM activation. The OptiPlex 745 and 755 do not similar to the Dimension E510.
I would be very cautious of buying software like this:
http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details~productID~5975.asp
“When buying Microsoft software as a digital download, we recommend that you avoid auction sites and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing sites. At the moment there are a limited number of sites where you can legally purchase digital downloads of Microsoft software. One example is the online Microsoft Store, where you can buy a wide variety of genuine software and hardware directly from Microsoft (in select markets). Additionally, you can purchase a digital download of Windows at http://www.windows.com/shop.
With the exception of Product Key Cards distributed with Certificates of Authenticity (COA’s), Microsoft does not distribute products keys as standalone products. If you see a listing on an auction site, online classified ad, or other online page advertising product keys, it’s a good indication that these keys are likely stolen or counterfeit.”
http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/howtotell/Software.aspx
i.e. Microsoft don’t simply allow giving out of product keys via telephone.
We were in town today and I looked at my wife’s old computer again and it’s actually a Dimension 9200.
The PAC I bought for the E510 was this one:
http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details.asp?productID=5748. They’ve been around for a long time and we’ve purchased a lot of software from them personally as well as for my wife’s office an the plaice I used to work as well. The PAC was sent via e-mail and they attached this to the reply I got when I asked them the first time about the first PAC not working:
Product Key : XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-RJ3PX (my X’s)
Validity : Valid
Product ID : XXXXX-OEM-9309671-17961
Activation ID : da22eadd-46dc-4056-a287-f5041c852470
Edition Type : Professional
Description : Windows 7 Professional OEM:COA
Edition ID : X15-37341
Key Type : OEM:COA
Crypto ID : 186
I’ve finally arrived at a point where I can try the phone activation. If it doesn’t work I guess I’m just out of luck on the upgrades and whatever. Just hope I can get my money back on the W7 Pro license.
Thanks again.
I can’t believe it! Using the phone activation procedure the activation was a success! Did it override the BIOS markers or something?
The BIOS SLP activation is the main activation mechanism of the Dell Reinstallation DVD. Inputting the unique 25 digit product key on the COA and activating by phone is a secondary activation mechanism usually reserved to the rare cases when the SLP mechanism doesn’t work. You should be fine provided that site doesn’t sell the same PAC to multiple customers.- I’m still not sure if its a legitimate license you have and have reported the site to Microsoft Support.
Fine by me. I KNOW there’s quite a few that need to be reported on Ebay.
When starting the phone activation procedure how is the, I think, 36 digit code that you read off to Microsoft derived? Does it come from the PAC I tried to use to activate it or the embedded OEM PAC that was not working to begin with?
will this method work with Dell Vostro 1440 laptop. Please reply
The Vostro 1440 came with Windows 7 OEM and its BIOS is valid for Windows 7 so this will work on it.
Philip – great site. Thank you for putting this together.
Unfortunately I am stuck. I feel like I have been going in circles trying to activate Windows 7 on this Machine.
Inspiron 545s Desktop came with Vista Home Premium with a free Upgrade to Windows 7. This worked well for years. After heavy use I was advised to reinstall Windows.
I have gone through reinstalling several times and always find Windows 7 needs to be activated with a product key. No product key given with the Dell upgrade disks. I am back at this same spot now.
I installed Vista first which showed as authentic and activated. Then I used the Dell upgrade disks that were provided originally to upgrade, then installed all of the Windows updates. The machine is working great. But I am stuck with 29 days left and I can not figure out how to activate. I am going nuts. I considered staying with Vista but cant use Office 365, ++
Can you point me in the right direction?
What BIOS revision do you have? You will need to have the latest A12 installed before using the ABR program.
http://downloads.dell.com/bios/I545-A12.EXE
Earlier versions of the BIOS will not be accepted for the system locked preinstallation mechanism of Windows 7.
I do have A12.
If you have BIOS A12 and it still doesn’t activate then Dell hasn’t added the SLP activation mechanism to this machine. Usually if Dell have Windows 7 drivers the latest BIOS should work with the Dell Windows 7 SLP activation.
Upgrade discs should have came with a retail upgrade product key.
The ABR program worked!!! You are the man.
Great! Thanks for posting back your success. 🙂
Hi Philip,
I have a Dell latitude laptop on which I fully erased the Windows 7 with an Arch Linux for two years.
I now want to switch back to Windows 7 but I have nothing backed up from the original Dell install. I also could have flashed the BIOS before even if I don’t remember doing it (does it erase the OEM license?).
Do you think it could be a problem for reactivation? Should I prefer the dell installation media over the retail one when following your “clean install of windows” guide?
By the way, thanks for these awesome guides.
The Dell Windows Reinstallation DVD applies the Activation Mechanism automatically. For retail media you need to use the ABR program to apply the same activation.
The ABR program will work on any Dell BIOS which came with a system shipped by Dell with Windows 7 (including any legitimately updated Dell BIOS). It’ll also work on any Dell systems shipped with Windows 8.0/8.1 Professional.
You should have no problems using either for activation.
Perfect, thank you again !
How will this work on Dell Vostro 220s factory installed VBus OEM COA label with downgraded rights to XP Pro? Never obtained Dell’s FREE Win 7 Pro upgrade disk…..
huskyone
For that model, Dell never released Windows 7 drivers which is why I made an unofficial set:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/driver-sets/vostro-desktops/vostro-220s-windows-7-64-bit/
This means the latest BIOS for that model only has markers to accept the Dell Windows Vista Business SLP key and Windows XP Professional SLP key. i.e. was not upgraded to have Windows 7 Professional markers so a Dell Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation DVD or the ABR program with Dell cert files on a Windows 7 Professional install will be rejected and hence fail to activate.
If you want to run Windows 7 on it you will need a retail license (these are quite pricey as Windows 7 has stopped being sold). It will work with the Windows Vista Business.
My advice is to install Windows 10 Technical Preview and use it to evaluate Windows 10 64 Bit until its finally released. At which point you should be able to purchase Windows 10 at a promotional price.
Thank you Philip. I have purchased a Win 7 Pro OEM from BestBuys. I will try to activate the OS with that OEM Disk Key. Will post results at later time.
It’s a shame Dell doesn’t always appreciate your valuable assistance to us ‘untechies’ at large…
The OEM disc from Best Buy will be a generic OEM disc and not a Dell OEM disc. It therefore won’t require the SLP markers in the BIOS and will activate with its own 25 digit product key. The generic OEM is similar to the retail license however has 2 limitations; once installed on the desktop it is non-transferable (forever tied to the desktops motherboard). The second is that the product key will not work with Microsoft’s Software Recovery Tool (which is pretty non-functional anyway).
The Windows 7 Generic OEM license will be eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 10 in Late Summer.
I recently purchased a new Dell Inspiron 3847 from Amazon. It came with Windows 7 Professional installed, and included a Windows 8.1 disc in the box. The listing said something about a downgrade package. Before I mess up a perfectly functioning Windows 7 system, how do I go about installing 8.1 from the disc? It has no COA numbers anywhere that I have found.
Also, I have no Windows 7 disc, but assume the restore partition currently holds that info. I have never had one of these two OS ‘downgrade’ deals before so I am more than a bit confused.
Thanks for any info.
For Windows 7 Professional the OEM SLP activation is used and if you need to download Windows 7 Professional Media follow the instructions here:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/windows-7-sp1-iso-download/
You need the ABR program and cert files aswell as the .iso as you have no unique Windows 7 Professional product key and must use the OEM SLP. I explain whats going on in the tutorial video. Media made from Dell Backup and Recovery will also work but it depends if you want a clean install or factory settings. If your factory settings are working well theres no need to clean install.
The system should be licensed for Windows 8.1 Professional and the Windows 8.1 Professional product key resides within the system BIOS. A utility like RWEverything can readout the MSDM tab from ACPI tables to get the product key. I explain this in great detail in the tutorial video I made here:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/download-windows-8-1-retail-and-oem-iso/
In general the key should be automatically input and there should be no need for the end user to know it. There are the few (very rare) cases where the BIOS loses the product key so I advise taking a note of it just in case.
Philip Trying to re-activate a Windows 7 Home Premuim install following the installation of SSD on a Studio 1555. Although I installed the Product Key that I recovered Using Belarc I did not notice that it had not been accepted as a valid Product ID. When I was re-installing the machine I used the Windows 7 iso image linked to from this site, but for some reason did not see the instructions for backing up the BIOS Certs. Now when I attempt to re-install I get the error 0xC004F063 Computer BIOS missing required licence. I have attempted to follow the instructions over the ABRBeta but the program failed to run windows reporting that it was not a valid Windows 32 program. (McAfee also wared me that the site was not trusted, but I continued with your directions). I no longer seem to have the COA KEY. I do though still have the orginal OS re-installation CD. Do I have any options that to go and buy another Retail copy of Windows 7? Is there an alternative ABR program available now? Or do I risk it and go on the Windows 10 beta. (but this my wifes machine not mine….)
When I upgraded the same way another Dell machine ealier this year I dont recall such issues.
I advise staying clear from McAfee, it is usually problematic for legitimate things and doesn’t detect actual treats in many cases. You can see negative McAfee reviews all over:
http://download.cnet.com/McAfee-Total-Protection/3000-2239_4-10763479.html
http://www.amazon.com/McAfee-Total-Protection-3PC-2014/product-reviews/B00E6OPDUS
I prefer Malwarebytes’ AntiMalware. McAfee has likely caused some issue with the ABR program hence it not working.
Update your BIOS to the latest version A13. I advise removal of McAfee before updating the BIOS:
http://downloads.dell.com/published/pages/studio-1555.html
Then reattempt using the ABR program with the cert files I list. This will re-apply the OEM SLP. Redownload the files once McAfee has been removed as McAfee has likely corrupted the ABR.exe.
Reinstallation with the Dell OEM Reinstallation DVD will automatically apply the OEM SLP activation mechanism, so thats your alternative to the ABR program.
Also your COA should be under your battery in that model. Dell put it there to prevent it from fading. You can input that key and call Microsoft to activate but I prefer the OEM SLP activation.
I have a Dell Latitude E4300 laptop that came preinstalled with windows 7 32 bit professional. I plan to do a clean install of windows 7 64 bit professional. I already have the retail media. Will this method work to properly activate the 64 bit version of windows or will it only work for the 32 bit version the computer originally came with? I plan to back up the cert and key files first before reformatting the drive but those backups will be from the 32 bit version. How do you suggest I proceed?
It’ll work with either architecture, the activation is identical for both.
Thank you so much for your work and this very informative website!
I have a HP dv9620us. does it have bios markers for both Vista and Windows 7? I had lost my recovery disks sometime ago and found a vista install disk from a Toshiba machine and it workded but now would like to see if could go reinstall all HP original configurations. I noticed on another page that Microsoft broke all Digital River ISO. Does that effect this fix?
I am not as familiar with HP systems as I am with Dell systems. Did it ship with Windows Vista or Windows 7? If it shipped with Windows 7 then it has the BIOS markers for Windows 7.
The Digital River .isos highly influence this fix because they are the only downloadable source of installation media. However if you have the .iso downloaded in advance or a retail Windows 7 Installation DVD to hand it may be used instead.
I just used this to put 64-bit Vista Business on a Dell Latitude E5500 that only shipped with 32-bit media, and it worked! I’m preparing several of these laptops for a client for surplussing and eventual sale and wanted an image that would look as much like the original OOBE as possible, including factory activation. This will be extremely handy!
Unfortunately, the links to the backed up HP certificates have gone dead.
Great glad it helped and glad you had the generic installation media to install with. The OneDrive link to the HP certificates worked just there when I attempted to download them.
For the Latitude E5500 perhaps even Windows 7 64 Bit Professional and the ABR files would work (most these systems were out in Late 2008 and would have been eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 Professional) providing the BIOS is updated to the latest version. If you had Windows 7 64 Bit installed then you could even install Dell Backup and Recovery after the system drivers and after applying the Dell OEM logos to make a near identical factory install.
I was able to download and use a Vista Business x64 SP2 ISO from Volume Licensing and apply the methods you described. Microsoft had once said that VLK media can be used to reload a system with an OEM license, you just needed to use the OEM keys and activate. Fortunately, I’ve hoarded several of the Dell Windows 7 x64 restore disks. All my hoarded Vista disks are x86 with SP1.
The Latitudes were purchased in batches, and all with the XP Downgrade option enabled. Some came with Vista Business licenses (and attached COA) and some later units came with 7 Pro licenses (and attached COA), just depending on which phase of the rollout they were purchased. Some of the line of business software applications weren’t qualified for Vista or 7 until XP support was nearly expired. Hell, some of the web-based applications still don’t work with IE 10. If these were going back into service, I’d probably use the Windows 7 disk, claim the licenses were under the Windows 7 Volume License, send them on. But these will be surplussed, so I figured it would just be easier in the long run to load it with the OS indicated on the COA and send them off to their new homes. No support calls for activation issues down the line and such.
I may go looking for the Dell logos and branding information. Getting a proper OOBE was my main concern, including licensing and activation. I do have plenty of the Dell Vista x86 disks, so obtaining the OEM images shouldn’t be difficult. I haven’t had to apply branding since we stopped getting unbranded Dell Optiplex GX series desktops, back when they had the CPS program. Going to have to brush up on that again!
As for the links for the HP certs, I was somehow in an older version of Opera (I keep it around for getting into older routers and such that don’t play well with newer IE or other browsers) which no longer plays nice with OneDrive. When I switched over to IE, I was able to get them. I’ll squirrel those away for the occasional HP that comes through depot.
Amazing, was scratching my head after reformatting the disk of my HP/COMPAQ CQ61 and realising the key on the underneath had worn off.. Now restored with key same as prior to formatting according to Belarc. Saved time and worries, thankyou.
Glad it helped. 🙂
Hi, I have a few Dell Optiplex with SLIC/SLP 2.1 BIOS, and also the Windows 7 reinstallation DVD that came with Optiplex. Should I use ABR-beta and backup-cert.XrML and backup-key.txt ? Can I use the same DVD to reinstall all PCs? I will need to change the key? I would like to do a fresh clean install before upgrading to WIndows 10… Thanks!
The Dell Windows 7 Reinstallation DVD will work with all Optiplex systems newer than 2009 including the OptiPlex 360/760 (if they have the latest BIOS present).
No need to use ABR as the activation mechanism will automatically be applied from the Reinstallation DVD. Don’t change key.
My factory purchased Dell XPS-8100 hard drive died – replaced it with an SSD and reinstalled using Dell supplied OS disc. Windows not auto-activated. I spent over 3 hours with 3 calls EACH to Microsoft AND Dell and had them each pointing the finger at one another (and with most of the tech support reps clueless). I also spent hours searching Google. I finally stumbled across your site. After reading your article, I was up and activated in less than 10 minutes. THANK YOU!!
You’re welcome, I’ve been in that situation before hence the reason I looked for and wrote up these workarounds hopefully things will be better with Windows 10. 🙂
thanks so much for being active on the dell forums & posting this info! my laptop has an SSD, but silly Dell installed the OS onto the HDD… your keys did not work for me, but I still have windows running on the HDD as I slowly migrate (I’ve had the computer 2 years) and so was able to backup my own keys and restore them without a problem 🙂
XPS 8700? Its a known problem with Dell Backup and Recovery and we have made Dell aware of it.
Dell Backup and Recovery by default installs on the largest drive. For a 256 GB SSD and a 2 TB drive if both are installed during the time Dell load the factory image it goes onto the wrong drive.
Follow the instructions here to migrate the factory settings to the correct drive:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-backup-and-recovery-1-8-1-71/
My guide has instructions on multiple drive configurations.
it’s an alienware laptop m14 r2
hello im sanoop, recently i formatted my dell latitude e 6410 laptop.. actually i dont have oem dvd disk and windows product key.. i already noted my windows product key with using a third party software called magical jellybean keyfinder before formatting.. then i installed the same version of windows but later i tried to activate windows but unfortunately it is getting an error.. is there any hope to activate windows on my laptop without purchasing a new windows??
Without Windows 7 Reinstallation/Installation Media there is no way to reload Windows 7. Microsoft have removed the Digital River Downloads and replaced them with a non-functional Microsoft Software Recovery Tool which blocks Dell Windows 7 OEM licenses.
At this stage the only important thing is getting the free upgrade to Windows 10. This can be done via the Windows 10 Insider 10130 .iso:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/a-clean-install-of-windows-10/windows-xpvista-%e2%86%92-windows-10-free-upgrade/
However you may need to find this .iso in an unofficial location as Microsoft no longer facilitate its download.
can i download windows 7 pro 64 bit dell oem .iso??
No not from official sources.
Thank you so much! I wasted so much time on the phone and got nowhere, and this tool totally saved me! Now I can stay on the best looking system MS has ever made with no cloud crap from MS.
Hi, I have a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 (1018) that I am attempting to re-install Windows 7 Starter edition on. I have installed Windows with no issues. I am now tripping over the activation process. I have noticed a couple of thing that I am unclear about. When I run the ABR executable it changes OEM product ID to a non OEM product ID and the Dell OEM SLP keys listed above are the same for Windows 7 Starter and Windows 7 Home Basic. Is this behaviour expected? Thanks
Whoops looks like I’ve made a couple of mistakes here…
Open up the backup-key.txt file in notepad and change 36T88-RT7C6-R38TQ-RV8M9-WWTCY (the key for Home Basic) to 36Q3Y-BBT84-MGJ3H-FT7VD-FG72J (the key for Starter). The cert file is the same for all Dell Windows 7 OEM (so can remain unchanged).
Can you let me know if the Product ID becomes XXXXX-OEM-8992707-00082 I think I made a second mistake calling it XXXXX-OEM-8992702-00082.