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#90
Interesting, but magicjellybean produces a win 8 Pro key that is not my win 8 install key.
It's also not the 10074 Insider key.
Not going to agonise as I am sure it will work out in the end.
Interesting, but magicjellybean produces a win 8 Pro key that is not my win 8 install key.
It's also not the 10074 Insider key.
Not going to agonise as I am sure it will work out in the end.
I have yet to have to enter a key when installing Windows 10. The last time I installed, I installed Enterprise and it would not accept my Live ID login info. It wanted a business login or something. I had to log in the first time with a local account and then switch to a Live ID. Still didn't have to enter a product code.
As per my other reply, Microsoft can't kill that type of install and factory activation. If you use a normal off the shelf Windows 7 Ultimate ISO for your install, you can likely skip the Home Premium install and just enter your Ultimate key. The Dell install media is coded to look for the Dell SLIC table and install Home premium by default. The regular ISO won't even look for a SLIC table. That special code has to be added. Removing the $OEM$ folder and ei.cfg file from the sources folder of your Dell install media may be all that is required. You'll lose any Dell branding/logos etc in the process.
If anybody is wondering why I seem to know so much about factory activation, its because I got tired of working on pirated systems for friends etc. A friend or relative would do them a "favor" and install a "free" version of Windows for them. They'd have issues latter and I'd end up sorting it out. I learned by trying to figure out what was done to the PC and then trying to undo it and make it legal again. Microsoft doesn't give out any info on how activation works, and I don't blame them. The less the crooks know the better. I've spent a fair amount of time learning how to restore a PC back to the factory install when possible. That's all. I don't condone piracy in the least.
That explains clearly, to me, how it works. It's not a big deal for me about keeping 7, it was the curiosity of how it could work when "technically" it wasn't there! MS sells the license to OEM, OEM embeds and sells to consumer. MS out of the loop! I could probably go back to 7 Home, but Anytime Upgrade would fail. That sound plausible?
@alphanumeric
Now, I know how Dell Oems does it and they are able to replace motherboards without requiring re-activation (they replaced my motherboard). However, If I was going to upgrade to windows 10 and had to use key on the back of the machine, I would have to do a phone activation and tell them a year or so ago, my motherboard was replace under warranty.
Microsoft can kill those Oemslp if they wanted. I don't know how win7 & 8 oemslp upgrades to widows will work with those Oemslp systems.